Who is Michael Myers from Haddonfield, Illinois?
A Look at the Infamous Serial Killer Developed by John Carpenter
Sep 2, 2009
Michael Myers, a fictional character developed by John Carpenter, has raised hairs and screams in movie theatres in over thirty years. He is the face of evil, as he kills and mutilates everyone and everything standing in the way of his one and only goal – to kill his sister.
The Old Myers
Michael Myers first appears in the original Halloween from 1978. In this movie, one learns that he is raised in the small, mid-western town of Haddonfield, Illinois in a household of both parents and two sisters. When he first appears in the opening scene, Myers is a mere 6 years old and it is his actions in this particular scene that set the stage for the remainder of the film. He kills his older sister Judith on Halloween night, while sparing his baby sister, Laurie Strode.
Dr. Samuel Loomis, who is Myers’ psychologist at Smith’s Grove Mental Hospital, concludes early on that he is the definition of evil and that he will not stop killing. When Michael escapes from Smith’s Grove on October 30th, Loomis has no doubts as to where Myers is going or what his plans are. He is unsuccessful in killing Laurie several times, leading to 7 sequels of the original movie. In these sequels, Myers continues to kill even though he is led to believe that his sister died in a car accident. He even goes as far as killing his own niece, as she – in his eyes – is still connected to the Myers/Strode family.
When Michael learns that his sister is living and well, he hunts her down – ironically on their 20th anniversary of meeting for the first time – but she escapes, thinking that she has decapitated her brother. Michael, however, returns in Halloween: Resurrection, one last time, where he ends up killing his sister. It is unknown what happened to Myers after this 7th sequel.
Not much is known about Myers’ motives for killing his sister or hunting down Laurie. In the later movies, several attempts have been made to define his motives, but they have either been irrelevant to the other movies in the sequence or lacking in reason.
The Newer Myers
After Myers remained unseen or unheard after Resurrection, Rob Zombie decided to create his understanding of the evil Michael in 2007. In his version, Zombie focuses much more on the intense childhood of Michael, depicting a single mother raising three children with an abusive, self-absorbed boyfriend.
However, Zombie does not attempt to establish a motive as to why Michael starts killing. It is definitely not due to the interrelationship of his family, as a 10-year-old Michael is shown killing his pet before one sees him interacting with anyone.
The original Halloween does not shown Myers’ relationship with his parents, but the newer version allows for a close relationship between Myers and his mother. Although Myers ends up killing her daughter and boyfriend, his mother cannot help but feel her son’s tormented state of mind when he utters “I did it for us, mommy. Everything will be fine now”. Michael is even holding his sister Laurie affectionately after murdering his family.
During his stay at Smith’s Grove, Michael receives constant visits from his mother in the newer version. It is never enclosed in the older version what his time at Smith’s Grove was like, but Zombie shows Myers’ hobby of creating papier-mâché masks, while receiving unsuccessful therapy from Dr. Loomis. Furthermore, the movie also depicts his journey to becoming the 1978 - Myers all know and fear, showing his downward spiral - cutting off all communication with his mother, wearing masks to hide his face and expressions and eventually, attacking and killing a nurse.
As an adult, he returns to Haddonfield to find his sister Laurie, who is living happily with her adoptive parents. Similar to the original, Laurie survives but this time she shoots him in self-defence.
Different, yet Similar
There are many differences between the two Myers character depictions. The original Myers from 1978 is a stone-cold and careless killer, who shows no emotions, grief or any trace of human personality or being. The Michael Myers that Zombie created carries more traces of human feelings, showing Myers being affectionate towards his mother and baby sister. This difference is a crucial one as it shakes the core of the Michael Myers all movie-goers have come to fear.
However, one might also conclude that the Zombie version of Myers is more horrific as he is in fact human. He displays the same emotions of sadness, hurt and anger that are relatable to more individuals, compared to the Carpenter version, where he is mentally incapable of feeling any remorse or sadness.
Not much information is presented about the original Michael’s life, thoughts or childhood. It gives viewers the freedom to determine whether or not Michael Myers is simply suffering from an extreme depression, is hateful of his family or the victim of a mental illness. Whatever the answer may be, he remains one of the most feared men in film history.
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