For over 45 years, John Carpenter’s classic 1978 film Halloween has captivated Horror fans. Both Carpenter and the late Debra Hill helped co-create one of the most iconic horror villains of all time with Michael Myers. Yet, Halloween is also no stranger to controversy, especially with sequels and reboots to the franchise. While Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982), remains divisive, the Unrated Producer’s Cut of Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995), is perhaps the most debated entry in the entire franchise.
This is because Halloween 6 provides a backstory for Michael Myers which gives him a motive for why he was determined to kill Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), and later her daughter Jamie Lloyd (Danielle Harris)…
The Curse of Michael Myers
An Ancient Druid curse called “Thorn” gave Michael Myers the ability to survive being shot six times by Dr. Samuel Loomis in the original film, being caught in a hospital explosion in Halloween II, and being shot in the fourth and fifth sequels.
The Curse of Thorn worked by selecting a Chosen One within Druid society — a child — to be possessed by the demon’s power. Once possessed, the child would murder their entire family as ritual human sacrifices to appease Thorn (the demonic entity) and, in the process, maintain the order and balance that the Druids believed in.
In 1963, the year the opening of Halloween (1978) takes place, six-year-old Michael Myers is bestowed with the power of Thorn and is tasked with killing his family in Haddonfield, Illinois.
However, the defining feature from the Curse of Thorn backstory is that Michael Myers had a guardian — and it wasn’t Dr. Loomis.
Enter: The Man in Black AKA Dr. Terence Wynn
Michael Myers’ guardian was Dr. Terence Wynn, a character briefly seen talking to Dr. Loomis at Smith’s Grove in Halloween.
Dr. Terence Wynn orchestrated Michael’s escape from the mental hospital by providing a distraction for Loomis by allowing the other patients to wander around outside. However, the most important takeaway from those scenes was that Dr. Wynn was the one who taught Michael Myers how to drive, answering the decades-long gag among fans of how Michael was able to drive despite being locked up since he was six years old.
Dr. Loomis is most closely associated with Michael Myers among casual viewers and, as a result, is often incorrectly viewed as his guardian. Dr. Terence Wynn was Michael Myers’ true guardian. He protected the masked killer and was determined to help him since Michael was a Chosen One.
Guardianship in Horror is a topic that’s not really discussed but needs to be. The guardianship of Dr. Wynn over Michael Myers adds a more nuanced layer to the Halloween franchise and helps distinguish Myers from other horror icons such as Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, Leatherface, and Chucky.
Dr. Terence Wynn’s Influence in Halloween (1978) and Halloween II (1981)
Dr. Terence Wynn was originally played by late actor Robert Phalen. In the first Halloween film, he’s seen talking to Loomis after Michael Myers’ escape from Smith’s Grove in 1978. The doctors have a brief conversation regarding his escape the night before. Wynn downplays the seriousness of the situation, even going as far as to suggest that Michael isn’t going to Haddonfield — which Loomis is anticipating — because he “can’t drive a car.”
In spite of his brief first appearance, as the series progressed, there was more to Dr. Terence Wynn that viewers were originally led to believe. The Unrated Producer’s Cut of Halloween 6 (1995) suggests Dr. Wynn mentored Michael and, most importantly, protected him. It can be argued that Dr. Wynn was present off-screen in the opening of Halloween. He stood outside, perhaps across the street, from Michael’s childhood home.
It makes sense then how Michael Myers was able to escape from Smith’s Grove. Dr. Wynn provided the distraction necessary and the means of transportation came via Dr. Loomis and Nurse Chambers coming to get him. Dr. Wynn also made an intentional “error” by having the patients wander outside in the thunderstorm on the night before Michael came home. This adds a layer of deception to the scene when Dr. Wynn talks to Dr. Loomis, since he knows how and why Michael Myers escaped.
As a guardian, Dr. Terence Wynn was not overbearing and it can be argued that he trusted Michael Myers enough to know he could go to Haddonfield by himself to fulfill his mission in killing the rest of his family.
However, it’s also possible that Dr. Wynn later traveled to Haddonfield to observe Michael from a distance and even assist him with his mission by creating distractions for the police. This would be during the events of Halloween II — which take place during the same night as the original — inside Haddonfield Memorial Hospital where Laurie Strode was at after surviving Michael Myers’ first attack.
Dr. Wynn and other members of the Cult of Thorn were likely responsible for turning off the power. They were also responsible for breaking into the elementary school and writing “Samhain” in blood on the chalkboard. To perhaps taunt or give a clue to Dr. Loomis, they also put a knife in one of the student’s desks, through a drawing of a stick figure labeled “Sister.”
The Possible Influence in Halloween 4 (1988)
Halloween 4 is set ten years after the events of Halloween. It’s revealed that Michael Myers survived the hospital explosion seen at the end of the previous movie.
Michael Myers was kept incarcerated at Ridgemont, a federal prison, located somewhere else in Illinois. A Ridgemont staff member named Dr. Hoffman explains to Dr. Loomis that Michael was subjected to being held as an inmate inside a maximum-security prison. Yet, that didn’t actually happen.
The film opens with staff from Smith’s Grove coming to transport Michael Myers in an ambulance from Ridgemont back to the infamous institution. Michael escapes yet again upon hearing that he has a surviving member of his family — a niece, Jamie Lloyd (played by Danielle Harris). During this opening sequence, there’s a strong possibility that Dr. Wynn was present off-screen, perhaps watching as Michael was being placed inside the ambulance.
There’s not much to go off of in Halloween 4, but it can be safely assumed Dr. Terence Wynn yet again just trusted Michael Myers to do what needed to be done and; therefore, he didn’t need to go to Haddonfield to intervene.
My theory is that Dr. Wynn used his doctoral administrative duties to get his ward transferred back to Smith’s Grove. Whether Dr. Hoffman from Ridgemont was part of the Cult of Thorn can be left open to debate.
Dr. Terence Wynn’s True Role Was Revealed in Halloween 5 (1989)
Halloween 5 finally began to tease on-screen mythos for the Curse of Thorn backstory. The mysterious “Man in Black” (Dr. Wynn) notoriously appears in this sequel. He’s draped in all black, complete with a duster jacket, pants, knee-high leather boots, and a fedora hat. He arrives in Haddonfield on a bus.
Throughout the rest of Halloween 5, black-clad Dr. Terence Wynn carries a leather briefcase and follows Michael Myers wherever he goes. In the scene where Dr. Loomis shows up at Michael’s childhood home, there’s a Thorn symbol visible on a wall inside the home. Once Dr. Loomis leaves, Dr. Wynn appears and a Thorn symbol is tattooed on his wrist.
During the film’s climatic ending, Michael Myers is arrested by the Haddonfield Sheriff and taken to the local jail. Dr. Wynn reappears and guns down the entire department with a machine gun that was inside the briefcase he’d been carrying the entire time. Jamie Lloyd, Michael’s niece, goes back into the police station by herself and finds the cell her uncle was inside empty. The film ends with her not knowing what happened to him. It was a perfect cliffhanger.
Michael Myers’ Guardian Cements His Devotion in the Producer’s Cut of Halloween 6 (1995)
The ultimate plot twist comes in the unrated Producer’s Cut of Halloween 6, when it’s finally revealed what’s always been behind Michael Myers’ murderous ways.
There’s an opening sequence showing what happened to Michael Myers immediately after the end of Halloween 5: Michael’s guardian, the man in black, arrived to retrieve him and take Jamie Lloyd as well.
Set in 1995, Tommy Doyle, the young boy Laurie Strode was babysitting in 1978 is now grown up. Played by Paul Rudd, Tommy figures out Michael Myers is powered by the Druid Curse of Thorn, granting him the supernatural ability to survive death time and again. Michael was a Chosen One by Thorn to complete the duties of ritually killing the human sacrifices the demon demanded.
Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers also shows the mysterious Man in Black (Dr. Terence Wynn) from Halloween 5, arriving at the Myers’ house wielding a knife, telling a young boy named Danny to kill his family. Dr. Wynn is portrayed by the late actor Mitchell Ryan, who delivers a phenomenal performance.
As Halloween 6 progresses, the truth slowly unravels. Dr. Wynn plans for Michael Myers to commit his final sacrifice and for his curse to finally end and be passed along to another — Danny.
Once Dr. Loomis figures out that Michael Myers is back and Jamie Lloyd is dead (shot by Dr. Wynn inside the hospital with a silencer), he joins Tommy Doyle to help stop Myers’ guardian.
Arriving at Smith’s Grove, Dr. Loomis confronts Dr. Wynn inside his office. Earlier in the movie there was a scene with the two of them together and it depicted them not only as colleagues, but also as friends. Feeling betrayed, Dr. Loomis asks Dr. Wynn why? What follows is perhaps one of the best scenes in the entire film and the Halloween franchise:
Dr. Terence Wynn explains that the human sacrifices must be done to maintain balance with the natural order of the world. Dr. Wynn then delivers his most powerful line in the series, capturing his guardianship role perfectly: “I protect Michael! Watch over him!” Mitchell Ryan declares it in a very serious tone, fully embodying the character and demonstrating Dr. Wynn’s complete devotion as Michael Myers’ guardian.
In a scene near the end of Halloween 6, Michael Myers is stopped by the power of rune stones Tommy Doyle placed on the floor of a hallway, with blood in lieu of a sacrifice. Dr. Wynn appears and asks in a very concerned tone, “Michael, what have they done to you?” Mitchell Ryan’s performance here brings the character originally portrayed by Robert Phalen full circle. It provides a great example of how far back Dr. Wynn and Michael go — they’ve been the most important part of each other’s lives ever since Michael was a child.
The film has a cliffhanger ending with Michael knocking out his guardian and donning his black duster jacket and fedora.
The Guardian of Halloween… Forever
Despite the Halloween franchise now being rebooted twice as of this article, the Curse of Thorn backstory featured in the Producer’s Cut of Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers provides more nuance in its mere glimpses — and does more to make Michael Myers far more terrifying than just a regular man in a mask — than anything that’s come after it.
The inclusion of a guardian figure for Michael Myers added another layer of great storytelling that elevated the Halloween franchise as a whole. Dr. Terence Wynn AKA the Man in Black protected the infamous killer with true devotion — he was a true guardian. Not just for Michael, but for all of us who love Halloween.
***This article was written by Alfonso Zavala, Jr. (read more about his author bio below)***
Where to Watch the Michael Myers Halloween Films featuring Dr. Terence Wynn
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Halloween (1978)
Where Halloween is streaming now:
Halloween II (1981)
Where Halloween II is streaming now:
Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)
Where Halloween 4 is streaming now:
Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989)
Where Halloween 5 is streaming now:
Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)
Where Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers is streaming now:
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Unless otherwise stated, images in this article were purchased via MovieStillsDB (stills) and CineMaterial (posters). The featured image is a still of Dr. Sam Loomis in Halloween 6 with a Pixabay stock photo of a man in a trenchcoat that I altered to look spookier and then I freehand drew the rune of Thorn in the background.
