Artist designs horror-inspired face masks 

Prosthetics specialist Rene Abelardo, 50, has discovered an appetite for the hand-made, horror-inspired masks that he initially created for fun.

With help from friends, Abelardo has sold dozens of the molded masks, from monsters and zombies to the devil and the Joker. He is now receiving hundreds of orders from all over the Philippines.

The masks extend down to the jawline and up to the ears and are lined with a conventional cloth mask. They were an instant hit when they first appeared on social media, attracting thousands of likes and shares.

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"I tried wearing the mask I made just for fun, and my daughter saw me and asked if she can take a picture and post it online," he said.

"A few hours later the post unexpectedly went viral, and the rest is history."

The Philippines has recorded more than 27,000 coronavirus cases and in affected areas has made the wearing of face masks mandatory.

Each mask takes up to three days to complete and Abelardo sells them for between P300 to P500 per piece.

"We started making more masks since we currently don't have jobs. It's still money coming in and it makes people happy."

This article was originally published at REUTERS.