The Mask  (1961)

Theatrical Release Information:
The Mask

Also known as Eyes of Hell, The Mask, is an inexpensive Canadian horror film is distinguished by a gimmick which relies upon full-audience cooperation. Anticipating Jim Carrey by 30 years, Paul Stevens comes into possession of an ancient mask which harbors Strange Powers. When Stevens places the mask over his face, the line "Put your mask on now" is supposed to cue the audience to don their 3-D glasses -- whereupon both Stevens and the audience experience a series of hallucinatory images. The major difference is that Stevens' hallucinations give him the urge to kill; it is hoped that the audience will not follow suit. In the early 1980s, a restored stereoscopic version of The Eyes of Hell was released to television in tandem with a pair of 3-D Three Stooges shorts, Spooks (1953) and Pardon My Backfire (1953). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide