‘Halloween’: Original Michael Myers Recalls Most Difficult Shot From First Film

The original Halloween was a much more subtle slasher than the franchises that followed it, with a majority of Michael Myers’ on-screen activities being quietly stalking his prey from the shadows. The shoot wasn’t without its hazards, as actor Nick Castle admits the most difficult scene to shoot depicted the first glimpses of an adult Michael Myers as he escaped a mental institution.

“The most difficult scene is easy for me to remember,” Castle shared with Vanity Fair. “It was a scene shot in the middle of the night, where Michael jumps on top of a car as he’s escaping the mental hospital. It wasn’t freezing, but it was in the mid-40s. I was in a hospital gown and underpants. I don’t think [director] John [Carpenter] let me know what he had in store for me.”

In the film, a young Michael Myers attacks and kills his older sister on Halloween night and is locked up in an institution. 15 years later, Myers’ doctor heads to the institution to check on his patient, only for all of the facility’s residents to be wandering around on the front lawn in the rain. Myers springs into action, stealing a car to head back to his hometown.

“He turns to the crew and says something like, ‘O.K., start the water cannons,’” Castle continued. “The hospital’s sprinkler system was more like a fire hose. The water arced into the air, and when it came down on me, it felt like icicles hitting me on the back. He yells, ‘Action!’ It was the most painful thing I’d ever experienced outside of a broken arm. That was the one scene that I really remember thinking, ‘Maybe I should have got more than $25.’”

Castle has become a defining performer in the franchise’s legacy, despite only appearing in the first film and never showing his face. The actor previously admitted that the only reason he was even on set in the first place was to get an inside look at filmmaking.

“My only reason for being on the set was to kind of demystify the directing experience for me, because John was a pal, they were shooting the majority of this near my house, really, and he said, ‘Well, why don’t you just be the guy walking around in the mask and you’ll be here the whole time?’” Castle shared with ComicBook.com.

Fans can see Castle make a cameo appearance in the new Halloween, which hits theaters on Friday.

Are you surprised that this was the most difficult shot? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!

[H/T Vanity Fair]