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In a chilling twist, the iconic antagonist of Halloween is credited as “The Shape” in the film’s closing credits. This enigmatic figure was primarily portrayed by Nick Castle, a friend of director John Carpenter.
Reflecting on Castle’s role, Jamie Lee Curtis shared with Rotten Tomatoes, “He probably earned a couple of hundred dollars, or something minimal like that.” She added, “None of us made much money. I was paid $8,000 for the entire movie, which translated to $2,000 a week for the lead role back then.”
John Carpenter elaborated, “I appreciated his movement. Coming from a family of dancers, he possessed a unique grace. Plus, he was affordable. I handed him the costume and said, ‘Walk from here to there,’ and that was the extent of it.”
Tommy Lee Wallace, who co-edited the film with Charles Bornstein, also donned the iconic mask to cut costs, while Anthony Moran appeared as Michael during the fleeting moment his face is revealed. However, it was Castle who instinctively introduced the sinister head tilt that became a hallmark of the character.
Recalling the minimal direction he received, Castle told Movie Web in 2018, “It was basically just, ‘Cross the street and walk towards me.'”
Ultimately, he said, “If there is a lesson to any of this, it’s that sometimes things happen for no reason, and you have the right elements at the right time.”
A number of increasingly beefy stuntmen donned the mask after that, starting with Dick Warlock as “The Shape” in Halloween II. He was succeeded by George P. Wilbur (twice), Don Shanks, Chris Durand and Brad Loree. Wrestler Tyler Mane took over in the Rob Zombie-directed reboots, and James Jude Courtney, tag-teaming with Castle, has done the honors in the final three movies starring Curtis.