There’s no doubt that Halloween has been a successful movie franchise and it all started thanks to Nick Castle. Well, that’s partly true…a lot of credit should go to director John Carpenter. But Castle played a key role in the original movie as he was the first Michael Myers.

Castle, according to SyFy, is a friend of Carpenter’s and even an occasional bandmate. Originally, Castle was hired to simply be an extra in the movie. But there was something about the way he moved around that piqued Carpenter’s interest.

In a 2018 interview, Castle talked about playing Michael Myers. He remembered simply being paid $25 flat to show up on the set, wear the mask, and become Michael. He did have scenes where he was going through homes and slashing babysitters. But his most challenging day came when some water was tossed into the mix.

‘Halloween’ Star Points Out Tough Moment

It happened to be the scene where Michael escaped from Smith’s Grove Sanitarium. Additionally, he was not wearing the mask. He managed to hop on top of a station wagon. Michael ends up stealing it from Dr. Loomis (played by Donald Pleasance) and nurse Marion Chambers (played by Nancy Stephens).

“It wasn’t freezing, but it was in the mid-40s,” Castle said. “I was in a hospital gown and underpants. I don’t think John let me know what he had in store for me. He turns to the crew and says something like, ‘O.K., start the water cannons.’ The hospital’s sprinkler system was more like a fire hose. The water arced into the air, and when it came down on me, it felt like icicles hitting me on the back.”

With that water raining down on Castle, to him he said it felt like little icicles hitting against his bare back. “It was the most painful thing I’d ever experienced outside of a broken arm,” Castle said. “That was the one scene that I really remember thinking, ‘Maybe I should have got more than $25.’”

While Castle was busy playing Michael Myers, fans remember that it was Jamie Lee Curtis who stole the spotlight. Her blood-curdling screams are still being heard to this very day. In the history of slasher movies, which are part of the horror age, Halloween stands out among its competitors. In case you have forgotten the classic horror movie‘s plot, well, here you go. Myers, 15 years after murdering his sister on Halloween night, comes back to Haddonfield, Ill. Myers escaped from a mental hospital and found his way to start killing.