When Slipknot unveiled their new masks in the "Unsainted" video, Corey Taylor's new mask expectedly drew the most attention. Fans have been divided on the singer's latest look and Tom Savini, the horror FX legend who created the mask, has spoken out.

In an interview with Revolver, Savini was asked how the collaboration began. While on a plane, he and his wife were looking back on photos and came across one of her with Taylor in 2014. "I think it was my assistant, Jason Baker, who talked to him backstage at a show and Corey mentioned needing a mask," Savini explained.

It appears that their work together was total happenstance with an assistant to credit for it all. "I guess my assistant said like, 'Hey, I work for Tom Savini,'" he recalled, "and the next thing you know Corey Taylor is in my house playing with my cats, then we made a cast of him."

Talking about the finished product, Savini acknowledged "there was a lot of negative response, initially." In an issue of Kerrang!, Taylor discussed his new mask, mentioning Savini by name. The artist said, "But the fans were like, 'Savini? Oh shit, my sister could have done better than that.' Someone even fastened a milk carton to their face and posted a side-by-side and said, 'Nailed it!'"

Despite the negative reactions, Savini's head is still held high. "Regardless, the mask looks excellent," he affirmed, giving credit to Taylor for the finished appearance. "You know, he puts the makeup on underneath it, the hood, everything. It's a nice mask, but he sells it," commented Savini. "He's the one who makes it look the way it looks."

While Slipknot's music seems like a natural fit for the line of work Savini is in, he admitted, "It wasn't really the kind of music I listen to," noting that his better half is into Slipknot and that he's "come to know folks like [Corey Taylor] from when they come through horror conventions."

Slipknot's new album, We Are Not Your Kind, arrives on August 9.

The Evolution of Slipknot's Terrifying Masks

 

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