A lawyer from Galveston, Texas, caused quite a scene on Monday when he was spotted strolling along a seawall beach disguised as Michael Myers, the blood-thirsty psycho killer from the Halloween films.
He was also carrying what appeared from a distance to be a bloody knife.
Of all the things islanders expect with hurricanes, Michael Myers strolling on a Galveston beach isn't one https://abc13.com/halloween-michael-myers-tropical-storm-nicholas-galveston-beach-costume/11018578/\u00a0\u2026 #nicholas— ABC13 Houston (@ABC13 Houston) 1631589761
ABC13 reporter Mycah Hatfield captured the ominous sighting that happened ahead of Hurricane Nicholas' landfall in Texas, and she posted the footage on Twitter.
Even his staggering gait eerily mimicked Michael Myers.
Well, either that or he had a mean pebble stuck in his shoe.
Just when you THINK you\u2019ve seen it all, someone walks past you down the Galveston beach dressed like Michael Myers in Halloween ahead of Tropical Storm Nicholas pic.twitter.com/tiztJb4fNc— Mycah Hatfield (@Mycah Hatfield) 1631572471
The police received a call reporting a masked man walking with a bloody knife—an image synonymous with the iconic crazed killer, except this time on the Texas shoreline.
"Yes, Michael Myers is on the beach"pic.twitter.com/TuNvgKfr90— Santo Trafficante \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83e\udd8d\ud83e\udd81\ud83e\udd88 (@Santo Trafficante \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83e\udd8d\ud83e\udd81\ud83e\udd88) 1631653999
According to Galveston Police Department spokesperson Sgt. Stacy Papillion, officers discovered both the knife and the blood on it were fake when they handcuffed the suspect.
The man was later identified as Mark Metzger, an attorney from the Galveston area and a known prankster.
He had apparently posted pictures of himself on Facebook earlier in the day dressed as the horror movie icon and wrote he was going to be "pranking" Galveston.
He\u2019s a local attorney I believe. Did it as a funnny. Fake knife. Super nice guy. I love it. People need to chill and have a sense of humor!!!— sheila sims (@sheila sims) 1631634304
He's a Galveston lawyer who does things like this to lighten the mood, what a legend— Thunder, Listless Planeswalker (@Thunder, Listless Planeswalker) 1631630894
Still, his questionable appearance masquerading as everyone's worst Halloween nightmare incarnate ahead of the holiday he is synonymous with raised enough anxiety that afternoon.
He was ticketed for disorderly conduct and later released.
pic.twitter.com/X5tlUzd8r5— The King of America (@The King of America) 1631589808
Michael Myers got arrested at my beach, how\u2019s your morning going? pic.twitter.com/ypIVa6h8WE— ushihoe (@ushihoe) 1631636318
I'll be dammed. Michael Myers got arrested earlier today in Galveston, after escaping Smith's Grove Sanitarium 43 years ago in 1978, the streets of G-Town & H-Town are safe! pic.twitter.com/wXmffmDUzl— A. Leon Thomas (@A. Leon Thomas) 1631588277
Adam Garrison, an island resident, told the news outlet he thought Metzger's stunt was foolish.
He believed the lawyer did it for attention in the midst of the impending storm.
Definitely made my tropical storm better— Thunder, Listless Planeswalker (@Thunder, Listless Planeswalker) 1631630842
Garrison did, however, admit he got a good chuckle out of the scene and chalked it up to "another day on the island."
Metzger later wrote another Facebook post at 7:20 p.m., saying he was:
"bringing positive vibes to the gloom and doom out there, generating some laughter, helping people crack a smile, and restoring our faith in humanity through humor."
"So if taking a silly walk down the beach during a storm in a costume, and subsequently being arrested for disorderly conduct accomplished any of that .... then I'd do it again all day every day."
But based on some of the reactions, it seems he failed to read the proverbial room.
This is not funny, this is a good way to get shot especially since its Texas. Keep it at the haunted house. And please dont carry around a knife like that outside— Vince M (@Vince M) 1631646894
"I just don't think they appreciate it that much," he said.
"I guess there's some people out there that don't have a sense of humor or, you know, can't please them all."
Metzger added while he has pulled off similar pranks in the past, Monday's incident was the first that was met with "lethal force."
He was cooperative with the police and compared his arrest to something out of a popular mystery cartoon.
"It felt like a scene out of Scooby-Doo after they handcuffed me and pulled the mask off, like, 'I would have gotten away with it if wasn't for those meddling [entitled women], you know?'"
In spite of his citation, a handful of the public were amused by his next-level cosplay and even snapped photos with him.
Who had Michael Myers gets arrested while walking on a beach on their 2021 sh*t show card?pic.twitter.com/fa6lR66mZU— \ud83e\udd84\ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddf7 Zoltan Warrkation\ud83c\udfae\ud83d\udc28 (@\ud83e\udd84\ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddf7 Zoltan Warrkation\ud83c\udfae\ud83d\udc28) 1631687914
Michael Myers likes long walks on the beach. Who knew?pic.twitter.com/YIoq5iKoCn— Jennifer (@Jennifer) 1631589350
Even the beach patrol got in on the joke and played the theme song from the Halloween movie.
The lawyer told the Galveston County Daily News he was "still fuzzy" about what was illegal about his actions that led to his citation.
The curtain may have come down for Metzger's creepy performance on Monday, but the "real" Michael Myers will make his return to theaters in the latest film from the slasher franchise.
Halloween Kills will be the twelfth installment in the film series that will reunite the masked killer with his original target, Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis).
The anticipated movie is the sequel to 2018's Halloween, and after a delay from its original October 2020 release date due to the pandemic, it is now scheduled for release on October 15, 2021, in theaters and on Peacock Premium.