I have been watching a YouTuber named David McCray and his own take on the Halloween 2018 sequel. I found most of his interesting points revolving around the Shape and how he is presented by the actor.
Now, we here are in no short of our favorite Michael Myers actors. Yet, this got me thinking:
“What do you think our perception of Michael Myers would be and/or how different would we view the Shape had Dick Warlock played Michael Myers in Halloween 1978?”
To me, Halloween 1978 and Nick Castles performance set the template for every Michael Myers actor since, yet I have always felt Dick Warlocks performance to be the embodiment of The Shape. Had he played Michael Myers in 1978 I believe the film would have been even much more terrifying than what it was.
I love H2, and Dick Warlock’s performance in that film, but I prefer Nick Castle. As John Carpenter said after telling Nick to “just walk”, “To make Michael Myers scary, I had him walk like a man, not a monster.” It made the Shape seem like a creepy, mentally ill, socially dissociated guy that had a supernatural edge to him. That is the Shape to me. I’ve always felt that Dick Warlock’s H2 performance was a natural progression of the character, however. In H1, what little humanity is left in Michael was killed at the end of the film when Loomis shot him 6 times off the balcony, and so in H2, he’s basically a corpse being driven by pure evil. I don’t believe that was the intention, but that’s how I’ve always felt about it. Also, Dave Mcrae is awesome, loved his sequel concept. I have no doubt whatsoever it will be 10 times better than anything the actual sequel ends up being, just my opinion though
I think Tyler Mane was great Michael Myers but he is so tankly for Michael Myers. Nick is great actor I think, he could be more fame than other Michael Myers but is Tony Moran… If I’ll talk about Dick, he was very robotic than Castle. He is great, but not than Castle… So Nick Castle is my favourite one. Tyler and Dick are great. Also, I never say other actors who played " The Shape " to so bad. They’re too good but really Chris Durand was the worst Michael Myers. Already H20 was very worst movie.
Warlock set the stage for the slow walking robotic type. Durant walked more like Nick but the others took a warlock approach. Nick was like a crazy thinking maniac, warlock and the others robotic non thinking killers
I’m not sure I would liken Dick Warlock’s portrayal as The Shape as ‘robotic’. Emotionless and moved with a purpose, sure. But I see the distinctions that could be made.
I’ve spent a lot of time studying and performing as Dick Warlock’s H2 and some things I have learned from mimicking his maneurisms over the years that begin to come natural:
The slow strides he takes almost makes it as if the legs are seperate from the rest of the body. There is no apparent swinging of the arms as he walks as they are mostly at the sides. As the legs move the hips almost swing the body on it’s own.
Turning of the head happens but as if the torso does most of the work.
In attacking it would appear he breaks from the above mention molds and more like a spider that pounces on it’s prey.
Dick Warlock was about 5’9" and pretty scrawny. I’m taller, more muscular, with broad shoulders. The walking is the most physically exhaustiving part of the act. The sweat almost soaks through the coveralls.
Warlock is the second best version of Myers, because after being shot 6 times, poked in the eye, stabbed in the neck, stabbed in the chest and falling off a second story balcony, the slowed down movements actually make sense logically, cause an ordinary person wouldn’t survive all that in one night, and H2 is the same night after H1, which again, is more logical
I wouldn’t say worst, but his performance did take away the mystery if Michael was insane or just pure evil.
Warlock walked like how a mental patient would.
Castle walked like a normal person, so he would just blend in with society.
I prefer the normal-ish walk, like JJC, NC, and CD. But I HATE Halloween 6 Michael, just swings his arms everywhere when he’s just fast walking, who does that?
Actually, as it’s my opinion, I can describe my thoughts on him however I want. I think he was truly awful as The Shape, and that’s that. There are plenty of people on here who disagree with me on that, and y’know what? That’s fine! I have no problem with that.
