Michael Myers (Halloween)

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Halloween character
Michael Myers
Classification: Mass murderer[1]
Location Haddonfield, Illinois
Signature weapon Kitchen knife
Created by: John Carpenter
Debra Hill
Portrayed by: Nick Castle, Tony Moran & Will Sandin (child)[2]
Dick Warlock & Adam Gunn (child)[3]
George P. Wilbur[4][5]
Don Shanks[6]
Chris Durand[7]
Brad Loree[8]
Tyler Mane & Daeg Faerch (child)[9]

Michael Myers is a fictional character from the Halloween series of slasher films. He first appears in John Carpenter's Halloween (1978) as a young boy who murders his older sister, then fifteen years later returns home to murder more teenagers. In the original Halloween, the adult Michael Myers, referred to as The Shape in the closing credits, was portrayed by Nick Castle for most of the film, with Tony Moran and Tommy Lee Wallace substituting in during the final scenes. He was created by Debra Hill and John Carpenter. Michael Myers has appeared in eight films, as well as novels, a video game and several comic books.

The character is the primary antagonist in the Halloween film series, except Halloween III: Season of the Witch, which was not connected in continuity to the rest of the films. Since Castle, Moran, and Wallace put on the mask in the original film, six people have stepped into the role. There have been no actors to portray the character in consecutive films, with a new actor filling the role in each succeeding film; only one actor has portrayed the character more than once. Michael Myers is characterized as pure evil, whether directly in the films, by the filmmakers who created and developed the character over eight films, or random participants in a survey.[10][11]

Contents

[edit] Appearances

Michael Myers is the primary antagonist in all of the Halloween films, with the exception of Halloween III: Season of the Witch, as that film did not feature any of the characters from the original two films and had nothing to do with Michael Myers. Michael would return immediately following Halloween III, in the appropriately titled Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers. The silver screen is not the only place Michael Myers has appeared; there have been literary sources that have expanded the universe of Michael.

[edit] Films

Michael Myers made his first appearance in the original 1978 film, Halloween, although the masked character is credited as "The Shape". In the beginning of the film, a six-year old Michael (Will Sandin) murders his older sister, Judith (Sandy Johnson), and is taken to a Smith's Grove Sanitarium. Fifteen years later, Michael (Nick Castle) escapes the sanitarium and returns to Haddonfield, Illinois. Michael proceeds to stalk and murder several teens. When he attempts to kill Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) she manages to fend him off long enough for Dr. Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasence), Michael's psychiatrist, to find him. Loomis shoots Michael six times in the chest, before Michael falls over the house's second-story balcony ledge. When Loomis goes to check Michael's body, he finds it missing.[2] Michael's second appearance was in Halloween's sequel, Halloween II (1981). The film picks up directly where the original ends, with Loomis still looking for Michael's body. Myers (Dick Warlock) follows Laurie Strode to the local hospital, where he wanders the halls in search of her. Loomis discovers that Laurie Strode is Michael's younger sister, and goes to the hospital to find them. Loomis causes an explosion in the operating room, and Laurie escapes as the flames engulf Loomis and Myers.[3]

Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988) picks the story up ten years after the events of Halloween II. Michael (George P. Wilbur) is revealed to have survived the explosion, but he has been held at the Ridgemont Federal Sanitarium. Michael wakes from his coma when he learns Laurie Strode was killed in a car accident, but that her daughter is still alive. Michael escapes and immediately heads to Haddonfield to kill Laurie's daughter, Jamie (Danielle Harris). The state police find Michael and shoot him several times before he falls down a mine shaft.[4] Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989) begins immediately after the fourth film ends, with Michael Myers (Don Shanks) escaping the mine shaft and being nursed back to health by a local hermit. The next year, Michael kills the hermit and returns to Haddonfield to find Jamie again. Michael is eventually captured and taken to the local police station, but an unseen figure kills the officers and frees him.[6] Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995) takes place approximately six years after the events of The Revenge of Michael Myers; both Jamie (J. C. Brandy) and Michael (George P. Wilbur) have disappeared from Haddonfield. The Cult of Thorn impregnate Jamie, in an effort to control Michael Myers. Michael kills Jamie, but not before she hides her newborn. Tommy Doyle (Paul Stephen Rudd) discovers Jamie's baby. While trying to protect the baby from Myers, Tommy learns that the Curse of Thorn is the cause of Michael's obsession with killing his entire family.[5]

Ignoring the events of the previous three films, Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998) follows Michael (Chris Durand) as he searches for Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), and her teenage son John (Josh Hartnett). Michael tracks Laurie and her son to the private boarding school where she is headmistress, living under an assumed name after faking her death to escape her brother. It is not long before Michael murders John's friends. After ensuring the safety of her son, Laurie battles it out with Michael, and succeeds in decapitating him.[7] Halloween: Resurrection (2002), which picks up three years after H20, retcons Michael's death, establishing that the man Laurie decapitated was a paramedic whom Michael had attacked and swapped clothes with. Michael tracks Laurie to a mental institution, where she was placed after she learned the truth of her actions. Michael kills Laurie and returns to his home in Haddonfield. There, he finds a group of college students filming an internet reality show inside his house. He begins killing each of them before being caught in an electrical fire.[8]

Michael's latest onscreen appearance is in Rob Zombie's Halloween (2007), a reimagining of the original film.[12] Zombie's film focuses more on Michael's psychology. The film follows the basic premise of the original film, with Michael (Daeg Faerch) killing his sister Judith (Hanna R. Hall), escaping Smith's Grove, and stalking Laurie Strode (Scout Taylor-Compton). In this film, Laurie is shown to be Michael's sister from the beginning, something not revealed until the original's sequel in 1981. Michael is shown to have an interest in Halloween masks and killing animals. During his time at Smith's Grove, he takes up the hobby of creating papier-mâché masks, which he wears constantly. Michael's (Tyler Mane) motives for coming after Laurie were altered to show that he was attempting to reunite with his sister, the one person in his family he cared for, instead of simply being out to kill her.[9]

[edit] Literature

Michael Myers made his literary debut in October 1979 when Curtis Richards released a novelization of the film. The book follows the events of the film, but expands on the festival of Samhain and Michael's time at Smith's Grove Sanitarium.[13] Michael returned to the world of literature with the 1981 adaptation of Halloween II written by Jack Martin; it was published alongside the first film sequel, with the novel following the film events, with an additional victim, a reporter, added to the novel.[14] The final novelization to feature Michael was Halloween IV, released October 1988. The novel was written by Nicholas Grabowsky, and like the previous adaptations, follows the events of Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers.[15]

Over a four month period, Berkley Books published three young adult novels written by Kelly O'Rourke; the novels are original stories created by O'Rourke, with no direct continuity with the films.[16] The first, released on October 1, 1997, titled The Scream Factory, follows a group of friends who set up a haunted house attraction in the basement of Haddonfield City Hall, only to be stalked and killed by Michael Myers while they are there.[17] The Old Myers Place is the second novel, released December 1, 1997, and focuses on a Mary White, who moves into the Myers house with her family. Michael returns home and begins stalking and attacking Mary and her friends.[18] O'Rourke's final novel, The Mad House, was released on February 1, 1998. The Mad House features a young girl, Christine Ray, who joins a documentary film crew that travels to haunted locations; they are currently headed to Smith Grove Mental Hospital. The crew are quickly confronted by Michael Myers.[19]

The character's first break into comics came with a series of comics published by Brian Pulido's Chaos Comics. The first, simply titled Halloween, was intended to be a one-issue special, but eventually two sequels spawned: Halloween II: The Blackest Eyes and Halloween III: The Devil's Eyes. All of the stories were written by Phil Nutman, with Daniel Farrands—writer for Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers—assisting on the first issue; David Brewer and Justiniano worked on the illustrations. Tommy Doyle is the main protagonist in each of the issues, focusing on his attempts to kill Michael Myers. The first issue includes backstory on Michael's childhood, while the third picks up after the events of the film Halloween H20.[20]

In 2003, Michael appeared in the self-published comic One Good Scare, written by Stefan Hutchinson and illustrated by Peter Fielding. The main character in the comic is Lindsey Wallace, the young girl who first saw Michael Myers alongside Tommy Doyle in the original 1978 film. Hutchinson wanted to bring the character back to his roots, and away from the "lumbering Jason-clone" the film sequels had made him.[21] On July 25, 2006, as an insert inside the DVD release of Halloween: 25 Years of Terror, the comic book Halloween: Autopsis was released. Written by Stefan Hutchinson, and artwork by Marcus Smith and Nick Dismas, the story is about a photographer assigned to take pictures of Michael Myers. As the photographer, Carter, follows Dr. Loomis he begins to take on Loomis's obsession himself, until finally meeting Michael Myers in person, which results in his death.[22]

Stefan Hutchinson has plans to release a series of Halloween comics, starting in 2008, through Devil's Due publishing. The first comics are a four issue mini series, titled Halloween: Nightdance, with the first issue focusing primarily on Michael Myers, with no appearances from characters from the films. The storyline takes place on October 31, 2000, so that it falls between Halloween H20 and Halloween Resurrection. Issue one follows Michael as he stalks Lisa, a fifteen year-old girl with insecurities and "a chronic fear of darkness".[23] Hutchinson explains that Nightdance was an attempt to escape the dense continuity of the film series and recreate the tone of the 1978 film. Michael becomes inexplicably fixated on Lisa, just as he did with Laurie in the original Halloween, before the sequels established that a sibling bond was actually his motivation for stalking her.[24] The character is set to appear in the upcoming Devil's Due comic one-shot Halloween 30th Anniversary Special, which will contain a collection of short stories, written by Hutchinson, inspired by John Carpenter's original film.[25]

[edit] Concept and creation

The character derives his name from distributor Michael Myers, who worked with Debra Hill and John Carpenter on Assault on Precinct 13. According to John Carpenter, Myers helped "push [Assault on Precinct 13] into the London Film Festival, that's where my reputation kind of began, so I felt I owed him. So that was my tribute to him, he was this dearest, dearest man". Carpenter wanted to "raise this Michael Myers character up to a mythic status; make him human, yes, but almost like a force. A force that will never stop, that can't be denied."[26] He did not want to give Michael a backstory, but put him immediately into a "legendary kind of situation".[27] To elaborate, Carpenter explained that he was influenced by Yul Brynner's "killer robot that couldn't be destroyed" in Michael Crichton's Westworld.[26] Carpenter felt this kind of character, one that was "a force", would be more terrifying than personifying him. Michael's mask was meant to help illustrate this further, because it would "blank out his human features […] Making him then just some sort of force of evil that is irrational, unstoppable."[27]

When developing the 2007 Halloween remake, Rob Zombie commented on his intentions for the character, stating that he wanted Michael Myers to be the lead character in the film. Zombie felt the character could be made "more intense" if he was more than just a "faceless thing floating around in the background". Zombie believed it was important to be able to see the events that shape the character, making it "more disturbing" to the audience.[28]

[edit] Becoming "The Shape"

In the original film, three actors portrayed Michael Myers. Will Sandin played a six year-old Michael, who murders his sister Judith on Halloween night. Later in the film, Tony Moran and Nick Castle would portray the adult Michael, with Moran credited as "Michael Myers (age 23)" and Castle credited as "The Shape". Nick Castle was a friend, and former University of Southern California schoolmate, of John Carpenter. Production on Halloween was taking place near Castle's house, so he asked Carpenter if he could hang around the set, because he was attempting to get his own movies "off the ground". Carpenter agreed on the condition that Castle play the role of the masked killer. For his part, Castle was paid $25 a day.[26] Debra Hill remarks:

"[Nick Castle's] father was a choreographer for Fred Astaire, and he just moved great. And I think John really wanted to play him as that, where he just looks, and his head turns, and he's enamored by this sister-like character that he sees in Laurie Strode. He makes the connection; he breaks out of the insane asylum and gets to his house, and sees this young girl, and makes this sort of subtle connection."[26]

Castle's motivation while filming was simple, "walk from this point to the end point, and roll"; this was reflected in Carpenter's directing, or lack of directing, as Carpenter himself admits that the only bit of direction he gave Castle was, "Do nothing, just walk. Don't act, just walk."[26] To elaborate, during filming Castle tried to find extra motivation for the character, attempting to get into the mind of someone who is mentally ill. Carpenter had to keep reminding him to keep it "simple"; he wanted Castle to make sure the character moved "gracefully" and was a "blank slate that we can project everything into, and make it much more horrifying".[27] Jamie Lee Curtis believes Castle kept the character from being nothing more than just a "thug in a suit". Castle was replaced by Tony Moran for the scene where Michael is unmasked, because Carpenter and Hill wanted someone who had more of an "angelic" face.[26]

Moran, who was looking for work, received a call from his agent about an audition for a "B flick", where he would be playing a "psycho". Moran prepared for his audition by neglecting to sleep, shave, shower or wash his hair for three days. He wore tattered clothes, with hiking boots to the audition. After being introduced to John Carpenter, Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasence, Moran proceeded to slam his feet up on the table and demand some coffee. He startled everyone at the table, and that afternoon received a phone call that he had gotten the job. Moran would take up the role from the point that Michael is strangling Laurie, as production designer Tommy Lee Wallace had performed the job during the scene where Michael breaks through the closet and Nick Castle in the part up to that scene. Moran would film the rest of the scenes—the removal of Michael's mask, being shot by Loomis and then falling over the balcony—except where Michael's body lies on the ground outside. In response to the "angelic face" remark made by Castle, Moran contends that he was not made aware of that "concept" when he was hired, but after viewing some photos of him and Carpenter on an A&E special, he "kind of sees what [Castle] means".[29]

Stunt performer Dick Warlock played Michael Myers in Halloween II, replacing Castle who was beginning a career as a director. Warlock's previous experience in film was as a stunt double in films such as The Green Berets (1968), Jaws (1975) and the 1974 television series Kolchak: The Night Stalker. Warlock had not seen the original film before he was hired, but after getting the job we watched the film "two or three times", modeling his behavior after the few scenes Tommy Lee Wallace performed. Wallace portrayed the character in the scene where Michael attacks Laurie in the closet, and the scene where he sits up and turns toward Laurie, after having fallen down wounded from her counter-attack. Warlock modeled his movements for Halloween II after those scenes, as well as the scene where Michael tilts his head to the side while staring at the body of Bob stuck on the wall.[30] Warlock took on Michael's characteristic "breathing", which was heard in the original film, while he was behind the mask.[31] Debra Hill claims that although "the Shape" had no lines, Castle's portrayal gave them the presence that they wanted for the movie; she goes on to say that Dick Warlock was unable to emulate that presence, despite studying Castle's performance.[27]

George P. Wilbur did not study any of the previous Halloween films when he took over the role in The Return of Michael Myers.[30]

[edit] The mask

Nick Castle holds up the original Michael Myers mask, which was created from a William Shatner Halloween mask.
Nick Castle holds up the original Michael Myers mask, which was created from a William Shatner Halloween mask.

Tommy Lee Wallace, writer/director of Halloween III: Season of the Witch, was the production designer/co-editor on Halloween, and it was up to him to find "the perfect mask" for the Michael Myers character. The mask was intended to have a "blank face", and the William Shatner Halloween mask he found was exactly what he needed, "It didn't really look like anybody." Wallace cut the eyeholes larger and rounder, removed the eyebrows and sideburns, poofed up the hair so it looked "demented and strange" and finally spray-painted the mask white. Wallace explains, "It created a shiver right in the room, and we knew we had something special." John Carpenter claims that the mask looked nothing like William Shatner whatsoever, but joked, "I guess I owe the success of Halloween to William Shatner."[26] According to Jamie Lee Curtis, the mask needed to be a "human image", and the only thing in stores at the time that matched what they needed on set was the Shatner mask.[10] Carpenter elaborates:

"We didn't have any money to make a mask. It was originally written the way you see it, in other words, it's a pale mask with human features, almost featureless. I don't know why I wrote that down, why Debra and I decided on that, maybe it was because of an old movie called Eyes Without a Face. It's a French film, Franju made it, this girl had a burned face so she wore this face mask, it was real creepy because it was featureless and immobile except for her eyes. So Tommy Lee Wallace, our production designer, ran up to the mask shop on Hollywood Boulevard and bought a couple, one was a clown mask, and that's, you know, one way to go, and the other he got this William Shatner Star Trek mask; Captain Kirk."[26]

Contrary to reports, the mask used in Halloween II was the mask used in the original film. According to Dick Warlock, Debra Hill stored the original mask under her bed before she brought it to Warlock to wear. Warlock offers his opinion on why the mask looks different in the second film: "I think the lighting has a lot to do with the way the mask looks from film to film. The shape of my face is also totally different than [Nick] Castle's, [Tommy Lee] Wallace's or probably any of the other people who wore it in Halloween." The original mask has since been sold "to a man in Ohio. He has two haunted houses. One in Toledo and one in Tiffin. He had the mask and coveralls on display there this past October. I'm supposing he'll display them every year in one place or the other," according to Warlock.[30]

Dominique Othenin-Girard, director of Halloween 5, began casting for the Michael Myers character using the Halloween 4 mask during auditions, but was "perplexed" with Don Shanks performance. Girard wanted the character to "feel human and alive", but knew that without dialogue or facial expressions he would not be able to achieve his goal. Girard decide to use latex material to create new masks for Don Shanks, and the KNB special effects team attempted to go for a human interpretation of evil. Girard also felt it was necessary to distance himself from the "plastic, shiny look of the hockey mask of Friday the 13th". While the special effects team worked on the new masks, Girard requested that the team alter the traditional design of the nose, which he thought felt "too realistic and too normal, too round and soft, too much like a human nose". Girard wanted "the feel of a mask", something "unmovable, like a façade hiding a terrible secret behind steel".[32]

Adam Arkin, who plays guidance counselor Will Brennan in Halloween H20, remarks, "There's something that's so minimalistic and so neutral about that face, that becomes sort of indelibly edged in your memory, number one. And I think number two, you're able to project any kind of frightening idea or image on top of it."[10]

[edit] Characterization

"I met this six year old child with this blank, pale, emotionless face, and the blackest eyes; the devil's eyes […] I realized what was living behind that boy's eyes was purely and simply…evil."
— Loomis' description of a young Michael was inspired by John Carpenter's experience with a real life mental patient.[26]

A common characterization is that Michael Myers is evil. John Carpenter has described the character as "almost a supernatural force - a force of nature. An evil force that's loose," a force that is "unkillable"[10] Professor Nicholas Rogers elaborates, "Myers is depicted as a mythic, elusive bogeyman, one of superhuman strength who cannot be killed by bullets, stab wounds, or fire."[33] Carpenter's inspiration for the "evil" that Michael would embody came when he was in college. While on a class trip at a mental institution in Kentucky, Carpenter visited "the most serious, mentally ill patients". Among those patients was a young boy around twelve to thirteen years-old. The boy gave this "schizophrenic stare", "a real evil stare", which Carpenter found "unsettling", "creepy", and "completely insane". Carpenter's experience would inspire the characterization Loomis would give of Michael to Sheriff Brackett in the original film. Debra Hill has stated the scene where Michael kills the Wallace's German Shepherd was done to illustrate how he is "really evil and deadly".[26]

The ending scene of Michael being shot six times, and then disappearing from the ground outside the house, was meant to terrify the imagination of the audience. Carpenter tried to keep the audience guessing as to who Michael Myers really is—he is gone, and everywhere at the same time; he is more than human; he may be supernatural, and no one knows how he got that way. To Carpenter, keeping the audience guessing was better than explaining away the character with "he's cursed by some..."[26] For Josh Hartnett, who portrayed John Tate in Halloween H20, "it's that abstract, it's easier for me to be afraid of it. You know, someone who just kind of appears and, you know [Mimics stabbing noise from Psycho] instead of an actual human who you think you can talk to. And no remorse, it's got no feelings, that's the most frightening, definitely." Richard Schickel, film critic for TIME, felt Michael was "irrational" and "really angry about something", having what Schickel referred to as "a kind of primitive, obsessed intelligence". Schickel considered this the "definition of a good monster", by making the character appear "less than human", but having enough intelligence "to be dangerous".[10]

"Michael Myers is enduring because he's pure evil."
—Steve Miner[10]

Dominique Othenin-Girard attempted to have audiences "relate to 'Evil', to Michael Myers's 'ill' side". Girard wanted Michael to appear "more human […] even vulnerable, with contradicting feelings inside of him". He illustrated these feelings with a scene where Michael removes his mask and sheds a tear. Girard explains, "Again, to humanize him, to give him a tear. If Evil or in this case our boogeyman knows pain, or love or demonstrate a feeling of regrets; he becomes even more scary to me if he pursue his malefic action. He shows an evil determination beyond his feelings. Dr. Loomis tries to reach his emotional side several times in [Halloween 5]. He thinks he could cure Michael through his feelings."[32]

Daniel Farrands, writer of The Curse of Michael Myers, describes the character as a "sexual deviant". According to him, the way Michael follows girls around and watches them contains a subtext of repressed sexuality. Farrands theorises that, as a child, Michael became fixated on the murder of his sister Judith, and for his own twisted reasons felt the need to repeat that action over and over again, finding a sister-like figure in Laurie who excited him sexually. He also believes that by making Laurie Michael's literal sister, the sequels took away from the simplicity and relatability of the original Halloween. Nevertheless, when writing Curse, Farrands was tasked with creating a mythology for Michael which defined his motives and why he couldn't be killed. He says, "He can't just be a man anymore, he's gone beyond that. He's mythical. He's supernatural. So, I took it from that standpoint that there's something else driving him. A force that goes beyond that five senses that has infected this boy's soul and now is driving him." As the script developed and more people became involved, Farrands admits that the film went too far in explaining Michael Myers and that he himself was not completely satisfied with the finished product.[34]

Michael does not speak in the films; the first time audiences ever hear his voice is in the 2007 remake. Michael speaks as a child during the beginning of the film, but while in Smith's Grove he stops talking completely. Rob Zombie originally planned to have the adult Michael speak to Laurie in the film's finale, simply saying his childhood nickname for her, "Boo". Zombie explained that this version was not used because he was afraid having the character talk at that point would demystify him too much, and because the act of Michael handing Laurie the photograph of them together was enough.[35]

Describing aspects of Michael Myers which he wanted to explore in the comic book Halloween: Nightdance, writer Stefan Hutchinson mentions the character's "bizarre and dark sense of humor", as seen when he wore a sheet over his head to trick a girl into thinking he was her boyfriend, and the satisfaction he gets from scaring the characters before he murders them, such as letting Laurie know he is stalking her. Hutchinson feels there is a perverse nature to Michael's actions: "see the difference between how he watches and pursues women to men". Nightdance artist Tim Seeley describes the character's original personality—his personality in John Carpenter's 1978 film—as "a void", which allows the character to be more open to interpretation than the later sequels alloted him. He surmises that Michael embodies a part of everyone; a part people are afraid will one day "snap and knife someone", which lends to the fear that Michael creates on screen.[24]

A study was conducted by California State University's Media Psychology Lab, on the psychological appeal of movie monsters—Vampires, Freddy Krueger, Frankenstein's monster, Jason Voorhees, Godzilla, Chucky, Hannibal Lecter, King Kong, and The Alien—which surveyed 1,166 people nationwide (United States), with ages ranging from 16 to 91. It was published in the Journal of Media Psychology. In the survey, Michael was considered to be the "embodiment of pure evil"; when compared to the other characters, Michael Myers was rated the highest. Michael was characterized lending to the understanding of insanity, being ranked second to Hannibal Lecter in this category; he also placed first as the character who shows audiences the "dark side of human nature". He was rated second in the category "monster enjoys killing" by the participants, and believed to have "superhuman strength". Michael was rated highest among the characters in the "monster is an outcast" category.[11]

[edit] In popular culture

In Robot Chicken's nineteenth episode, "That Hurts Me", Michael Myers (voiced by Seth Green) appears as a housemate of "Horror Movie Big Brother", alongside other famous slasher movie killers such as Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger, Pinhead, and Leatherface. Myers is evicted from the house, and takes off his mask to reveal himself to be the comedian Mike Myers, and utters his Austin Powers catchphrase, "I feel randy, baby!" He proceeds to kill the host.[36]

In the collection of short stories The Nightmares on Elm Street: Freddy Krueger's Seven Sweetest Dreams, a character, while looking through a book entitled Beasts Who Walk As Men: A Case History of America's Vilest Serial Killers, finds a page in it mentioning Michael, as well as Jason Voorhees and the Sawyer family. [37]

In one of the various merchandises to feature the character, Michael Myers made his video game debut with the 1983 Atari video game Halloween. The game is rare to find, often being played on emulators. No characters from the films are specifically named, with the goal of the game focusing on the player, who is a babysitter, protecting children from a "homicidal maniac [who] has escaped from a mental institution".[38]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Stuart Fischoff, Alexandra Dimopoulos, FranÇois Nguyen, Leslie Hurry, and Rachel Gordon. "The psychological appeal of your favorite movie monsters (abstract)", ISCPubs. Retrieved on 2007-07-24. 
  2. ^ a b Debra Hill (writer) and John Carpenter (writer/director). (1978). Halloween (1978 film) [DVD]. Falcon International Productions.
  3. ^ a b Debra Hill, John Carpenter (writers) and Rick Rosenthal (director). (1981). Halloween II [DVD]. Dino De Laurentiis Corporation.
  4. ^ a b Alan B. McElroy (writer) and Dwight H. Little. (1988). Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers [DVD]. Trancas International Films.
  5. ^ a b Daniel Farrands (writer) and Joe Chappelle (director). (1995). Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers [DVD]. Miramax Films.
  6. ^ a b Michael Jacobs, Dominique Othenin-Girard, Shem Bitterman (writers) and Dominique Othenin-Girard (director). (1989). Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers [DVD]. Magnum Pictures Inc..
  7. ^ a b Robert Zapia, Matt Greenberg (writers) and Steve Miner (director). (1998). Halloween H20: 20 Years Later [DVD]. Dimension Films.
  8. ^ a b Larry Brand, Sean Hood (writers) and Rick Rosenthal (director). (2002). Halloween: Resurrection [DVD]. Dimension Films.
  9. ^ a b Rob Zombie (writer/director). (2007). Halloween (2007 film) [DVD]. Dimension Films.
  10. ^ a b c d e f John Carpenter, Jamie Lee Curtis, Josh Hartnett, Adam Arkin, Steve Miner, and Richard Schickel. Unmasking the Horror (Halloween H20 DVD Special Features) [DVD (Region 2)]. United States: Dimension Films.
  11. ^ a b Stuart Fischoff, Alexandra Dimopoulos, François Nguyen, and Rachel Gordon (2005-08-25). "The Psychological Appeal of Movie Monsters" (PDF). Journal of Media Psychology 10 (3). 
  12. ^ Borys Kit. "Zombie plots new mayhem for 'Halloween'", The Hollywood Reporter, 2006-06-05. Retrieved on 2007-08-11. 
  13. ^ Curtis Richards (October 1979). Halloween (novel). Bantam Books. ISBN 553132261. 
  14. ^ Jack Martin (1981-11-01). Halloween II (novel). Zebra Publishing. ISBN 089083864X. 
  15. ^ Nicholas Grabowsky (October 1988). Halloween IV (novel). Critics Choice Paperbacks/Lorevan Publishing. ISBN 1555472923. 
  16. ^ Interview with Kelly O'Rourke. Halloween Movies (2006-01-05). Retrieved on 2007-08-26.
  17. ^ Kelly O'Rourke (1997-10-01). The Scream Factory (Halloween, Book 1). Berkley Books. ISBN 157297298X. 
  18. ^ Kelly O'Rourke (1997-12-01). The Old Myers Place (Halloween, Book 2). Berkley Books. ISBN 1572973412. 
  19. ^ Kelly O'Rourke (1998-02-01). The Mad House (Halloween, Book 3). Berkley Books. ISBN 1572973420. 
  20. ^ Halloween — Michael Myers comic book titles. Movie Maniacs Comic Books. Retrieved on 2007-11-25.
  21. ^ The Arrow interviews Stefan Hutchinson. Arrow in the Head (2003-11-28). Retrieved on 2007-11-25.
  22. ^ Halloween: Autopsis. Bloody Disgusting (2006-07-12). Retrieved on 2007-11-18.
  23. ^ Stefan Hutchinson talks Halloween. Horror Comic Book News (2007-11-20). Retrieved on 2007-11-25.
  24. ^ a b Newsarama. "Halloween in February: Hutchinson and Seeley on Halloween: Nightdance", Newsarama, 2008-02-04. Retrieved on 2008-02-04. 
  25. ^ Steve Ekstrom. "Celebrating 30 Years of Halloween", Newsarama, 2008-05-06. Retrieved on 2008-06-07. 
  26. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k John Carpenter, Debra Hill, Nick Castle, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Tommy Lee Wallace. A Cut Above the Rest (Halloween: 25th Anniversary Edition DVD Special Features) [DVD (Region 2)]. United States: Anchor Bay.
  27. ^ a b c d John Carpenter, Debra Hill, Nick Castle. Halloween Unmasked 2000 (Halloween Special Edition DVD Special Features) [DVD (Region 2)]. United States: Dimension Films.
  28. ^ Robert Mancini. "Evil Reborn: Rob Zombie resurrects a horror classic", MTV Movies. Retrieved on 2007-08-12. 
  29. ^ Sean Clark. "Moran, Tony (Halloween)", Dread Central. Retrieved on 2007-11-26. 
  30. ^ a b c Interview with Dick Warlock. Pit of Horror. Retrieved on 2007-08-13.
  31. ^ Interview with Dick Warlock (2). Halloween Movies (2006-10-31). Retrieved on 2007-10-03.
  32. ^ a b Dominique Othenin-Girard. Halloween Movies (2006-04-10). Retrieved on 2007-10-03.
  33. ^ Nicholas Rogers (2003-10-31). Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night. Oxford University Press, 115. ISBN 0195168968. 
  34. ^ Daniel Farrands interview. Icons of Fright (2005). Retrieved on 2008-06-02.
  35. ^ Rob Zombie. Feature film commentary for Halloween (2007 film) [DVD]. United States: Dimension Films.
  36. ^ "That Hurts Me". Seth Green, Matthew Senreich. Robot Chicken. Adult Swim. 2005-07-10. No. 19, season 1.
  37. ^ Greenberg, Martin (October 1991). Nightmares on Elm Street: Freddy Krueger's Seven Sweetest Dreams. St. Martins Press. ISBN 0312925859. 
  38. ^ Matt. "Halloween Atari video game", X-Entertainment, 2004-10-29. Retrieved on 2007-11-25. 

[edit] External links


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