While the mask of Michael Myers has gone through a few incarnations over the decades, the template for this chillingly inscrutable visage remains the face of one William Shatner, with the original 1978 Halloween using a spray-painted Captain James T. Kirk mask as its trademark prop. And while it presumably came as a shock to Shatner to learn that his face was deemed an appropriate fit for a horror movie villain, it’s clear that the actor has a sense of humor about his unintended contribution to slasher cinema history.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, the Star Trek lead recalled how he used to go trick-or-treating with his children while wearing the Shatner mask over his own original face:
“When my kids were younger, and they’d go trick-or-treating, and I would go with them, I’d wear the mask. If [people] didn’t give them candy, I’d take off the mask, and blow a kiss.”
Now there’s a twist that’s terrifying enough for one of Michael’s own movies.
Speaking of slightly surreal double-Shatner moments, Halloween producer Malek Akkad mentioned earlier this year that he’s tried bringing the actor face to face with Michael Myers in one of the franchise’s films, and while the team have had no luck so far, Akkad hasn’t given up hope quite yet.
“I think he makes light of it. We actually have one of the original impressions of Shatner in our office in L.A., so obviously we’re really grateful to him, and in certain ways we’ve tried to reach out to him [to] maybe do an appearance,” Akkad said. “Lord know he’s busy enough with Star Trek stuff… but you never know.”
After the box office success of David Gordon Green’s new Halloween film, it looks like Akkad will have at least one more chance to rope Shatner into the series, with the movie’s co-writer Danny McBride mentioning a few weeks ago that talks are already happening around the subject of a sequel.
This means you can expect to see Shatner’s face – or at least, an increasing distorted version of it – terrorize the people of Haddonfield once more within the next year or two. And while it remains to be seen whether Captain Kirk himself will be making an appearance, Jamie Lee Curtis at least sounds like she’d be open to returning.