Forty years ago, Michael Myers came home to Haddonfield, engaging in a killing spree that resulted in several deaths and a legendary origin to a classic boogeyman. Now, Halloween's 2018 sequel is set to pick up where that original tale left off, and the world will know the screams of terror that Michael has been inspiring throughout four decades of history. Seeing as only the first film's events are what you'll need to truly understand Halloween 2018, we're going to run you through the ten things you need to remember from Halloween 1978.
Michael's First Kill
In 1963, 15 years before Halloween's events, we see a young Michael Myers make his first kill. On Halloween night, Michael's sister, Judith, was preoccupied with having a night of fun and sex with her boyfriend. Unbeknownst to her, young Michael was watching their every move, and as soon as her beau left the room, he entered with a kitchen knife and stabbed her to death. Just as he finished his evil deed and left the house, his parents came back from a night out, discovering their son in a costume, wearing a mask and holding a bloody knife in his hands.
Fifteen Years Of Silence
Between his first murder in 1963 and the several murders he'd execute in 1978, Michael Myers was incarcerated in the Smith's Grove Sanitarium. There, he met his would-be psychiatrist and eventual nemesis, Dr. Samuel Loomis. Hopeful of his recovery, Dr. Loomis spent eight years trying to get through to Michael, which eventually turned into seven years trying to keep him locked up. All the while, Michael was silent as the night, not communicating with his care providers as he bided his time between his infamous holidays.
The Night He Came Home
Halloween, 1978, Haddonfield, Illinois welcomed its prodigal, murderous son back into its city limits. After breaking out of Smith's Grove Sanitarium and stealing Dr. Loomis's official state issued vehicle, Michael made his way back to his hometown. Ready to stalk his first prey since 1963, Myers returned to his family's home and used it as a home base for his killings. Even at the end of the film, when Michael seemingly cheats death, he returned to the house he made his first kill in.
The Right Tools For The Right Job
A very important part to Michael Myers' process in Halloween is the fact that he needs two things: his "costume," consisting of a mask and mechanic's jumpsuit, and his weapon of choice - a long, sharp kitchen knife. While losing his knife never stops him, as he's been known to strangle his victims, it's the mask that seems to be the only weakness that Michael possesses. Remove his mask and it stops him dead in his tracks, more than likely causing him to scramble to put it back on.
His Victims Of Choice Are Usually Babysitters
Under normal circumstances, when Michael isn't killing in the name of survival or returning home, his pattern of killing is pretty standardized. Be it some sort of connection to his first murder or a deeper, unknown reason, Michael Myers likes to kill babysitters. While we did see him murder Lynda's boyfriend, Bob, in Halloween 1978, that can be chalked up as a mere tactic to get to his true target - Lynda. If one were to venture a guess, it may be because they remind him of his sister Judith, who was babysitting him on that fateful night he started his career as a killer.
Michael Is Nigh Indestructible
So who takes six shots to the chest, only to get up and walk away? Michael Myers, that's who. Halloween's 1978 finale sees Michael shot by Dr. Loomis with a full revolver's worth of bullets, causing him to fall out of a window. One moment, it looks like he's dead on the ground, finally dispatched once and for all. But after looking away for a moment and returning his gaze, Dr. Samuel Loomis sees the body has disappeared. While the sequels that continued his tradition of cheating death are no longer canon, even that first film knew that Michael Myers was, indeed, the boogeyman.
Michael Myers Was Apprehended On Halloween 1978
Now we're about to wade into the pieces of lore that Halloween 2018 clears up, thanks to discarding all sequels past the 1978 original. Originally, we saw in Halloween II that Michael went on another killing spree after leaving the scene of his supposed death. But, as we find out in Halloween 2018, Michael was apprehended the same night he supposedly died, and has been in psychiatric custody for forty years to the day.
Michael Myers Is Not Laurie Strode's Brother
Halloween II didn't only see Michael go on another quickie killing spree, it also laid out a piece of Halloween history that has stuck in the craw of fans and spectators alike: it named Michael as Laurie Strode's half-brother. To say it was a controversial choice is putting it mildly, and it's always been debated when discussing the series. Whether you accepted or rejected that piece of the series' lore, it doesn't matter anymore, as Halloween 2018 has written this "fact" off as hearsay falsely spread by an eager public.
Michael Myers Is Not Under A Celtic Spell
Another long persisting explanation for Michael Myers' murderous habits is the fact that Michael Myers was the victim of some good old fashioned Celtic blood magic. It's an explanation that started its life in the pages of the official novelization for Halloween, and was even perpetuated by the content of Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers. Yet again, the reset button was hit, and the plot twist that John Carpenter himself called bullshit on is no more. Michael Myers is just this guy, you know. This guy who likes murder, plain and simple.
Laurie Is Still Traumatized By The Events Of Halloween 1978
Losing someone close to you is always a hard thing to get over. But when you lose two of your friends at the hands of a psycho killer and almost die yourself, it tends to stay with you for some time. The events of Halloween 1978 were enough to drive Jamie Lee Curtis's Laurie Strode into a life long traumatic state. Not only is she fully convinced Michael Myers will escape, she sincerely hopes he will. After forty years, she's been obsessively preparing for a rematch, and she'll be damned if she doesn't get to finish him off.
Halloween's 2018 sequel is in theaters tonight, and if you're still curious about how to watch the rest of the film canon, head on over to our Newbie's Guide and sample the various story paths Michael and Laurie have taken over the past forty years.
