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The House That Myers Built

by David L Tamarin and R.S. Rhine

copyright Girls and Corpses Magazine
All rights reserved

For many horror film aficionados, “Halloween” is the most terrifying film ever made. And the Myers House has taken on a life of its own as a legendary place of doom and death; it has terrified millions since its release.

In the woods of North Carolina sits an exact replica of the Michael Myers house from John Carpenter’s slasher classic “Halloween.” The actual house where it was filmed is in California and was built in 1888.

Kenny Caperton, a loyal fan and artist, lovingly re-created the house in the countryside town of Hillsborough. Caperton made painstaking efforts to make sure that every detail outside the house conformed exactly to the film. Obviously, the neighborhood is different, but “the rural setting has its own spooky charm and adds a unique twist on a house so many people are used to seeing.” According to the Meyers House website, its first Halloween celebration hosted upwards of 200 visitors.

Girls and Corpses: Why did you decide to build the house? Are you just an insane fan gone over the edge?

Kenny Caperton: I think I’ve always been a little insane, but I decided to build this house because “Halloween” has been my favorite movie since I was a little kid. I also built this house out of love for the holiday and the fall season in general. Even in the middle of the summer, it’s always Halloween at The Myers House! Also, I really like the look of the house and the architectural details. The original house is a Victorian American foursquare house with Carpenter Gothic detailing, such as the huge gable ornaments and the front porch brackets.

G&C: How long did it take to build the house?

KC: About a year and a half from when I initially got the idea, but the overall construction of the house took around 9 months. And that’s not including the 3 months it took to finally get this piece of land out of foreclosure.

G&C: What challenges did you face building the house?

KC: We faced a million challenges. The first major issue we encountered was not having any blueprints for the original house. I called everyone and it just turns out that the house is so old that none exist. “How the shit am I suppose to build a house without any blueprints?” was my question, but I was determined to make it happen. So I contacted Carol Zorn, a really nice lady who was running a small graphic design business from inside the original Myers House in South Pasadena, California, and she completely saved me. I would send her lists of the measurements I needed. Then, I gave that info, plus a ton of photos I’ve taken of the house over the years, plus movie screen captures and a floor plan to my friend who was studying to become an architect... and in several weeks I had a beautiful working set of blueprints!

G&C: What type of people visit the Myers House NC?

KC: Just good old horror junkies! I love meeting all my fellow “Halloween” fans out there. That’s part of why I built our house—to share the madness with the other fans out there. So we welcome anyone and everyone to come, but by appointment only or they can come on one of our event days.

G&C: Why is “Halloween” such a popular slasher film, despite the fact that the violence is not that extreme?

KC: I think that people are attached to this film because they grew up watching it every Halloween. It means a lot to me because it’s a part of my childhood.

G&C: Do you scare the neighborhood kids to death?

KC: Well, the house is located in the middle of nowhere, on over five acres of land that’s surrounded by woods and country farmland, and we actually only have one neighbor. They have a young son who comes over on Halloween and loads up on candy at my house. So, sadly, I don’t get many opportunities to scare the kiddies.

G&C: How many times have you seen “Halloween”? What is your favorite moment in the film?

KC: Well over 100 times! And my favorite scene from the original “Halloween” is when little Tommy Doyle looks out the window and sees The Boogeyman’s silhouette standing across the street looking back at him. That scared the shit out of me because I thought he might be outside of my house! So damn scary!

G&C: Do you ever get in bed with your wife dressed up as Michael Myers? Does the mask turn her on?

KC: [laughs] Best question ever! I like to put on one of my several Michael Myers masks and randomly walk around the house, but Emily hates it. She just looks at me like I’m crazy and rolls her eyes. I’ve tried to sneak the mask into the bedroom, but she will have none of it! [laughs] So I dressed up like Michael and went to the cemetery across the street.

G&C: Do you do anything special for Halloween at the Myers House NC?

KC: On Halloween night we have a big annual Halloween bash! This year’s events include “Halloween” memorabilia giveaways, costume contests, a carved pumpkin contest, and outdoor big screen showings of “Halloween H20.” Visit the website for all of the details!

G&C: Have any of the “Halloween” movie cast members visited the house?

KC: Not yet, but a lot of them know about the house. I recently met John Carpenter in person at the Monster Mania Convention and got him to autograph a picture of the house. I also was able to hang out with Dick Warlock (Michael Myers from “Halloween 2”) a little bit at the convention and he said that he might take a ride out to see the house sometime!

G&C: Any ghosts or creaks in the night?

KC: No ghost sightings yet, but the house does creak a little bit at night. Mainly I just lay in bed all night in the quiet darkness and wait for someone to scare the shit out of me by ringing my doorbell that plays the “Halloween” theme!

Check out www.myershousenc.com for event dates and details about this year’s Halloween celebration.