MFF Special: Tracking Michael Myers Movements in Halloween

Back in May, I broke down the data on Michael Myer’s Illinois to California road trip in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later. The trip had always fascinated me and I wanted to know how many times he had to refuel and use his turn signal. The idea of an evil murderer using his blinkers made me laugh and it lead to surmising that he used his blinker 57 times due to the route on Google maps. However, after rewatching the original Halloween (1978) I came across a startling discovery. The dude never uses his turn signal (cue semi-dramatic music) and puts in a lot of work to scare Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis).

I know this is a stupid thing to harp on but if you’ve read my posts you know that I love tracking the deadly journeys that horror film characters embark on. I enjoy filling in the blanks and figuring out the intricacies of trips and giving the world something stupid to talk about. I had never considered covering Halloween (1978) before because director John Carpenter and writer/producer Debra Hill admitted that they were “kids” while working on the shoot and many of their one-off decisions (killing promiscuous people) have been given way too much thought. There is something pure about Halloween and that pureness was simply to scare audiences, keep them uneasy and have Michael Myers pop up everywhere at any moment.

For instance, take a look at the ground he covers while hunting poor Annie.

Myers knew the outside of that house very well.

What I love most about Halloween is how in Carpenter’s quest to make the audience “uneasy” he had Michael appear pretty much everywhere which meant he did a lot of walking, running, and hiding behind shrubs. The following post breaks down the various sightings and tracks his movements in three heading scratching scenes. This post is totally unnecessary but hopefully, it gives you a clearer idea into the movements of a famous fictional killer.

Before I get to the three scenes here is a very loose breakdown of Michael Myers movements throughout the film.

1. Steals a car
2. Kills a guy and steals his clothes
3. Arrives in Haddonfield
4. Finds childhood home
5. Pulls a large gravestone out of the ground
6. Robs a hardware store
7. Eats a dog?
8. Spooks Laurie at school
9. Harasses a kid
10. Follows Laurie home
11. Drives around for like two hours
12. Hunts between the two houses and kills another dog….
13. Cuts two holes in a sheet and kills a lady.
14. Dies?

I want this deleted scene. I need to see the eyeholes be cut.

Here are the three instances where he appears to Laurie then has to make a quick getaway.

1. Moment: Laurie sees Michael staring at her.

How long do you think he was standing there?

Where: Laurie is in a classroom. Michael is standing across the street on the driver’s side of his vehicle.

When: 15:40 – 16:15

How much time did he need to get away? 15 seconds.

How did he do it? I tested this out in my driveway and there is no way he could’ve simply walked around the car and drove away. Michael literally had to run around the car, open the door, start the car and drive away. It is unclear whether the car was on or not. This doesn’t affect the fact that an evil shape had to run around the car to drive away.

Random Thoughts: There are a lot of variables to this scene. The only thing that never changes is that Michael had to run around the car. How did Michael find her? What happens if Laurie looks back to the street faster? How did he time it so perfectly? We do know that she actually saw Michael and it wasn’t a vision (confirmed on 35th anniversary Blu-ray commentary by Carpenter). In those 15 seconds, he had to do more than saunter which I think is pretty awesome.

2. Moment: Laurie sees Michael standing next to some hedges.

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Where: She is walking home from school. Michael is chilling.

When: 23:41

How much time did he need to get away?: 26 seconds

How did he get away?: He walked around the back of the house and stopped when he got to the clothesline behind Laurie’s house. It’s doable. 

Random Thoughts: This moment takes place after Michael slams on the station wagon brakes when Annie yells “Speed kills!” at him. So, he parked the station wagon on the street, ran 200 feet to some hedges (counted their steps) and waited till they came up the sidewalk. I love that Michael must’ve been peering through a crack in the hedges until it was safe to step out. Having Michael play peekaboo with Laurie adds another dimension to the character. He starts to come across as a cheeky/evil fellow who enjoys messing with babysitters. 

3. Moment: Laurie sees Michael hanging around some clotheslines.

Where: Laurie is at her house. Michael is hanging out by a clothesline.

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When: 26:36

How much time did he need to get away: Zero seconds because Laurie is looking at him the entire time.

How did he get away: I’m assuming he waited for a perfect wind to push the sheets up so he could walk into a wooded area.

Random Thoughts: This is the toughest appearance to break down because it happens so quick. I am assuming it happened (per Carpenter) so I’m taking the escape at face value. Logic suggests that Michael sidestepped into the surrounding foliage. However, I’d like to think that he did a quick somersault and propelled himself into the wooded area. That would be awesome!

There you have it! Michael Myers covered a lot of ground and potentially did a somersault to escape Laurie’s view. Hopefully, this post fills in some blanks and lets you know that Michael put in a lot of work during his Halloween hunting!

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