Wild! The Michigan Connection to Michael Myers’ Iconic Mask

If you're a fan of horror movies, or just movies in general, Michael Myers' iconic mask from the original Halloween in 1978 is familiar to you.

What you may not know is that is was designed by a man from Lansing.

Get our free mobile app

William Malone graduated from Lansing's Everett High School in 1965. According to his biography at trickortreatstudios.com, his love for horror movies and mask-making can be traced back to his early school years. By the age of 14, he was making his own 8mm movies and designing Halloween masks for himself and his friends.

via Canva and McConnell Adams, Townsquare Media

Having also played in a local garage band during his high school years, Malone moved to California at the age of 19 in the hopes of pursuing his dream of making it in the music world. Of course, California's pretty well-known for its film industry too, and it didn't take long for him to get drawn back into the movie business.

Malone went to film school at UCLA, and shortly thereafter found himself employed by Don Post Studios, specializing in mask making among several other things. He was asked to create a mask for the Michael Myers character in Halloween, and designed one using a mold that had been previously used for actor William Shatner. (Ever notice how Michael Myers bears a slight resemblance to Captain Kirk?)

Malone would eventually move to directing movies and TV episodes in the horror genre. His first offering from the director's chair was 1980's Scared to Death, which was originally slated to include a then-relatively unknown Rick Springfield, who bowed out right as filming was about to begin.

SEE ALSO: Should Michigan Move Halloween to the Last Saturday in October?

Malone would go on to direct episodes of TV's Freddy's Nightmares and Tales from the Crypt, among others. In the mid-1980s, he was nominated for a Saturn Award by the Academy of Science Fiction and Horror Films for directing the movie Creature. Malone also directed the 1999 remake of House on Haunted Hill.

Today, Malone and his wife CeeCee live in Los Angeles. But it's safe to expect he remembers his early days in Lansing with great fondness.