‘Halloween Kills’: Michael Myers Actor Learned From a Real-Life Killer
Michael Myers, otherwise known as The Shape, is an iconic horror movie villain from the Halloween franchise. Six actors have starred in the role since John Carpenter’s 1978 classic. However, Nick Castle, George P. Wilbur, Tyler Mane, and the most recent James Jude Courtney are the only actors to play him more than once. Courtney recently explained that he learned how to best play a killer from a real-life murderer.
‘Halloween Kills’ is the most brutal installment in the franchise
Halloween Kills is the most recent installment in the franchise. It’s part of a trilogy directed by David Gordon Green. The Blumhouse movie premiered at the Venice International Film Festival on Sept. 8. Critic reviews haven’t been very positive, although they all agree that Halloween Kills is incredibly brutal. Some are calling it the most brutal installment in the entire franchise.
Courtney’s Myers is an imposing force that goes on a rampage. The Strodes are once again fighting against Myers, but now the town of Haddonfield also seeks to put an end to the massacre.
Michael Myers actor James Judy Courtney learned from a real-life killer
Courtney talked with TMZ about Halloween Kills and how he prepared to play Myers. He explained the process of staying in a psychiatric ward to prepare for his first role ever as Arthur in The Freeway Maniac.
“Well, the first film I ever did, I stayed in a psych ward, a lockdown ward with some paranoid schizophrenics who had committed murder,” Courtney said. “And, I had an orderly and a psychiatrist working with me, just sort of feeding the information as I was learning the process.”
Later, he developed a friendship with a real-life killer. They have exercised together, lived together, and have proven to get along quite well. Their friendship would ultimately end up benefitting him in his acting career.
He continued: “Flash forward to my friend, who was my housemate for a while. I was writing his life story. And, he came to see a movie I did, where I killed somebody and he was like, ‘Jimmy, really nice movie, but that’s not the way you kill people.’ So, we worked on it.”
Courtney discussed the process of filming Halloween Kills. However, he always had his friend’s specific advice in the back of his head. He wanted to make it as true to the real thing as possible for it to translate onto the silver screen.
“I guess it’s encapsulated by, you know movies are all about drama,” Courtney explained. “And you have the dialogue and you have the setup and it’s all filmic and beautiful. For him, it’s like get the job done and get out.”
He concluded: “So, no matter what the scene is I’m working on, what David’s directing me to do, what’s written in the script, the internal reality is get in, kill, and get out.”
The trilogy will conclude with ‘Halloween Ends’
Halloween Kills is only the middle installment in the trilogy. Halloween Ends is the final entry that will conclude Green’s story. It will continue the arc between Myers and Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis). Little is known about the plot, but it’s supposed to take place in the current pandemic era.
Halloween Kills is now out in theaters and on the streaming service Peacock. Stay tuned for more information on Halloween Ends, which will be released on October 14, 2022.
