Halloween II's Explosive & Fiery Finale Actually Injured Michael Myers' Actor Dick Warlock
After John Carpenter made "Halloween" in 1978, the director wasn't terribly interested in making a sequel. When it came time to write the screenplay for "Halloween II," however, a reluctant Carpenter sat in front of his typewriter, hammered on beers, kind of at a loss as to where this story was going to go. It was only by mere creative desperation that Carpenter conceived of the notion that Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) was secretly Michael Myers' sister. (A lot of Carpenter's amusing anecdotes about the "Halloween" movies can be found in the "Devil's Advocates" film criticism series, in a volume penned by Murray Leeder.)
In the first "Halloween," Michael Myers was played by various actors, although mostly by Nick Castle, an old friend of Carpenter's and a film director in his own right. In "Halloween II," Michael was played by a stuntman named Dick Warlock, an experienced performer who appeared in films like "The Love Bug" (he drove Herbie), "Blazing Saddles," and Carpenter's "Escape from New York."
For Warlock, it seems, playing Michael Myers was far more dangerous than it was in the previous movies. "Halloween II" ended with Michael, Laurie, and Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasance) trapped in a hospital room that was quickly filling with flammable gas. Laurie runs out of the room as Dr. Loomis ignites the gas, triggering a massive, fiery explosion. Laurie watches from outside as Michael, on fire, staggers out. He collapses on the ground, seemingly ending the chance of any more sequels.
In a 2018 interview with Vanity Fair, Warlock recalled filming the explosion scene ... and being set on fire. It seems that his flame-retardant outfit, supposedly safe, had an exposed zipper that heated up and scalded Warlock's skin. Warlock's genuine pained reaction can be seen in the final cut of "Halloween II."
The scalding zipper
Warlock was an experienced stunt performer, of course, and the shoot for "Halloween II" was safe. Indeed, Warlock recalled an entire stunt team surrounding him, fire extinguishers at the ready. What he wasn't aware of was the exact construction of the fire-ready Michael Myers costume, leaving his arm unexpectedly exposed. He visibly winced on camera. Warlock said:
"For the scene where I was set on fire: they quickly flashed on a wall of propane flames, and when I walked through the fire, the flames ignited my suit. Then I walked as slowly as I could. I had six stunt guys standing by with fire extinguishers, just waiting for me. If you watch closely, you'll see there's a little jiggle in my arms, and then I fall down. That's because I burned my arm. I trusted the guys I got that stunt's suit from, so I didn't see that it had zippers on the arm. The flames went right through the suit. They were superficial burns, really; the doc applied a salve to them."
It's a relief that Warlock wasn't seriously injured, but a pity that his job had to hurt that day.
Being set on fire twice
Ultimately, the fire stunt had to be performed twice, and it the second time around was also difficult. It seems that one cannot be set ablaze for too long before needing to be doused. Who'da thunk it? Warlock explained:
"We did the stunt two times; for whatever reason, the first take didn't work out. It got hot quicker than I thought it would. If it wasn't for that zipper, I could have gone another 10, 15 seconds. It was intense."
Warlock, now 83, also served as stunt coordinator for "Halloween III: Season of the Witch" as well as playing one of that film's android guards(!). He also worked with Carpenter again on "The Thing" and on "Big Trouble in Little China." In terms of other horror movies, Warlock coordinated the stunts for "Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning," "Pumpkinhead," and two "Child's Play" films. He actually has on-camera lines in the movie "Spaceballs." When Lone Star (Bill Pullman) tries to knock a guard out with a Vulcan nerve pinch, it doesn't work. The annoyed guard, played by Warlock, tells Lone Star that he needs to pinch someone's neck closer to the shoulder in order to render them unconscious. The second try works.
There are few people in this world who have played both Michael Myers and a Spaceball. He has worked with Spielberg (on "Jaws" and "1941"), James Cameron (on "The Abyss") and Scorsese (on "Casino"). Warlock is a giant in the field, and has lit himself on fire for you.