Since John Carpenter's cutting-edge classic horror flick Halloween hit theaters in 1978, the murderous Michael Myers has never lurked too far away from the screen. The new Halloween will mark the 10th sequel for the franchise, but this has a special significance that no other follow-up has included. It's a direct sequel to the original and brings back Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode and the first man behind the Michael Myers mask, Nick Castle. While on set for Halloween, the pair shared the surreal experience together, in Castle's words:
She said, 'Is this nuts or what?!' So that was kind of what it felt like: What the hell, this is going on again 40 years later?
Filmmakers David Gordon Green and Danny McBride were huge fans of the original and went the extra mile to make the upcoming Halloween a homage to fans and the original. To that end, they created a truly chilling redemption story for the characters who started it all, Laurie Strode and Michael Myers, making for an especially exciting entry into the franchise.
Now a 71-year-old horror icon, Nick Castle shares Michael Myers' mask with James Jude Courtney in Halloween to take on all the creeping and crawling in the film. Castle was asked to come back for a cameo in a crucial scene when an older and tougher Laurie Strode first sees her nightmare again after 40 years in an upstairs window. He also provided all the heavy breathing for "The Shape" in post-production, which is sure to bring some added authenticity to the return of Michael Myers.
In the interview with USA Today, Nick Castle reflected on how he ended up playing one of the most recognizable characters in horror in 1978. He was an old classmate of John Carpenter's at USC and he came to set to watch him work, as an aspiring director himself. Carpenter put him to work pretty quick as the masked murderer, and as Castle remembers it, there was little preparation or thought put into the character on his part.
John Carpenter, however, has explained that he deliberately chose his USC classmate to play "The Shape" because of Nick Castle's distinctive graceful walk that he thought might throw off audiences. If Castle was a panther, the horror icon describes James Jude Courtney as a lion, as the new Halloween is much more vicious and relentless than its source material, and Courtney towers at over 6 feet 3 inches, while Castle was 5 feet 11 inches.
For Jamie Lee Curtis and Nick Castle, the original Halloween still defines their careers over anything even 40 years later. Both have admitted that they think their roles in the horror classic will likely be what they are always remembered for most. Halloween was Curtis' introduction as an actress, and she's established a long-running career since in other memorable films such as True Lies, A Fish Called Wanda and Freaky Friday. After Castle starred in Halloween, he pursued directing, helming hits including The Last Starfighter and The Boy Who Could Fly.
When Halloween comes to theaters on October 19, it will be both a throwback and continuation of what John Carpenter started in 1978. Don't forget to also browse through our 2018 release schedule to learn what other movies arrive later this year.
