Is Michael Myers real? The facts of the inspiration behind the "Halloween" franchise

Is Michael Myers real? Myers is a fictional character from the Halloween franchise created by John Carpenter and Debra Hill. However, John Carpenter was inspired by real-life stories in creating this character. The villain in Halloween is considered a terrifying horror icon due to his emotionless stalking and his determination to kill.

Key takeaways

• Michael Myers is a fictional character from the Halloween franchise, inspired by a kid whom John Carpenter saw when he visited a psychiatric hospital during college.
• Halloween is based on real-life events and historical traditions, like the old idea of Samhain.
• The Myers house in Halloween exists in real life.
• Michael Myers, a fictional character, was created by John Carpenter and Debra Hill.

Is Michael Myers real?

Michael Myers from the Halloween franchise is not real. Even though Michael is not real, there are real-life stories that inspired his creation.

The character was inspired by an encounter John Carpenter had while in college. He had a class in college, and when they visited a psychiatric hospital in Kentucky, he met a kid who inspired the fictional character.

John Carpenter revealed in a Cut Above The Rest documentary on Halloween that he had a class of psychology, and they visited a psychiatric hospital where he saw the kid who had a scary and emotionless look.

When I was in college, I had a class, psychology or something, and we visited a mental institution, and this is in Kentucky. And I visited the most serious mentally ill patients, and then there was this kid; he must have been 12 or 13, and he literally had this look that I gave Donald Pleasence to say.

Below are the lines he gave to Donald Pleasence, who played Michael Myers' psychiatrist and doctor.

I met this six-year-old with this blank, pale, emotionless face. 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.

John Carpenter said in the aforementioned documentary that when the thought of creating a horror film came to his mind, he thought about that boy at the institution.

It is just a schizophrenic stare. That is what it is. It’s a real evil stare, and it was unsettling to me and it was like the creepiest thing I’d ever seen just because, as a stranger, it was completely insane.

According to Esquire, John Carpenter said that he got another inspiration for creating the fictional character from the original 1973 Westworld film. The film inspired him to give Myers a ‘mythic status.’

Who is Michael Myers’ mask based on?

The mask worn by Michael Myers is based on a mask made for William Shatner, a famous actor who portrayed Captain Kirk in Star Trek. The Halloween mask was designed by Tommy Lee Wallace. In the Cut Above the Rest documentary, Tommy Wallace said that the William Shatner's mask was a blank face.

In mask form, the William Shatner mask was just kind of a blank face. It didn’t really look like anybody

He modified the mask to make it look like Michael Myers’ mask by cutting the eyeholes to make it appear larger. He also tore off the eyebrows and poufed out the hair, which made the mask look strange. Tommy Wallace also spray-painted it white and took off the sideburns.

John Carpenter said that he owes the success of Halloween to William Shatner because they used his mask to come up with the Michael Myers mask.

I guess I owe the success of Halloween to William Shatner. The hilarious thing about the mask situation is that the mask of Captain Kirk anyway it looked nothing like him, and I just look like I don’t know what it looked like, but that was the secret that we really didn’t look like William Shatner.

Is Halloween based on a true story?

Halloween is not a true story, but the inspirations behind it are from real-life experiences. John Carpenter and Debra Hill used their real-life experiences to come up with the story about a babysitter, Laurie Strode. She is stalked by Michael Myers, who escapes from a psychiatric hospital.

As per The Guardian, Debra Hill said that they came up with the story from some of the historical traditions, like the old idea of Samhain. Samhain is an ancient Celtic spiritual tradition that marked the end of the summer, welcoming the harvest and bringing the darker half of the year.

We went back to the old idea of Samhain, that Halloween was the night when all the souls are let out to wreak havoc on the living, then came up with the story about the most evil kid who ever lived.

So, Halloween is not based on a specific true event. However, the story is inspired by real-life events. The character, Michael, is based on the kid Carpenter met in the mental institution, and the whole idea of Halloween was based on the old idea of Samhain that you cannot kill evil.

Is the Myers house real?

Yes, the Myers house, also known as the Century House, is real. According to Screen Rant, the Myers house was built in 1888 and was located at 707 Meridian Avenue, South Pasadena, California.

It was the oldest house in the city. The house was saved by David Margrave from being bulldozed in 1987 to make way for a hospital. He moved it to a different location and converted it into office spaces.

According to Watson Realty Corp., the new location of the Myers house is 1000 Mission Street, South Pasadena, California. It was restored and painted light blue, but the exterior feature is the same. So, Halloween was filmed in an actual place where one can visit, and not just a movie set.

Who is Michael Myers based on?

Michael Myers is not real but a fictional character from the Halloween franchise. It is inspired by a real person whom John Carpenter had an encounter with during his college years. The Halloween franchise itself is not based on a true story, but a story based on historical traditions and inspired by other real-life events.

Legit.ng recently published an article about NeverEnding Story cast behind the scenes. The movie captured the imagination of children and adults due to its enchanting world and unforgettable characters.

NeverEnding Story was co-written and directed by Wolfgang Petersen and released in 1984. The main cast of this unforgettable film includes Noah Hathaway, Tami Stronach and Sydney Bromley. Some of the cast continue pursuing acting, while others transitioned to new careers. Find out more about their lives now.

Source: Legit.ng