Halloween: Watch a William Shatner Mask Get Turned Into Michael Myers by Original Prop Designer

One of the most famous bits of trivia in the world of horror is the fact that a William Shatner Star Trek mask was modified to create the visage of the killer Michael Myers in the 1978 Halloween, with the production designer on the film Tommy Lee Wallace recreating the process he took decades ago to craft the horrifying disguise in a new video. In the years since the mask’s debut, it has become so iconic as Myers that it’s hard to see the resemblance to Shatner, but with Wallace walking audiences through his process, you’ll likely never look at the mask the same way again. Check out the process in the video above.

The video was shared by Horror’s Hallowed Grounds host Sean Clark, who described, “This is a video we made back in 2014 I believe. It was made with the intention of being part of the Halloween: The Complete Collection Box Set. For years fans have asked Tommy Lee Wallace for the details of exactly how he converted the William Shatner mask into The Shape. For the first and only time Tommy takes us step by step and shows exactly what he did back in 1978.”

In the original film, Michael Myers escapes from a mental institution 15 years after killing his older sister on Halloween night, returning to his hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois to continue his reign of terror. The film was written by John Carpenter and Debra Hill, with Carpenter going on to direct, delivering a film that wasn’t meant to mythologize the murderer, but instead explore the nightmare of a deadly threat infiltrating a small suburban town.

Given that the original production never knew the impact the film would have on the genre, the screen-used mask was never safely preserved. Halloween II re-used the same mask from the 1978 film, with stuntman Dick Warlock keeping the mask after production on the 1981 film wrapped. In all subsequent films, the mask was created from scratch, with fans often noticing how each mold of the mask would get worse and deviate from the look of the original with each new entry into the series.

Back in 2017, the current owner of the screen-used mask, Mark Roberts, shared photos of what the decayed mask looks like today, having procured it from Warlock back in 2003.

The mask will next be seen in Halloween Kills, which is currently set to land in theaters on October 16th.

What do you think of the mask? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!