In the very first Halloween, audiences caught a brief glimpse of the unmasked Michael Myers, though throughout the rest of the franchise, fans haven’t gotten a good look at the face his iconic mask is disguising. That trend continues with the latest sequel, Halloween Kills, and while we might not get to see an unobscured look at Myers, a new behind-the-scenes photo from the film shows performer James Jude Courtney without the iconic mask and instead sporting gruesome burns that his character suffered from the events of the previous film’s finale. You can check out the photo below and see Halloween Kills in theaters or on Peacock now.
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“So I’ve seen everyone posting their BTS photos of [Halloween Kills] now that the film is out,” Zach Myers shared on Instagram. “In October of 2019 I was invited to go to the set again of my favorite movie franchise of all time. I had been on a few before. But this one felt special. Here’s some shots I grabbed of my friends working on what now is the # 1 movie in the country. It was amazing to be on set and watch this movie come to life … And thanks to everyone who was so kind and welcoming.”
It seems unlikely that there were meant to be scenes in which audiences would get a full glimpse at the unmasked character, rather that the special effects team was so committed to Myers’ look that, even if he was only seen in the background of sequences or out of focus, he needed to have the appropriate burns and injuries that he had earned in the previous films.
This wasn’t the only impressive makeup applied for the film, as one of the more unexpected applications resulted in the surprise return of a fan-favorite character.
Donald Pleasence appeared as Dr. Sam Loomis in five films in the series before his passing in 1995. Despite this, the makeup effects team utilized the film’s construction foreman Tom Jones Jr. to apply prosthetic pieces to in order to film a flashback sequence featuring Loomis, shocking audiences with how closely the character resembled his appearance in the 1978 Halloween.
“For #michaelmyersmonday I’m doing Loomis/Donald Pleasence!” makeup artist Christopher Nelson captioned the photos he shared of the process. “No, he was not cgi, but our own construction foreman Tom Jones Jr. in an 11 piece prosthetic makeup with hair pieces. So fun to do and was a pretty quick turnaround.”ย
Halloween Kills is in theaters and on Peacock now.
What do you think of the makeup effects? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaughย directly on Twitterย to talk all things Star Wars and horror!
