Horror posters are meticulously crafted to capture attention, a feat achieved by the classic design for the original “Halloween.” Created by commercial artist Bob Gleason, the illustration features Michael Myers’ hand gripping a large butcher knife aligned with a sinister jack-o’-lantern. However, have you noticed an eerie detail that some passionate “Halloween” fans have identified over time? Examine the hand clutching the knife. When tilted a certain way, the knuckles and fist resemble a face, particularly a screaming one compressed by a mask. It mirrors the iconic Michael Myers himself. Even eerier, the veins on the knuckles resemble worms emerging from its eye socket.

Gleason, then collaborating with graphic design firm B.D. Fox and Friends, initially had his “Halloween” concept dismissed. He conveyed to Fangoria Magazine that, “I want to have the knife, and I want to show the echoing pattern and have it be a jack-o’-lantern at the same time […] And they said, ‘No, get that outta here. It’s gotta be the mask’ and basically dismissed it.” However, three days later, the rejection was overturned, allowing Gleason to realize his vision. Despite the striking face detail, he maintains it was not a deliberate inclusion.

In a letter accompanying the original artwork at auction, Gleason clarified he didn’t intentionally draw a screaming face into the design; his aim was to accurately depict the gesture of the knife. “I did not consciously know I was infusing in the back of the hand a screaming monster with worms coming out of his mouth, eye and nose,” his letter explains in part. The uncanny likeness prompted him to ponder the influence of his subconscious when creating the piece. “This kind of freaks me out. I couldn’t have done it better if I had tried to do that. What dark nightmares lurk in my psyche?”

Furthermore, a closer inspection of the poster reveals the jagged manner in which the jack-o’-lantern is carved. When paired with the knife’s arc, this forms a jagged ‘M’ shape—suggestive of two Ms for Michael Myers? This aspect, too, was an unplanned homage to the franchise’s infamous slasher.

Although Gleason may be unnerved by the influence of his subconscious, his work has resonated deeply within the horror genre. Enthusiastic horror fans celebrate his creations, evident by the sale of the original “Halloween” artwork for $84,000 in 2016, with subsequent offers nearly doubling this amount. Despite having an extensive repertoire, no piece has achieved the cultural significance of his “Halloween” poster, solidifying his status as a genre icon, hidden face or not.