A look inside the process that went into designing the terrifying masks of the Death Eaters for the films.
PMARCHIVE-undefined jBDTHEyxUs8qcw4I0wEO6-g0

Extracted from Harry Potter Page to Screen: The Complete Filmmaking Journey.


Jenny Tempe’s first designs for the Death Eater costumes were based on simple shapes.

‘They were only seen in silhouette during the attack at the Quidditch World Cup or in the fog at the graveyard, so I wanted a strong recognisable profile.’

Their spartan robes and leather hoods were reimagined for their next appearance, and it was realised that, ‘the Death Eaters have quite showy aesthetics,’ explains prop modeller Pierre Bohanna.

Concept artist Rob Bliss designed their silvery masks, many inscribed with designs similar to Mogul arabesque patterns.

PMARCHIVE-DeathEater WB F5 DeathEaterMask V1 Photo 080615 Port jBDTHEyxUs8qcw4I0wEO6-b1

‘The first time we see the Death Eaters, in Goblet of Fire, the masks are only partially on their faces,’ explains Bliss. ‘But in Order of the Phoenix, I thought it would be creepy to cover the whole face. The idea was to create a uniform look across the group, but give each one still their own particular designs or motifs so they could be personally identified.’

Jany Temime then took the engravings on the masks as points of reference for embroidered patterns on their clothing.

The Death Eaters attack the World Cup campsite
PMARCHIVE-DeathEater WB F5 DeathEaterFullbody Promo 080615 Port jBDTHEyxUs8qcw4I0wEO6-b4
Page to Screen
Harry Potter to Fantastic Beasts