Brad Loree is a bona fide stuntman, but the actor is also legendary in the horror community with his iconic role in the 2002 film Halloween: Resurrection, as Michael Myers.
Recently, Loree was a featured guest at the Calgary Horror Con, and he’s attended other shows throughout Canada and the United States.
Loree, who is from British Columbia, has over 60 television and film appearances under his belt, and was one of Vancouver’s top stunt actors in the early eighties, later taking on acting roles in other big-name franchises, including Supernatural, The X-Files, Final Destination 2, Twilight Saga: New Moon, and Child’s Play.
According to Loree, when Halloween: Resurrection first came out, mostly everybody hated it. “They hated the fact Michael Myers got beat up by a subpar martial artist, and they were mad because most of the action takes place inside the house and he doesn’t wander around neighbourhoods killing people. At the time, it was ahead of its time with the cameras and the texting.”
Nowadays, at entertainment conventions and pop culture expos, fans like to reminisce about the film.
“Here it is 24 years later and all these little kids that saw Resurrection as their first Halloween they ever saw in the theatre, they’re now growing up into adulthood. They have their own money, and they come to the shows,” he said.
“So many fans tell Loree Resurrection is their favourite Halloween, and that I’m their favourite Michael, which is so foreign to me compared to what people were saying when the movie first came out,” he shared. “It’s really nice. I’ve been getting a lot of positive feedback. A lot of people say they really like Resurrection. I really enjoy the shows a little more.”
These days, Loree’s body is pretty beat up from so many years of on set wear and tear for the art of making movies, but he still does a bit of stunt work from time to time, including being shot out of a cannon or just being a passenger in a car.
“So, some days are easy on the body and some days not so much,” he added. “I don’t do the bashing the body up thing anymore. I can still drive a car. I can still be a face in a crowd. But as far as anything really physical, I’m not interested to do anymore because I can’t run with my back and I don’t need to break anymore bones.”
As for up-and-coming stunt people, with CGI effects in film, stunt people are required less and less. “And going by way of the dinosaur,” he said.
“I just saw a movie a few months ago where one of the characters in the movie fell down some stairs and they used a CGI effect. It looked like crap, but five years from now, you won’t be able to tell the difference,” Loree noted. “I hate to say that. I like to think there will always be practical stuntmen.”
Where movie productions used to hire a hundred people, now they’re going to hire six because they could use a computer to make that look like a hundred people, Loree explained.
Loree wishes anyone with ambitions to start a career in stunt work all the luck in the world. “But make sure you have a contingency plan.”
To don the Michael Myers mask in Resurrection, was surreal for Loree.
“When I first walked into the Myers house, I said I’m actually in the Myers house. They did such a great job. It looked exactly the same as it does in all the movies. I’m not the world’s biggest horror fan, but I love the first two Halloween films,” he added.
When producers called him for the Michael Myers job, Loree was driving in his car and thought the production manager said they were looking for a stunt double for fellow-Canadian Mike Myers from Austin Powers and Shrek fame.
“They said you’re not going to double the guy, you’re going to be the guy,” Loree said.
From an actor’s perspective, you’re in a mask. “You’d never speak,” he noted. “From a stunt perspective, you’re one of the stars of the film and everyone’s treating you as such. It was a lot of fun. I was very proud to be a part of the franchise.”
Loree said the horror culture is growing, as horror movies become more sophisticated and polished. “They’re spending a lot more money on these projects. I think the fan base is encroaching into your mainstream movie-goers. People that didn’t watch horror films watch them now because they look so good and they’re so creepy and scary. I guess some people just like being afraid.”
