49 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?

The name reflects how the film shoots him: as a silhouette rather than a person.

Who wore the mask in the 1978 original?

He was a film school friend of the director from USC. He later became a director himself, making The Last Starfighter.

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

The whole film cost around $300,000 to make. It went on to gross about $70 million.

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

It was bought cheaply and altered on the spot. The production wanted a completely blank face and got one for a few dollars.

Which crew member found and altered the mask?

He was the production designer and co-editor, and later directed the third film in the series. He cut the eyeholes wider and spray-painted the whole thing white.

What did the crew do to the mask to make it look, in their words, demented and strange?

They also removed the eyebrows and sideburns before painting it white. The alterations took an afternoon.

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

The murder happens in 1963 and is shot from his point of view behind a clown mask. He is committed immediately afterwards.

From which institution does Michael escape fifteen years later?

He drives straight back to his home town. He had reportedly not spoken a word in all that time.

In which fictional Illinois town is the series set?

It was named after Haddonfield, New Jersey, where the co-writer grew up. The others belong to Stephen King and Stranger Things.

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

The name is lifted from a character in Psycho. Donald Pleasence played him in five films.

Which film in the series does Michael not appear in?

It was an attempt to turn the series into an anthology with a new story every year. Audiences hated the idea and the experiment ended immediately.

What weapon does the character typically use?

It is taken from a kitchen drawer in the first film. Every sequel keeps the same silhouette.

How many actors have played Michael Myers more than once?

Nick Castle, George P. Wilbur, Tyler Mane and James Jude Courtney are the repeat performers. Six others have worn the mask once.

What was the approximate budget of the 1978 film?

It grossed around $70 million. For years it was among the most profitable independent films ever made.

The film's piano theme is written in an unusual time signature. Which one?

The lopsided count is a large part of why it feels wrong. The director wrote and recorded the entire score in three days.

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

He played most of the instruments himself. The theme is now one of the most recognisable pieces of film music ever written.

The 1978 film was the screen debut of which actress?

She has returned to the role repeatedly since.

Which Psycho star is the real-life mother of that actress?

The connection was used in the film's publicity. She later appeared in one of the sequels alongside her daughter.

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

The whole film cost around $300,000, so his fee was a large slice of it. He played the psychiatrist.

How long did filming take on the original?

The shoot ran over four weeks in May 1978, months out of season. That caused a well-known continuity problem.

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

Sharp-eyed viewers can spot the same leaves in several streets. Palm trees are also visible in a couple of shots.

A long-repeated claim says the film was first titled The Babysitter Murders. What became of it?

Irwin Yablans has denied it since the claim first surfaced around 1980. The story is still repeated in film guides.

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?

It picks up on the same night, mostly inside a hospital. Dick Warlock wore the mask this time.

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?

He was credited as The Shape, exactly as in the first film. The sequel was the second highest grossing horror film of 1981.

How many films make up the Halloween series?

They have grossed more than $884 million between them. One of them contains no Michael Myers at all.

Roughly how much has the franchise grossed worldwide?

That is from an original film that cost about $300,000. It remains one of the best returns in Hollywood history.

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

The idea was meant to explain his survival and his motive. Later films dropped it entirely.

How far after the original does Halloween H20 pick up the story?

It ignores the sequels in between and says the killer has been missing since 1978.

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

They arrived in 2021 and 2022. The whole trilogy ignores every sequel made between 1981 and 2009.

What does the 2018 film do with the earlier sequels?

It runs directly on from the 1978 original as if nothing else happened. That includes discarding the sister twist.

Which comedian co-wrote the 2018 film?

He wrote it with the director and Jeff Fradley. The result was the highest-grossing slasher film ever in unadjusted dollars.

Who directed the 2018 film?

He had previously made Pineapple Express and stoner comedies. He went on to direct both sequels as well.

Which record did the 2018 reboot break on release?

It beat the mark Scream had held since 1996. Worldwide it took about $259.9 million.

Who returned to score the 2018 film?

He had scored the first two films and the anthology entry. He confirmed the deal in October 2017.

Who wrote and directed the 2007 remake?

He also produced it, working from the original director's advice to make it his own. It doubled as an origin story.

Which actor played the adult killer in the 2007 remake?

He is a former professional wrestler and stands well over six feet. He said the hardest part was acting only with his eyes.

Who played the hunting psychiatrist in the 2007 remake?

Critics generally thought the casting worked even where the film did not. The role had belonged to Donald Pleasence for five films.

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

It took $30.6 million over the four-day holiday. Remakes of 1970s horror were the industry's default strategy at the time.

From whom did the character Michael Myers take his name?

The real Michael Myers had successfully distributed Assault on Precinct 13 in the UK through Miracle Films.

Which Carpenter film, seen at the Milan Film Festival, prompted producers to hire him for Halloween?

Independent producer Irwin Yablans and financier Moustapha Akkad wanted a film about a killer stalking babysitters.

Who co-wrote the original Halloween screenplay with John Carpenter?

The pair also wrote Halloween II before leaving the series to produce Halloween III.

Which mask company created the masks for several Halloween films?

Its factory was even used as the Silver Shamrock novelty plant seen in Halloween III.

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

George P. Wilbur played him on his 1988 return; four more sequels followed through 2002.

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

Jack Martin later novelised Halloween II, adding an extra victim not seen in the film.

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

Dimension Films had lost the rights after its Halloween Returns project collapsed in 2015.

Which stuntman shared the role of Michael Myers with Nick Castle in the 2018 film?

Castle, the original Shape, reprised the role in part while Courtney handled most of the performance.