Icons of Horror: Michael Myers

“I met him, 15 years ago; I was told there was nothing left; no reason, no conscience, no understanding in even the most rudimentary sense of life or death, of good or evil, right or wrong. I met this... six-year-old child with this blank, pale, emotionless face, and... the blackest eyes - the Devil's eyes. I spent eight years trying to reach him, and then another seven trying to keep him locked up, because I realized that what was living behind that boy's eyes was purely and simply... evil.” - Dr. Sam Loomis.

Those are the words of Dr. Samuel Loomis describing who is perhaps the most prolific slasher of all time, Michael Myers.

Created by horror master John Carpenter and Debra Hill, Michael Myers began his cinematic reign of terror in 1978’s Halloween.

Michael is first introduced to us as a little boy who murders his older sister Judith Myers on Halloween night before he eventually grows up and targets his younger sister Laurie Strode. He ends up killing her friends and nearly killed Laurie before he was dispatched by his attempted mentor, Dr. Samuel Loomis. The story of that Halloween night was continued in 1981’s Halloween 2 in which Michael attempts to finish off his younger sister before seemingly being killed for good by both his sister and Sam Loomis once more.

Ever since the start of the 80’s Michael Myers and the Halloween franchise has spiraled into four different multiversal story lines and one stand alone anthology film.

Though the Halloween franchise has taken many twist and terms in its storyline, all of it leads back to the same place: the relationship between Laurie Strode and Michael Myers.

Ever since his cinematic birth Michael Myers has not only been the most influential slasher in horror history, but also a staple on American pop culture. When we think about Michael Myers we get a mental picture of the silent killer who has never uttered a word and always manages to catch his victims while walking very slow, even if they are running away from him. The thing that makes Michael so horrifying and iconic as a slasher is his ruthless spirit of pure evil. As explained by his attempted mentor/nemesis Sam Loomis, Michael is a force of pure evil for no extreme reasoning other than just having a black heart created by the ominous void in his mind.

Michael is also known for his clever sense of intellect. As quiet as he may be, his premeditated actions speak louder than words. On a number of occasions Michael managed to not only fake his death, but even replace his body with that of another so that his presence wouldn’t be detected. Michael has even went so far as to frame others for his crimes and in the process remain undetected by authorities and his targets.

I personally have always felt that Michael Myers is the toughest slasher in horror history. Unlike all of his other counterparts of the genre Michael has always been unfiltered and uninhibited. He doesn’t have any fears, so he doesn’t have any weaknesses and he doesn’t carry any inhibitions or shame about any life he takes, so there is no limit to the level of terror that he is willing to reign. All of these characteristics also make him one of my top favorite slashers. He is definitely a favorite past time of mines when I think about how I enjoyed his films growing up. Me and my dad were both big fans of Michael Myers and the Halloween series so we rented the movies a lot when I came over during the weekends. I also used to watch Michael’s movies with my friends and younger family members a lot, especially during Halloween season when horror films were a center topic of discussion.

With the Halloween series being one of my favorite horror franchises my favorite entries are Halloween (1978), Halloween 4: The return of Michael Myers (1988), Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998), Halloween: Resurrection (2002), Halloween (2007), Halloween (2018), Halloween Kills (2021) and Halloween Ends (2022).

With a legacy that spans 12 films, 44 years and nearly 900 million dollars at the box office, Michael Myers is without question one of the most iconic slashers of all time.