John Carpenter’s Halloween movies scared us off a lot of things, from babysitting to trick-or-treating to summer camp.

At the center of the nightmare was his iconic man/monster Michael Myers, who hasn’t soon departed from our traumatized psyches. Some may wonder why on earth you would opt for a permanent likeness of Myers on your skin, but the why wouldn’t you?

The Halloween movies were of an era that delivered some of the greatest horror masterpieces of all time, and such an era-and its creations-deserve a place of honor.

Your Michael Myers tattoo is a nod to the true horror genre, and Hollywood at its best. The movies we grew up with stay with us and set the bar for pop culture to come, and the man in the ski mask is a tough act to follow. Just as our heroes remain with us into adulthood, so too do our monsters, and Michael Myers is one helluva monster. Whether you ink his legendary ski mask onto a bicep, or opt instead for his blood-specked chainsaw, your Halloween tattoo is your fandom in the flesh, and a message to the world that you hold your horror classic close to the heart.

Not all tattoo inspiration has to come from a sentimental source or “safe” place. On the the contrary, some of the best tattoo art is borne of our worst nightmares and most delicious thrills. Why would you want to keep that away from the world?

1. Surreal Michael Myers Tattoos

Horror is at its best when it plays in your unconscious mind, drawing out primal images of unease, terror, and fear. These surreal Michael Myers tattoos don’t necessarily follow the rules of nature or reality as we know it. The imagery is what’s important here, whether its punched in realistically or in an illustrative manner, with full color or black and white. This first example is a solid design concept using precise linework and bold, dynamic shading to make an unreal image come to life. The result combines the character’s iconic mask and the knife in an image dreamlike yet totally identifiable.