48 Fun Facts About Michael Myers

Who created the character of Michael Myers?

He co-wrote and directed the 1978 film and composed its score. The character has since appeared in twelve films.

How is the masked killer credited at the end of the original 1978 film?

He is credited as The Shape, the label the screenplay uses for Michael, who is filmed as a faceless silhouette rather than a person.

Who wore the mask in the 1978 original?

Nick Castle, a USC film-school friend of the director, played the masked Michael in nearly every scene; he later directed The Last Starfighter.

How much was the man in the mask paid per day on the 1978 shoot?

The performer behind the mask earned $25 a day on the shoot, a token rate on a film made for a few hundred thousand dollars that grossed roughly $70 million.

The famous white mask was modified from a mask of which actor's face?

It was a William Shatner Captain Kirk mask, bought for under two dollars, then widened at the eyes and spray-painted white to give a blank, expressionless face.

Which crew member found and altered the mask?

Tommy Lee Wallace, the production designer, bought the mask and altered it, widening the eyeholes and spray-painting it white; he later directed the third film.

How old is Michael when he kills his sister Judith in the film's opening?

Michael is six when he stabs his sister Judith on Halloween night 1963, a murder shown from his point of view through a clown mask.

From which institution does Michael escape fifteen years later?

He escapes Smith's Grove Sanitarium, where he had been held since the 1963 murder, and drives a stolen car back to his home town.

In which fictional Illinois town is the series set?

Haddonfield, Illinois was named after Haddonfield, New Jersey, the home town of the film's co-writer; the other towns belong to Scream, A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th.

What is the name of the psychiatrist who hunts Michael through the films?

Dr Sam Loomis takes his name from the boyfriend character in Hitchcock's Psycho; he pursues Michael from the first film through five entries in the series.

Which film in the series does Michael not appear in?

Season of the Witch (Halloween III, 1982) has no Michael Myers: it tried to turn the series into an anthology with a new story each year, and the idea was dropped after one film.

What weapon does the character typically use?

Michael's signature weapon is a chef's knife, first taken from a kitchen drawer in the film's 1963 opening; every sequel keeps the same long blade.

Which stuntman played Michael Myers in both Halloween 4 and Halloween 6?

George P. Wilbur, a veteran stuntman, wore the mask in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988) and returned for Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995).

What was the approximate budget of the 1978 film?

Halloween was made for roughly $300,000 and grossed around $70 million, which for years made it one of the most profitable independent films ever released.

In which time signature is the 1978 film's piano theme written?

The theme is in 5/4 time, a rhythm the director learned as a boy from a bongo lesson with his father; the lopsided count is much of why it feels unsettling.

How long did the director take to compose and record the whole score for the 1978 film?

He composed and recorded the whole score in three days, playing most of the synthesizer and piano parts himself in a Los Angeles studio.

Which actress made her feature-film debut in the 1978 film?

Jamie Lee Curtis made her feature-film debut as Laurie Strode after television work including Operation Petticoat; she has returned to the role repeatedly since.

Which Psycho star is the real-life mother of the actress who plays Laurie Strode?

Janet Leigh, Psycho's shower-scene victim, is the actress's real-life mother and appeared with her daughter in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998).

Who was the highest-paid actor on the 1978 production, at $20,000?

Donald Pleasence earned $20,000 for about five days' work as the psychiatrist, the biggest fee on a film made for a few hundred thousand dollars.

How long did filming take on the original?

The shoot took 20 days in spring 1978, months out of season for a story set on Halloween night, which caused a well-known continuity problem.

Because the film was shot in spring in California, what did the crew have to do repeatedly?

They had to reuse artificial leaves: the art department painted paper leaves, scattered them for a shot, then gathered them up and spread them on the next street.

Which boy does Laurie babysit on Halloween night in the 1978 film?

Laurie babysits Tommy Doyle while another sitter watches Lindsey across the street; Tommy is the first to spot the masked figure he calls the boogeyman.

What is the 1978 film credited with starting?

Friday the 13th arrived two years later and copied the formula closely. The template of babysitters, a holiday and a masked killer was set.

When does the story of Halloween II (1981) take place?

Halloween II begins immediately afterwards, on the same night as the first film, with most of the action inside the local hospital where Laurie is taken.

Which plot twist did the 1981 sequel introduce?

Later films have variously kept, ignored or undone it. The 2018 film treats the twist as if it never happened.

Which stunt performer played Michael in Halloween II?

Dick Warlock, a veteran stuntman who doubled Kurt Russell, played Michael in Halloween II (1981) and gave him a slower, more deliberate walk.

Which of Laurie's friends is the sheriff's daughter in the 1978 film?

Annie Brackett, the sheriff's daughter, is Laurie's closest friend; Michael kills her in her car before she can collect her boyfriend.

In which California city was the Myers house filmed for the 1978 film?

The Myers house and most of the town's streets were filmed in South Pasadena, California, standing in for small-town Illinois; the house was later moved a short distance and preserved.

What is the Curse of Thorn, introduced in the later sequels?

The Curse of Thorn, a Druid curse explained in Halloween 6, is a force compelling him to kill his family on Halloween night and accounts for his survival; later films dropped it.

Under what assumed name is Laurie living in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later?

In H20 Laurie has faked her death and lives as Keri Tate, headmistress of a private boarding school in Northern California, where Michael finally tracks her down.

Which two films complete the trilogy that began with the 2018 reboot?

Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends, released in 2021 and 2022, complete the trilogy; Ends was billed as Laurie Strode's final confrontation with Michael.

What does the 2018 film do with the earlier sequels?

The 2018 film's approach to the earlier sequels is that it ignores all of them, running directly on from the 1978 original as if no other sequel had ever happened.

Which comedian co-wrote the 2018 film?

Danny McBride, star of Eastbound & Down, co-wrote the 2018 film with its director and Jeff Fradley, long-time collaborators since film school.

Who directed the 2018 film?

David Gordon Green directed the 2018 film, having earlier made Pineapple Express and the indie drama All the Real Girls; he directed both sequels too.

Which record did the 2018 reboot break on release?

It became the highest-grossing slasher ever at that point, passing the mark Scream had held since 1996, and finished with about $259.9 million worldwide.

Who plays Laurie's granddaughter Allyson in the 2018 trilogy?

Andi Matichak plays Allyson, Laurie's granddaughter, in all three films of the 2018 trilogy; Judy Greer plays her mother Karen.

Who wrote and directed the 2007 remake?

Rob Zombie wrote, directed and produced the 2007 remake, which spends its first half on Michael's childhood as an origin story before retelling the 1978 plot.

Which actor played the adult killer in the 2007 remake?

Tyler Mane, a towering former professional wrestler, played the adult Michael in the 2007 remake and its 2009 sequel; he said the hardest part was acting only with his eyes.

Who played the hunting psychiatrist in the 2007 remake?

Malcolm McDowell played the psychiatrist in the 2007 remake and its 2009 sequel, taking over a role one actor had held for five earlier films.

Which four-day holiday box-office record did the 2007 remake break?

The 2007 remake opened over Labor Day weekend and took about $30.6 million across the four-day holiday, a record for that weekend at the time.

From whom did the character Michael Myers take his name?

He was named after a British film distributor, Michael Myers of Miracle Films, who had handled the UK release of the director's previous film.

Which earlier film by Halloween's director prompted producers to hire him?

Assault on Precinct 13, a 1976 siege thriller, impressed producer Irwin Yablans, who then offered its director a film about a killer stalking babysitters.

Who co-wrote the original Halloween screenplay with its director?

Debra Hill co-wrote Halloween with its director and produced it; the pair also wrote Halloween II before stepping back to produce Halloween III.

Which mask company created the masks for several Halloween films?

Don Post Studios, the Hollywood mask maker, produced the masks for several later Halloween films, including the three Silver Shamrock masks featured in Halloween III.

In Halloween 4, Michael has been in a coma for how many years after the explosion in Halloween II?

Michael lies in a coma for ten years after the hospital explosion, waking in 1988 when ambulance attendants mention his niece, and heads back to town.

Which 1979 novelisation of Halloween added a prologue about the festival of Samhain?

The 1979 novelisation, by Curtis Richards (a pseudonym), opens with a prologue tracing Michael's evil back to the Celtic festival of Samhain; Jack Martin later novelised Halloween II.

Which two production companies co-financed the 2018 Halloween, with Universal distributing?

Blumhouse and Miramax co-financed the 2018 film, with Universal distributing, after Dimension Films lost the rights when its Halloween Returns project collapsed in 2015.

Which stuntman played most of Michael's scenes in the 2018 film?

James Jude Courtney, a stuntman, performed most of Michael's scenes in the 2018 film, with the 1978 performer returning for a brief cameo behind the mask.