'Halloween': How 'Westworld' Inspired the Creation of Michael Myers
In 1978, director John Carpenter gave birth to Michael Myers alongside his co-writer Debra Hill, [...]
In 1978, director John Carpenter gave birth to Michael Myers alongside his co-writer Debra Hill, creating a killer for the ages in Halloween. As far as how the idea of the killer came to him, the filmmaker cites the feature-film adaptation of Westworld.
"I have a cheap answer for you. I saw Westworld, the original movie, and Yul Brynner's character was this unkillable robot," Carpenter admitted of his inspiration to Revolver. "I thought, 'That is a really cool character.' That's how I came up with it, but it evolved — it wasn't exactly Yul Brynner."
In the original Halloween, a young Michael Myers killed his older sister on Halloween night and was locked up in a mental institution. 15 years later, Myers escaped the institution and headed to his former hometown to continue his reign of terror while wearing a stark white mask. Throughout the entire film, the character expressed no humanity nor motivation, leaving audiences to wonder what it was that fueled these murders.
In Halloween II, audiences learned that Myers was the long-lost brother of protagonist Laurie Strode, creating the long-running mythology that the character aimed to kill his lineage.
Much like Halloween is seeing a resurgence in pop culture, Westworld is enjoying a similar surge, as HBO's adaptation of the source material is one of the most talked-about series in science fiction.
A new sequel in the Halloween franchise is hitting theaters later this month, which ignores the events of all former sequels. This means Michael will no longer be a relative of Laurie, allowing the film to explore all-new avenues. As far as how the character has changed in the last 40 years, director and co-writer David Gordon Green admits that he hasn't.
"Michael Myers hasn't evolved as a character in any way, shape or form [since 1978]; he's the essence of evil," Green shared with the L.A. Times. "He has no character. He has no personality. He has no interests. He never has. He's someone that is moving forward and reacting to the world around him, but not with any sort of conscious objective. And how the world around him reacts to his behavior is where our story comes to life."
Fans will see how Michael Myers compares to Yul Brynner when the new Halloween lands in theaters on October 19th.
Are you surprised to hear that Westworld inspired the character? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!
[H/T Revolver]