Halloween: 8 Reasons Why Michael Myers Is The Ultimate Horror Villain

The horror genre is no stranger to the masked killer. Jason Voorhees has his hockey mask, Leatherface has that gruesome guise stitched together out of human skin and Hannibal Lecter has his muzzle.

While these are all undoubtedly fearsome, Michael’s mask is in a different league entirely. Granted, it’s a simple and pared-back look by comparison to other horror villains, but that’s exactly what makes it so effectively creepy.

Blank and expressionless, there’s something eerily uncanny about Michael’s choice of mask. It’s recognisable as human-like, yet with all human emotion removed – a cold and detached visage that’s a perfect reflection of Michael’s psychological state.

Upping the creep factor considerably, Michael’s mask obscures his eyes almost completely, which dehumanises him further. If, as they say, the eyes are the window to the soul, then it seems Michael may be lacking in that department.

As a fun and factual aside, Michael’s now iconic mask was actually a result of budget constraints during production of the original Halloween. Looking for a cost-efficient yet suitably scary mask, production designer Tommy Lee Wallace bought a Captain Kirk mask from a magic shop and spray-painted it white for a more ghoulish effect. Somehow the fact that it’s modelled on William Shatner’s face makes it all the more creepy.