Horror-movie icon ushered in the modern era of slasher films — but is he the best cinematic killer of all time?
By Kevin P. Sullivan
Michael Myers in "Halloween"
Photo: Dimension Films
We're just about halfway through MTV's Killer Halloween, and the competition is just heating up in the battle to find out which movie murderer tops them all.
So far, we've profiled Freddy, Jason, Leatherface, Chucky and Ghostface, but now we look at the man who ushered in the modern era of slashers.
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Michael Myers
Occupation: Homicidal boy, homicidal adult
Weapons: Knife, inability to ever freaking die
Archenemy: His family, his psychiatrist, anyone who gets in the way of him killing his family and his psychiatrist
Profile: Michael Myers was a bit of a prodigy in the ways of serial killing, changing the game even as a young boy. Pre-teen Michael may have been the first to don a mask — a creepy clown one for his first murder — and go after the babysitter, his sister Judith. He spent the remainder of his youth in an institution for the mentally disturbed under the close observation of Dr. Sam Loomis. After Michael escaped, stealing a mask, jumpsuit and knife from a hardware store, movie serials have never been the same.
The target of most of Michael's deadly attention has been his surviving sister, Laurie, the lead played by Jamie Lee Curtis in the first two films and "Halloween: H20" and Scout Taylor-Compton in the Rob Zombie remakes. The early films simply focused on Michael's obsession with finding his long-lost baby sister, but later in the series, the true origin of Michael as an embodiment of pure evil added a supernatural element to the villain.
There has never been too much to Michael Myers' tactics. He stalks. He walks. He kills. His style of murder will be remembered for a number of reasons. His mask, an old William Shatner "Star Trek" mask painted white, has become a horror icon. His slow gait and silent disposition directly inspired dozens of imitators — Jason Voorhees, most famously. Modern slasher films owe a debt to Michael Myers and his creator John Carpenter, whose work has affected the genre for generations.
Where do you think Michael Myers falls in the scope of horror-movie psychopaths? Let us know in the comments!
Check out everything we've got on "Halloween."
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