The forgotten Halloween comics of the late-2000s give readers their only glimpse of an alternate outfit for Michael Myers. Behind the scenes of the original 1978 classic, the real-life story behind Michael Myers’ mask reveals that there were four choices for Michael’s mask: Captain Kirk, Spock, Richard Nixon, and the sad clown Emmett Kelly.
Everyone knows that production would bring the William Shatner mask in front of the camera, but 2008’s Halloween: The First Death of Laurie Strode #2 by Stefan Hutchinson, Jeff Zornow, Nick Filardi, Ed Dukeshire, Sean K. Dove, Cody DeMatteis, and Stephen Christy shows off an alternate look for Michael that the movies never gave audiences.
Emmett Kelly was a circus performer during the early 1900s. He is best remembered for adopting the clown persona of “Weary Willie,” taking inspiration from the hobo population during the 1930s Great Depression. Michael is no stranger to disguises, and in this series, Emmett Kelly is his disguise of choice.
Michael Myers’ Alternate Halloween Outfit
Halloween: The First Death of Laurie Strode takes place mere months after the events of Halloween and Halloween II, taking place within the H2O timeline. Laurie continues to fall apart at the seams as she struggles to adapt to a life with most of her friends dead and to a life learning her brother is a psycho killer. She keeps seeing Michael everywhere she goes, unsure if it’s really him or if it’s her paranoia. The second issue flashes forward to a year later, where Laurie attends a costume party hoping for some semblance of normalcy in her life. After taking some drugs, she needs a minute outside to breathe some fresh air.
While outside, she’s approached by a man dressed as the famous Great Depression-era circus performer. The man doesn’t say a word as he stands over her holding Michael Myers’ signature butcher knife over her head as she’s sitting down. An eerie atmosphere looms ever-present as they lock eyes, compelling Laurie to wonder if she’s looking at her brother and if it is Michael under this unfamiliar mask. Her suspicions are proven correct as the clown plunges his signature butcher’s knife at her. This ensues in a chase that escalates when Michael drives a car in her direction.
Michael’s Alternate Halloween Mask is as Unsettling as the Original
Those wondering what happens next in the three-issue miniseries will be disappointed to learn that the third issue was never released before the publishing company went out of business. However, the lasting impact of this short-lived sequel series is that it is the first and last glimpse of what could have been in a world where Michael Myers slashes teenagers dressed like Emmett Kelly. As seen in this small glimpse chasing Laurie, and after when he kills Jimmy from Halloween II, it’s an unsettling, eerie sight to see a soulless sad clown aggressively pursue his victims and would’ve made for a scary alternative to William Shatner’s mask.
