Halloween Kills is now out in theaters and, while it’s receiving mixed reviews from critics, it can’t be denied that this is the most fan-pleasing entry in the franchise ever in terms of calling back to the acclaimed 1978 original. There are even more references to John Carpenter’s masterpiece than its 2018 predecessor, with various familiar faces returning. Many of these were knew about going in, but one came as a big surprise.
Spoilers incoming… Kills features a flashback sequence that reveals how Michael Myers was captured back in ’78 (because the 1981 sequel never happened in this timeline, remember). And this scene contains a shock cameo from Dr. Samuel Loomis, memorably played by Donald Pleasence across multiple movies. Pleasence passed away back in 1995 and yet Kills contains an uncanny recreation of the British actor.
We’re fairly used to this sort of thing happening in films these days with CGI, but it turns out that Loomis’ resurrection was done through old-school make-up and prosthetic techniques. Chris Nelson was the man responsible for the feat, transforming stand-in performer Tom Jones Jr. into a dead ringer for Pleasence in the 1970s.
“No, he was not CGI, but our own construction foreman Tom Jones Jr. in an 11 piece prosthetic makeup with hair pieces,” Nelson shared on Instagram today. “So fun to do and was a pretty quick turnaround actually from @vincentvandykefx.” You can check out Nelson’s images, comparing Jones before and after being Loomis-ified, and a screenshot of Jones in the finished film (via Bloody Disgusting) above.
While Jones took care of the physical likeness, actor Colin Mahan is responsible for the pitch-perfect impression of Pleasence’s voice. Mahan previously voiced the character for an audible cameo in 2018’s Halloween. With so many homages to the first film in this one, it’s hard to imagine how next year’s Halloween Ends is going to be able to beat Halloween Kills in that department.