Families, children and local residents in costumes of all kinds funneled into the intersection of Mission Street and Meridian Avenue on Monday to visit the Century House, widely recognized as Michael Myers’ house in the 1978 movie, “Halloween.”
The blue-gray Victorian-style house on 1000 Mission Street now serves as an office building but remains a preserved South Pasadena landmark and holds historic significance to residents and horror movie, pop culture buffs alike.
Robert Price, a longtime super fan of the “Halloween” franchise, stood on the steps of the building dressed in a Michael Myers costume, waiting to take photos with fans in front of the holiday attraction.
“I started coming here taking pictures of myself in my costume and people would come up to ask for a picture with me. On a regular day, there would be a line of 15 people, so I thought, ‘Let’s go on Halloween and see what happens.’”
Price started visiting the landmark in 2008 and, soon after, began posing with other visitors. On Halloween, Price said there are sometimes hundreds, even thousands, of people stopping by to pose for a photo.
Eagle Rock residents Alberto and Rochelle Ramirez took their niece trick-or-treating with plans of seeing the famous house on the evening of Halloween.
“We’re big Michael Myers fans,” Rochelle Ramirez said, while in line for a picture. “This is my second time visiting the house but my first being here on Halloween. We celebrate the holiday all year round,” she said.
Aaron Migdon, director and editor of “Like Michael: A Halloween Fan Documentary,” filmed Price posing with fans such as the Ramirez family, showcasing the admiration “Halloween” fans have for the South Pasadena landmark. Migdon and Price met during the filming of “Like Michael,” which was released earlier this year. The two bonded as fans of the pop-culture horror franchise and decided to collaborate on a follow-up documentary to be released sometime next year.
“The first documentary was interview-based where we spoke with 22 fans of ‘Halloween.’ … For this follow-up documentary, we wanted to do less interviews and to film life as it happens,” Migdon explained.
Migdon and Price aren’t the only super fans, or even returning visitors of 1000 Mission Street, however. Jarrod and Monica Gibbons, who also met Migdon and Price during the filming of the “Like Michael” documentary, share a deep admiration for the “Halloween” films as well.
Jarrod and Monica Gibbons, originally from Boston, moved to Los Angeles during the pandemic and have made it a tradition to visit the Michael Myers house during Halloween.
“I’ve been such a hardcore fan of the franchise since I was a kid. As silly as it sounds, one of the reasons I wanted to move out here is because I knew this home was built here. I knew someday that I wanted to raise a family and I love ‘Halloween’ and I wanted my kids to be a part of this experience. It’s not just me, there are other fans just like me that love this movie,” Jarrod Gibbons said.
Jarrod Gibbons explained the fandom and cultural aspects behind the movie franchise, along with his appreciation for the overarching holiday. Though Jarrod Gibbons said he watches all of the movies during the month of October, his favorite is “Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers,” and said that not all of the movies are created equal.
“If I had to come up with an ingredient list of what makes a ‘Halloween’ movie the biggest thing is a Halloween-centric atmosphere. The first and fourth movie are the only ones that gets Michael outside with trick-or-treaters. There’s something about this atmosphere of Halloween that is super important,” he said.
