In 1978, John Carpenter created one of the best horror films of all time with Halloween. The cult film is always suitable for a pleasant horror evening, but especially for the scariest festival of the year: Halloween! The slasher heavyweight continues to impress today thanks to Carpenter’s brilliant direction and a stellar Jamie Lee Curtis. But beyond the actual movie experience, “Halloween” has burned itself deeply into our pop culture memories.
What has become famous – besides the legendary theme song – is Michael Myers’ performance. As fear personified with a stalker-like attitude, it is mainly the mask that expresses this appearance. It only shows the basic features of a face and is so tight that you’re not sure if it’s Michael’s real face or just a mask. It is precisely this unknown that scares us.
However, behind the mask lies a story that is anything but scary. On the contrary: the design was created cheaply, simply and through a funny incident. It’s also linked to an endearing anecdote from William Shatner. We’ll tell you what it’s all about!
William Shatner is Michael Myers!?
William Shatner is known for his interpretation of Kirk in “Star Trek” – but not as a slasher icon! Nevertheless, that same role influenced not only countless Trekkies, but also Michael Myers. His mask was made based on Kirk’s death mask, which was already sold at the time. The creators of “Halloween” bought them for a few dollars at a costume store. The preparations were anything but complex: the mask was painted white, the eyes were enlarged and the eyebrows were removed. Michael’s face was already born.
Of course, over time, Shatner noticed this himself. In an interview he told a touching anecdote. On Halloween, he donned a Michael Myers mask and accompanied his grandchildren on their trick-or-treating tour. When Shatner rang the neighbor’s doorbell and then ripped off his mask, he slammed the door again in shock!