By Blake Brittain

Feb 6 (Reuters) - Paramount Skydance PSKY.O and film producer Spyglass Media Group sued Hollywood makeup and special-effects studio Alterian Inc in California federal court on Friday to defend their rights to the "Ghostface" mask made popular by the "Scream" horror movie series.

Paramount and Spyglass said Alterian had tried to "strong-arm" them into paying millions of dollars to avoid a copyright lawsuit weeks before the latest sequel "Scream 7" is released later this month.

An attorney for Alterian said it planned to file a lawsuit over the "Scream" mask later on Friday. Spokespeople for Paramount and Spyglass did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the complaint.

The movie companies said in Friday's lawsuit against Alterian that they properly licensed the mask from the costume company that created it, and that Alterian had forfeited its right to sue by raising its claims too late, noting that the first "Scream" movie was released in 1996.

"It is a familiar trope of horror films that characters ignore danger until it is too late. In cinema, delay heightens suspense," Paramount said in the complaint. "In the law, unreasonable delay is called laches, and in appropriate circumstances it can foreclose claims for relief."

Alterian was founded by makeup and effects designer Tony Gardner. His studio has worked on films including "Zombieland," "Jackass" and "Hairspray" and helped create the iconic helmets for electronic music duo Daft Punk.

According to Paramount and Spyglass' complaint, Gardner said he created the Ghostface mask in 1991. The lawsuit said that after "sporadic" settlement discussions, Alterian threatened to sue the movie studios in January for using the mask without a license.

The studios said they license the mask from costume maker Fun World, which also claims to have created the mask in 1991. Spokespeople for Fun World, which is not involved in the case, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the complaint.

Paramount and Spyglass said Alterian has never taken legal action against Fun World or sued over previous "Scream" movies. They requested a court ruling that Alterian's claims are time-barred and that they did not violate its copyrights.

The case is Spyglass Media Group LLC v. Alterian Inc, U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, No. 2:26-cv-01235.

For the movie studios: Aaron Moss and Josh Geller of Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp

For Alterian: attorney information not yet available

(Reporting by Blake Brittain in Washington)

((blake.brittain@tr.com; +1 (202) 938-5713))