Halloween is considered one of the horror genre’s biggest movie franchises because of the chilling performances by Michael Myers, but not every actor has used the same approach, especially in recent years with Tyler Mane and James Jude Courtney taking on new interpretations of the role.
The horror genre owes a ton to slasher movies and how they helped create lengthy franchises with the help of memorable and monstrous villains. Halloween helped kick off the trend in 1978 and since then, the John Carpenter classic has inspired countless imitators and kicked off many Halloween sequels of contrasting quality. Plenty of horror franchises fall out of favor, but Halloween has been able to persevere because Michael Myers is such an unnerving predator.
Nick Castle portrays Michael Myers in Carpenter’s original movie, but since then, there have been many actors to don the mask. The majority of Michael Myers performers only get one shot as the iconic villain, but two actors, Tyler Mane and James Jude Courtney, have been fortunate enough to play Myers multiple times. Both Mane and Courtney offer interesting insight into the villainous The Shape, with their strategies both being effective in different ways, but who did it better?
James Jude Courtney from David Gordon Green’s 2018 Halloween plays Michael Myers as both menacing and curious, like in the original movie. He also intentionally studied Nick Castle’s performance to determine how much Michael’s body language has changed in the 40 years since he was last seen. The most creative touch with Courtney's performance is that he combines Nick Castle's steely resolve with the unpredictable and precise actions of a cat. Courtney spent time deconstructing his own cat’s movements and how it carries itself during a hunt. There's a nimble nature to Courtney's version of Myers that's apparent in the effortless way that he moves, as if he operates purely off of instinct and isn't even thinking about his actions.
In contrast, what's so interesting about Tyler Mane's Michael Myers performance is how he truly reduces Myers to a blunt instrument of destruction. Curiously, Rob Zombie's two Halloween movies provide the most pathos and humanity for Michael's character, yet by the time he becomes the murderous The Shape, nearly all of that humanity and emotion has left him; all that's left is pain and evil. Mane's performance has Michael lumber around and take advantage of the character's brute strength. Tyler Mane is a staggering 6'9", which is taller than James Jude Courtney (who is 6’3”) and the other actors who have portrayed Michael Myers. The character's immense size is represented in how Mane moves like he's an unstoppable force that must carry out his mission.
Both of these approaches have their various advantages. Mane’s rendition of the character is more frightening, purely in terms of the strength that it carries, but it becomes a more one-dimensional depiction of Myers. James Jude Courtney's performance features nuance and inspirations that make the character feel beyond human. Michael Myers loses his power when he's overanalyzed, but the touches that Courtney brings to the character impressively add depth in a subtle manner that's conveyed purely through gestures. James Jude Courtney sets a strong new standard for Michael Myers in Halloween, but with the actor set to also appear in the two upcoming sequels, Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends, his performance can only get deeper and more fascinating.
