--- title: "Cursed Filter Turns Anyone Into Metaverse Mark Zuckerberg" description: "A haunting AR mask of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg's cursed Horizon Worlds avatar now exists, and anyone with snapchat can try it on for size." date: "2022-08-23" modified: "2022-08-23" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/cursed-filter-mark-zuckerberg" categories: - "Future Society" - "Metaverse" - "Virtual Reality" tags: - "facebook" - "mark zuckerberg" - "Meta" - "the digest" --- # Cursed Filter Turns Anyone Into Metaverse Mark Zuckerberg ![A haunting AR mask of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg's cursed Horizon Worlds avatar now exists, and anyone with snapchat can try it on for size.]() *\Image: Matt Reed/Twitter\* ## Zuck Yourself Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's Horizon Worlds avatar, as shown off by the social media founder himself in [a recent screenshot](), is nothing sort of horrifying. But if you took a look at that dead-eyed, Wii Mii-esque avatar and thought, "huh, I wonder what that face would look like on my face," then *boy* do we have a treat for you: a haunting AR mask filter of his vacant visage now exists, and [anyone with Snapchat]() can try it on for size. Why? Because the internet. Because chaos. Because, well, why not? "I saw some YouTube video about 'things you missed in movies' the other day and there were Michael Myers and 'Silence of the Lambs' references so I guess 'Halloween' masks were top of mind," Matt Reed, a Nashville-based creative technologist and HoriZuck mask creator, told Futurism. "Of course MetaMark's awesome Horizon avatar was trending and I just put the two together and decided to see what a Zuck mask would look like." https://twitter.com/mcreed/status/1560704499693637633 ## Choosing Chaos Reed himself admits that the mask, in all its dead-eyed glory, is pretty unsettling. When "it actually worked I was kinda horrified," Reed continued, "and immediately thought of Leatherface from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. But it made me laugh too, so I was conflicted as to whether the rest of the world should feel the same way." Somehow, the best application of the filter seems to be over real videos of Zucky himself. In a Twitter thread, Reed posted several famous Zuckerberg clips — [the meat-smoking incident](), [the metaverse reveal]() — with the AR mask layered over the founder's real face. And honestly? It really captures the chief metamate's [believably-katana-wielding]() energy. For his part, Reed says he's just happy to make people laugh. "It made people smile and that warmed my heart," the creative technologist added. "My favorite thing." **More on HoriZuck:** *[People Bullied Mark Zuckerberg So Much That He's Improving the Metaverse Graphics]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()