Yes! Michaels intelligence sets him apart from the other slashers, he's very methodical and blueprints every kill in his mind before it's done. Especially in the og where he spends the first half just watching the cast from afar, always present. He's an evil genius in 78 and just Jason in every sequel.

What I always liked about the first one, that Michael is also a stalker. He is not just a random killer, he stalks his victims, etc. They dropped the stalking side of him almost immediatly.

One thing I noticed recently is that he was basically building a spook house the entire movie. He steals the grave’s headstone and mask and sets up the bodies in a way intended to scare. The way he murders the teens is in a way to elicit a jump scare as if he’s jumping out of the dark and shouting “Boo!” the way a kid would. Then he takes those dead bodies and makes them into an attraction in this haunted house that he’s created in order to scare Laurie. Then when she’s sufficiently scared and runs away, it’s time for Michael to kill her.

Great analysis. However I would have to add that in Halloween 4 he did do a considerable amount of planning as well. He took the phone lines out, the power to the entire town, the 911 dispatchers and officers at the station, to set up the entire rest of his plan. What seems like random occurrences are carefully planned events that allow him to roam free the rest of the movie free from any major threats. One of the reasons I love Halloween 4 so much. Think it would have been better received if it had a high quality mask!!!

This is what I’ve been saying all along! This is why he is superior to all the other slasher characters. His “inhumane patience” for 15 years to pull this off was executed with effortless precision. That is what is truly frightening about him.

I've been a horror fan for almost all my life and have been a massive subscriber to the 'Laurie is Michael's sister' aspect of Halloween. But this video, after seeing and enjoying the new trilogy but kinda being bugged by the she's his sister omission from the story, genuinely changed my mind on that when you explained how Michael methodically and meticulously plans out everything so that he gets everyone in one go. Because that just means that Laurie has only been Michael's obsession all these years not because she's his sister and he's got a blood-lust strong enough to kill what's left of his family, but she was just a babysitter who managed to escape him, a man who was deemed by a long time doctor to be just pure evil. Makes the first film even scarier because it makes you see it through Lumis' eyes, Michael genuinely didn't have any motive or reason to do what he did in the first film other than he just felt like it

I think Michael was at his best in the 2nd Halloween(1981) he seemed more cold, more determined, less patient. I think Dick Warlock did a fantastic job reinventing the character

Michael also had heart in the first one. The way he hides his face, watches the girls but never speaks, and disappears before they can interact with him -- there is a certain shyness in him. The terrified killer

It's the fact that every movie has a Michael that goes straight into the killing, very little stalking and hiding in creepy areas. Halloween 1978 has very little kills because Michael took his time. If they ever do another one, I want a slow Halloween movie like the original. They could have done that with Halloween Ends since Michael is weaker but they totally missed that opportunity. Also I miss when Michael would get hurt(seemingly to be defeated) then get back up to scare his victim. It was creepy and it works well. The trailer for Halloween Ends where Michael can be seen in the background putting on his mask again made me believe Laurie seemingly defeated Michael and removed his mask as way to say, "I won!" to Michael only to get back up again and go another round. Missed opportunities.

I’ve always felt that sequels only do a disservice to the original Halloween, particularly the way it ended. Shots of the town, Michael still breathing Bc he has transcended humanity, he is no longer a man who can be killed. He could be anywhere and everywhere and nothing will ever stop him Bc he’s the boogeyman. Pretty lame to turn around and be like “yeah it’s weird how he disappeared that night but we just found him around the corner and locked him back up”

Nice analysis. The original also worked because at the time, he was simply an escaped mental patient who returned to his hometown and decided to stalk the first few people he saw. Of course as the film went on, they built the supernatural force into the storyline. But when this came out, it was the only one of its kind. I was 11 and it was the talk of my friends because it felt like it could happen.

This really helps to understand why the sequels aren't as scary

The original Halloween is my Is favorite horror movie of all time.. But James Jude Courtney is hands down my favorite Michael even if the movies around him aren't up to par.

He's a slick, playful, deranged, spooky and stalking menace that looks like he could be anyone in a mask. Making him a hulk type doesn't work for me.

The first MM works because John Carpenter had no intention of MM being the face of the franchise Halloween. He wanted nothing to do with MM after the first movie. Universal fucked it up for everyone as they insisted on making a sequel before they handed Carpenter the keys to the movie The Thing. Halloween was supposed to be an anthology like Creepshow with different stories for each release.

"All these pesky kids took was a mask, rope, knives, duct tape, pliers, a book on taxidermy, a can of gasoline, and a single match. Clearly nothing to worry about and obviously unrelated to that escaped psychotic killer."

To me, it’s always just been the fact that Michael didn’t have a motivation in the first movie, which dehumanizes him and makes him scarier. Any kind of a motivation makes him more human, and less of a sheer force of evil.

It's also worth pointing out that the first Halloween has a ton of tension building to it.

Halloween 2018/Kills also works. It’s the closest to the original film. Movements, stalking, the way it kills, and how it plays with the dead bodies like in the original.

That’s why I only like the original one, because Michael was more of a stalker and only had to kill four in the original movie. Still he kept the whole movie suspenseful by his plotting patience and his skills

He was pretty methodical at the hospital. Every kill was at the very least planned, but since he was already hurt from the previous movie's shenanigans he just wasn't as patient. He isolated the couple, turned up the hot tub water knowing one would come back to lower it, isolated the security guard and slashed the car tires as well as take out the gas from them.

I agree. I would say that at least in Halloween 4 Michael seem to have a strategic plan. For instance how he took out the power in the town then eliminated the police officers. Yes it’s over the top but it did show that he had a bit of A calculating and tactical side to him.

In 2018 he plotted a lot as well, leading Ray to his death, leaving a blood trails and misdirecting Laurie with Ray’s body. There’s a few other examples but those are the ones that stand out to me.

The thing that every film has missed out on his Michael stalking his victims. He is THE Shape. He watches from the bushes, the clothes lines etc. Waiting for the perfect moment. Every other interpretation has been Jason with a Shatner mask.

I'm so glad you made thus. I've been saying something similar to this for YEARS but nobody ever listens to me. OG Michael Myers was unique and different from how he is portrayed in the sequels.

Great work here. For most people, the original Halloween "just works", but they can't really articulate why. This manages to capture it in just enough detail to make the point clearly and succinctly. This should be required watching for future sequel writers.

You’ll be saying he isn’t smart in the other ones when in part four he deliberately cut off the town’s power supply so that nobody could call for help.

I felt that Halloween 2018 captured this aspect of Michael pretty well.

i think what makes the first movie so good is because no one really knows michael yet and what he is capable of, but in all the other movies everybody in haddonfield knows what michael has done in ‘78

If they had never turned it into a franchise, it would be one of the scariest movies ever made.

rewatching the original Halloween i forgot about Michaels humor - who can forget when he had the bedsheet on his head lol

I recommend the Stefan Hutchinson Halloween comics, he is portrayed far more scarier there then he is in the sequels, being a trickster who methodically stalks and terrifies his targets from afar before moving In for the kill.

The thing that made Michael frightening is that you never knew when he’d finally strike. You just know he’s there somewhere

While i do love the new movies, it always still bothered me how the Blumhouse Michael followed in the sequels' footsteps, being this 6'2" bulking powerhouse making smashing heads looking like horseplay. There was beauty to Michael being so average yet menacing in 1978, as well as having realistic strength for his kills, i mean if he wasn't wearing a mask he would blend in if he was in a crowd, the other Michaels would all stand out and that kind of ruins his aesthetic.

You could argue this with the second film to a lesser extent too, he took out all the cars in the parking lot so nobody escape

You're right in distinguishing Michael from Jason and other killers by pointing out Michael's cunning in the original movie. However, I disagree that this cunning isn't present in the sequels. Others have commented on this in Halloween IV. In Halloween V, Michael kills Tina's boyfriend, then dons that boyfriend's mask to impersonate him while driving Tina to the party. In H2O, he drives the stolen car to Hillcrest's security checkpoint and abandons it, which lures Ronny (LL Cool J) away from the guardhouse. While Ronny examines the car, Michael walks right behind him onto the school grounds. Earlier in the film, he tricks Marion out of her house, then slips inside to await her return, so he can kill her. He also skillfully separates Josh and his friends from their party, in order to kill them individually. In Halloween Kills, he does the same thing, separating Big John and Little John to kill them individually. Bottom line: while Michael is definitely more brutal in successive movies, he doesn't lose his cunning and treachery in the process.

It was so obvious Michael knew what he was doing in the first film, and was thriving on messing with his victims. Hell, one of the creepier scenes is when he stops the car in the middle of the street. In broad daylight...and Laurie, rightfully was freaked out by it, while everyone else wasn't and just thought it was some jerk. Michael was also mocking his victims. Look at his "Bob" outfit, and when you included the tombstone. The other movies just did not give him the same agency, or subtlety.

It would have been neat to see the anthology concept continue after Halloween lll. A lot of people hated it but I thought it was very entertaining.

I agree for most part.but part two is up there, it is a solid film and a perfect ending.And as a kid who spent many nights in a hospital almost passing away,it still freaks me out.Also part 4 was pretty solid too.

He’s pretty intelligent and plans his kills well in Halloween II as well.

Dude, you made great points. I could never quite put my finger on why the first worked and the others didn’t. Great video.

"I have not seen Halloween Ends yet" yea you shouldn't

Thank you for not making this video like 20 minutes long. Very brief and to the point, as it should be

The people who think Michael stalking and planning is boring can go watch something else lol. It’s so perfect. It builds tension while you get to know and care for the characters. I’m so glad someone made a video really nailing who the first Halloween is so perfect. Thank you!

In two words: the atmosphere and the tension.

I’d argue the only time Michael wasn’t a smart hunter was in Halloween 5, H20, Resurrection, and the RZ films. Even in Halloween Ends he had his moment of stalking when Corey and he killed the doctors. Not saying you’re wrong but Michael being a smart killer has nearly always been his shtick and it’s why we love him

I think he works in 2018, kills he's clearing acting out like a wounded or cornered animal after what happened with Laurie and Ends was great direction to take him in but I can understand why some didn't like it.

It works because their was never suppose to be a sequel!

Halloween will always be a single installment for me.

Brilliant! This film, 2 and 4 are the core of the Michael Meyers character in my opinion. Methodical planning, brutal kills then back to the shadows so you never know when he will strike next.

I’ve thought about this too and I’ve always compared Micheal to Jason and how their methods vary. I also believe that the 2 things that can kill a horror movie is absurdity and lack of uniqueness. Something I feel both Jason and Micheal have kept walking towards. Just as Micheal uses cunning as you’ve talked about, Jason is resourceful. This is a man who survived on his own while out in the woods. This is reflected by him taking things from the people he kills, using bear traps he finds, throwing knives, a bow, ect. Micheal almost seems to preplan everything while Jason is able to jump from kill to kill to kill with only the tools he has at any given moment. Jason gets more effective the more he kills and not in some “transcending evil” type bs, he just gains more tools. Part 6 is an amazing example and even gets laughed at because Jason acts like a hoarder with all the stuff he collects. This extends to the way he kills, brutal and efficient. Like in part 8 with the infamous kill where he punches a man’s head off. On the other hand, Micheal’s are slow and agonizing like when he pinned a man up against a wall by slowly pushing in the knife. Simply defining how these behemoths go about their sprees characterizes them so make them distinct and memorable. Micheal for the reasons you’ve talked about and Jason for the reasons I have. But without that, it’s just another slasher. Like DPS said: “formula: take a big man, throw him in a mask and task him with killin massive masses, quick.” Jason was killed by absurdity. Each new movie became more and more mind numbing weird. He was a zombie who fought a psychic before drowning in toxic waste under New York and later was sent to hell and then went to space. Micheal lost his distinctiveness, becoming just another “big man in the mask.”

He’s shouldn’t be punished for his efficiency. He’s payed by the outcome not hour. In the first movie, Michael had just escaped and was fresh to the killing game. In the sequels, he became more confident and efficient with getting straight to the POINT 🔪 and getting the job done. Why put planning when it comes second nature being a seasoned veteran. He’s adapted to his powers and thinking in the sequels.

Ghostface just has intelligence but ghostface's intelligence is not as high as Michael's intelligence

The problem with this video is that other Halloween movies show him to be tactical, H2O for example. He planned all of his moves carefully on that film

The stalking from the first movie is what makes my love it so much. I find it very funny. You take that out and you end up with just a decent slasher.

It's as simple as this. In the original film, he really is playing an elaborate game of trick or treat. The whole rigged-up Wallace household is a sinister practical joke. It's only when Michael gets back to Tommy Doyle's house that he resorts to the Jason-style hunt and kill method.

In all fairness, in Halloween 2 Michael's presence was known and he was being pursued so it probably wasn't as easy to take his time to plan out traps since the hospital was new territory of which he had no reconnaissance.

I'm glad this blessed me. It's something I've noticed too! Myers is smart! No one seems to recognize that, especially with later movies. I can enjoy all but there's something special about going "there he is! There he is!" when watching the first movie over again. I do enjoy most the other ones, but they really had something special in the first one.

Yup 100% Correct. The 1st Shape was a smart killer...gave more credence to when Loomis was calling him pure evil. For a guy that was shut away for most of his live he sure knew how to stalk people efficiently ...also driving a car too which we are too assume was his first time. The entire supernatural aspect can also play into this as well.

This movie works because of the suspense. Michael is an ambush killer, like a mountain lion waiting in the bushes.

The first Halloween left you actually wondering if Michael really is the Boogyman. The others kind of removed that mystery.

My favorite Myers has to be Halloween Kills Myers, he was ruthless.

You have to remember after Halloween and H2, everyone knows his routine. So he has to modify his approach. You can't do the same gag twice!!

i think he’s intelligent in all of them with the exception of films like halloween 5, the new films, rob zombie films, and resurrection.

Not even the first Michael Myers works, 15 years after being put in a mental facility at age 6, he was 23

I've never seen Annie's death addressed until now. If he was in there the first time she tried the door, then he must have unlocked it with the keys, returned the keys, gone back to the car, locked the doors from inside so she wouldn't be suspicious in finding it unlocked, and finally waited. But then why did she not have to use the keys once she had them? If an open car door would have aroused suspicion the first time she tried it, it certainly would have aroused even more suspicion upon a second try only moments later. On the other hand, if he wasn't in there the first time she tried the door, then he wouldn't have been able to get in and wait for her. What am I missing?

Great video! I highly enjoyed. Despite not a lot of people liking the film, I would argue Halloween Kills does show a lot of Michael's intelligence. He uses misdirection several times throughout the film in order to gain the upper hand. Knocking on the front door and then entering through the back, using music to misdirect where he is and then having Lonnie's body above where he'll come out from, and imo the greatest display of his intelligence towards the end when pit against the mob. He knows the only real threat to him is the gun, so he ensures he takes care of that before going for killing blows. While not as methodical as the original, Kills showcases how fast Myers can come up with things on the go which is pretty terrifying in its own way. I know the film isn't for everyone, but it's interpretation of Myers is fantastic.

As much as I loved this series, I admit fully that John Carpenter's Halloween is definitely best as a stand alone film.

I think it was more psychological instead of kill slash gore. Actually built suspense because the slasher trope wasn’t established yet. John Carpenter would definitely know since he refused to work on any other Halloween films

Agree 100%. I still watch some of the sequels but Halloween 1978 is the only one I must watch every year. One question for everyone, Michael had the mask in the morning when Laurie is going to school. Yet the police are investigating the alarm and the break in at the hardware store that afternoon after school. I always thought that scene was majorly out of place.

H4 and H5 DO show him potting things out though: H4 - He takes out the power plant so that the whole town goes into a blackout before he stalks his niece. He also gives misdirection by sneaking into the sheriff's home and pretending he was one of them sitting in the chair. H5 is probably the closest we got to him plotting throughout the day before his attacks. He stalks everyone during the day from behind bushes. He steals the coffin of a 9 year old girl to use much later. He steals a car from another guy named Michael to give misdirection to Tina. And he props up the bodies Rachael, her Dog max and others to be onlookers for Jamie's "funeral."

In Halloween II Michael kills the security guard early on so he can kill the staff more freely and slashes the tires of all the cars so no one can escape.

Part of this is why I love Michael Myers and the Halloween movie. It’s a suspenseful movie with great lore and build up that doesn’t make me tired or walking around doing other things out of boredom like Scream 2. Nor is it just slasher gore fest like Jason movies or Terrifier (I love cuz indie film and Art the clown is cool). It’s a blend of both and make Halloween the masterpiece it is.

He can stalk around in the first movie because as far as anyone is concerned he was just a weirdo in a mask. After the original night everyone knows who he is. While he could have just got a different mask (which I guess he never wanted to do for some reason) if he was walking around in pure daylight he would have had a difficult time.

What a phenomenal video essay. The thesis and supporting summarizations are so laser focussed and fleshed out. Bravo! Stunning work that will undoubtedly lend its help to me in better illustrating the tactful, purposeful, and methodical killer I’ve always seen in 1978’s incarnation of Michael.

I'll keep watching Halloween movies for as long as they keep making them... no matter how stupid of cheesy they get.

H20 Michael is able to get into a gated community undetected and uses his surrounding for alot of stealth and strategy. H20 also let's him be smart

When I saw the title I thought this was gonna be the billionth obvious “he’s better when he’s unknown and ambiguous pure evil” video but this actually explores an idea I and many others don’t even give much thought. Nice. I do like the sort of “nonstop rampage killer” Michael, but the original’s more tactical, assassin-like killer is the most effectively disturbing and frightening for sure.

100 percent correct and we go see the new ones to see if they can recapture the first ones brilliance but it never even comes close

This is going to perform well. Wonderfully edited good job

He does this in Halloween 4 as well. He plans that movie out even better imo

He used the hot tub in the hospital in the second one and I think it could be said he used the disorienting nature of a hospital to his advantage. He slashed the tires and fucked with the starters of all the cars too. He was pretty smart I think the movie was rushed and the magic was less and the mostly one setting is nothing like the first.

Fantastic point! Nail on the head! I feel incredibly obtuse for missing it myself, but his calculation on and selection of when to attack is what built all the suspense.

The original original opening credits always give me chills

He's just standing there....menacingly

Michael Myers was also strategic in Halloween 4.

I hope you keep doing videos like these. They are very enjoyable and I’d love to see more!

yes the first movie plays out more like a psychological thriller than a slasher film for most of its run time.

hes like a ninja in a way. quiet and stealthy.

I liked Halloween 2 for how Myers still thinks over things and has a bit of a human side to him. He doesn't kill the old couple at the first when he takes the knife and the hot tub scene he is a bit aroused by the girl before she turns around and he drowns her. I liked that about the film as Jason just kills people to kill people. In 2018 it bugged me that he killed the old couple because after seeing part 2 it just seemed off.

I have to say that Halloween 4 is michael at his best. He systematically took out the entire town.. taking down the telephone lines, took out the power, took out the entire police force, and allowed himself to be locked in the meeker house. Add that with the fact that he was the most unstoppable he ever was in that movie.. he was taken down with a knife stab and needle.. vs taking a shotgun and punches to the face and not moving. And when he grabbed you he did harm.. while he missed 2 easy shots to kill Laurie. Halloween 4 was peak michael myers

He had to be smarter in the first one because he hadn't built up enough supernatural strength from kills yet?

Michael only works in the extended series if you acknowledge the supernatural explanation from 6. He can only be shot, stabbed, gouged & set on fire so many times before you accept he's not human & is kept going by something. Weren't his eyes stabbed out at one point? Viewers can accept it for Freddy, Jason, Chucky, etc but somehow when it comes to Michael they get upset by part 6. Remember that he was intended to be in the fist story & die at the end, with part 3 developing the series into an anthology. 3's failure brought Michael back defying is initial plans.

Great video man, very underrated and Phenomenal editing. Keep up the good work!

Awesome analysis, I think that’s what gave OG Michael that scare factor, him just being seeing by us the audience planning and plotting his way to the next kill, unlike others that pop out of nowhere and just brutally kill, which I also enjoy lol

That’s a great intro with Halloween II theme

Really good analysis and very convincing arguments. I agree that Michael was much more scary in the first movie. He became an unstoppable supernatural hobgoblin in the subsequent movies which, while entertaining, was not the same scare factor as the first and best movie.

Makes me appreciate the first film a little more, thank you

Great video... I'd love to see more of these essays

This is a great short, sweet, and accurate analysis of Michael Myers. You've sum up the reason why the original 1978 film is my number one favorite. I'm a fan of most of the sequels also, but none of them outrank the first, in my opinion.