Lest you think that the original 1978 Halloween film fall into the category of slasher schlock like most of its successors, I implore you to consider the fact that it was selected in 2006 for preservation in the United States Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” To me, this means that it is a classic film, and thus certainly worthy of inclusion in any film library. And what’s more, this also means that I take great interest in meeting anyone who appeared in a classic film such as this. It also mean that I had a rip-roaring time at the Horrorhound Weekend in Indianapolis on Saturday, November 17, 2012. This posting will kick off a series of Halloween reunions and celebrities that appeared at this show.
While not all of the actors present at Horrorhound had the privilege of appearing in the first film of the series, the two who are being featured here did – and did in a big way. They were the killers. The Michael Myers. The Shapes.
There were actually three Michael Myers billed in the film: one as Michael at age 6, one as Michael at age 23, and one simply as “The Shape.” The Michael at age 23 was played by Tony Moran, who only had a few seconds of screen time after Michael was unmasked. Although he does do celebrity shows occasionally, he was not at this particular one. I hope to add him later.
Michael at age 6 was the first “Michael Myers” to ever appear on screen. He was portrayed by Will Sandin, who was actually a couple of years older than his character. Sandin didn’t do any acting after this brief, wordless appearance, and went on to be a police officer in California. This is purely a case of being in the right place at the right time. He held a knife, stood in front of a camera for a few minutes, then went on his merry way, and through no fault of his own became an icon to the horror fans.
But still, there was no way I was passing up this opportunity. Thankfully, he was a reasonable $20 for a signed photo and a picture with him as well.
Nick Castle had a much meatier role in Halloween. He was “The Shape” – aka Michael Myers behind the mask through almost the entire film. With the exception of a stunt man, and animal trainer, and the set designer – each who played a scene behind the mask – Castle was the original Michael Myers behind the mask.
Interestingly Moran continued his work in motion pictures more prominently behind the camera. He went on to co-write Escape from New York with John Carpenter, and direct such light fare as Dennis the Menace, Major Payne, and The Last Starfighter.
Apparently his appearance at the show was rather rare these days, and his price reflected it a bit, as he was charging $10 more than virtually everyone else at the show. But again, no way I was missing the chance to add Nick Castle to my collection. He seemed friendly enough and was happy to add “The Shape” to my signed photo.
Celebrity encounters of the Indianapolis Horrorhound Halloween reunion weekend will continue…
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