Meet Rob, A 7-Year Michael Myers Cosplayer
Around here, we love Halloween but no one loves Halloween more Rob. Rob is in his seventh year of cosplaying Haddonfield’s own, Michael Myers. Within that time, he has suited up in his coveralls and mask for horror events, conventions, birthdays, charity gigs, and even wedding receptions to give horror fans a fright.
Rob first watched the 1978 version of Halloween as a child and immediately felt a connection. “Something about [Michael] clicked with me as a kid and I became drawn to him,” he shared. Rob has dealt with anxiety since a young age and growing up he often didn’t speak as a result of that. He recalled the scene where Annie is doing her laundry and Michael’s face can be seen through the doorway. “He’s not saying anything and he doesn’t need to. He’s like a shadow,” he described. Michael’s authority through just his presence resonated with Rob in some ways.
Fast forward to 2013, Rob attended his first horror convention and was in awe of some of the costumes attendees had put together. His first rendition of Michael was a simple, inexpensive mask from Spirit Halloween. He continued to go to conventions, upgrading his costume each time and evolving in his cosplay and the character. During the pandemic, Rob has spent his time getting creative and restyling his costume and looks.
To Rob, there’s a bit more meaning to cosplaying Michael than just dressing up. “I put on the mask and the social anxiety goes away,” he professes, “I feel different. I don’t feel vulnerable.” As a mental health advocate and someone who is very open about his struggles, he wants people to know that he is there for them. “My DMs are always open,” he shared empathetically, “you can message me at any time, I’d be more than happy to talk.”
When asked which of the movies in the Halloween franchise is his favorite, Rob immediately responds with, “The original. It’s just a classic, you can’t beat it or compare anything to it. It’s what started all of this.” To Rob, watching the Halloween movies calms him. “I could never get tired of Halloween,” he proclaimed, “that’s like asking a Star Wars fan how many times they’ve watched Star Wars.”
Rob will put on the Halloween franchise to do research or even just in the background while he gets work done. He’s always learning and perfecting his craft all the way down to the way Tony Moran or Tyler Mane walks, depending on which era Myers he’s cosplaying. “I try to bring out the Michael that people see in the movies,” he explained, “I try to embrace everything that they do and pay homage to them.”
While out in the field, Rob gets to meet a lot of people, some who love him and some who are terrified of him. One of his favorite followers is a six year old little girl named Chloe. Michael is Chloe’s BFF. “She invited Michael to come to her Frozen-themed birthday party,” he recalls, “Stuff like that makes me cry inside the mask, it just brings me so much joy.”
He also recalls a woman who had the opposite reaction to his costume. “She was in tears and shaking,” he shared. He took off his mask and asked her for a hug. “It’s okay to break character and have a heart. I told her ‘I’m a human underneath I can take this off and you would totally laugh at me because I’m goofy looking,’ that’s why I wear a mask,” he chuckled.
Rob is extremely grateful for anyone who wants to take a photo with him. He’s never taken tips and has always been 100% free. “Whoever I interact with I just say they’re the star, let me know what you want to do. I’m just a part of the scene”.
Halloween may be Rob’s busy season but he has hopes to keep Michael alive through the end of the year and beyond. Look out for Santa Myers this December at the original Halloween house in South Pasadena. Rob plans to pair his signature Michael mask with a Santa suit and Christmas lights and celebrate the most wonderful time of the year with a few scares.
Head to Rob’s Instagram to stay in the loop about his appearances as Michael Myers or to hire him for your next event and check out his vlogs on YouTube for more insight into his cosplaying.
This post has been a collaboration between Strange Los Angeles and The Making Waves Project for 13 Days Of Strange – a socially distanced, Halloween photo series spotlighting spooky and strange Angelinos. Visit our homepage for more.
Written by Brittany Rice
Photography by Robiee Ziegler
