IMDb > Halloween (1978)
Halloween
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Halloween (1978) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 61 | slideshow) Videos (see all 5)
Halloween (1978) -- A psychotic murderer institutionalized since childhood escapes on a mindless rampage while his doctor chases him through the streets.
Halloween (1978) -- MattTrailer.com - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
8.0/10   59,372 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 9% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
John Carpenter (screenplay) and
Debra Hill (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for Halloween on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
25 October 1978 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
The trick was to stay alive. more
Plot:
A psychotic murderer institutionalized since childhood escapes on a mindless rampage while his doctor chases him through the streets. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
2 wins & 1 nomination more
NewsDesk:
(310 articles)
Finals Week: 'Gender Roles in Scary Movies'
 (From pretty-scary. 14 December 2009, 2:31 PM, PST)

Halloween II Alternate Ending
 (From Screen Rant. 14 December 2009, 9:41 AM, PST)

User Comments:
"Halloween" is a horror genre MUST-SEE. more (991 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Additional Details

Also Known As:
John Carpenter's Halloween (USA) (complete title)
The Babysitter Murders (USA) (working title)
more
Runtime:
91 min | USA:101 min (extended version)
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Metrocolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (original release)
Certification:
Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:AA (Ontario) (video rating) (1982) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Ontario) (original rating) | Canada:R (Manitoba) (re-rating) (2003) | UK:18 (video rating) | UK:X (original rating) | Iceland:16 | Brazil:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Singapore:NC-16 (re-rating) | Singapore:PG (cut) | Germany:16 (re-rating) | West Germany:18 (original rating) | Canada:R | Finland:K-15 (DVD rating) (2001) | South Korea:18 | Chile:14 (DVD rating) | Argentina:13 (re-rating) | Australia:R | Chile:18 | Denmark:15 (DVD rating) | Finland:K-18 | France:-12 (re-release: 1999) | France:-16 | Italy:VM14 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 (re-release: 1999) | Norway:18 | Peru:18 | Sweden:15 | USA:R | Portugal:M/16 (re-rating) | Portugal:M/18 (original rating)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Tommy Doyle's name was from Rear Window (1954) and Sam Loomis' name is from Psycho (1960). more
Goofs:
Continuity: When Laurie walks to the Myers house to drop off the key, she only has a few blocks to walk. However, when she and Annie drive clear across town to reach the Doyle house, the Myers house is conveniently close by. more
Quotes:
[last lines]
Laurie: It *was* the boogeyman.
Dr. Sam Loomis: As a matter of fact, it was.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in The Girl Next Door (2007) more
Soundtrack:
Don't Fear The Reaper more

FAQ

Why can't Michael be killed?
What's the story behind Michael's mask?
A Note Regarding Spoilers
more
71 out of 92 people found the following comment useful.
"Halloween" is a horror genre MUST-SEE., 1 November 2003
9/10
Author: Scott LeBrun from Winnipeg, Canada

Brutal, emotionless Michael Myers stabs his sister to death at age six on Halloween night in 1963; on October 30, 1978, he escapes from a mental institution and institutes a new reign of terror in his hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois. He is pursued the whole time by a psychiatrist (Donald Pleasence) who knows just how evil this young man is.

It opens with a bang, and sets up a genuinely suspenseful and atmospheric chiller that is actually superior to the many slasher pictures it helped to inspire. It's subtle compared to the nasty bloodbaths many of those subsequent movies were; subtle, and scary. It retains the ability to make me jump even after repeated viewings. How many movies are there, really, that can continue to be frightening even after one has seen them before? Not very many.

Pleasence is great in what was probably the definitive role of his career; Jamie Lee Curtis, in her motion picture debut, became a bona fide scream queen after acting in "Halloween" as well as a few subsequent slasher pictures, and she is an intended victim worth rooting for.

Co-writer / director John Carpenter knows what works in this movie, making excellent use of shadows and dark skies; notice how most of the movie is set after nightfall. With this picture, he and his former collaborator Debra Hill created a franchise that has spawned seven sequels, many imitators, and an upcoming "re-imagining".

It's very quotable - who could ever forget Dr. Loomis' (Pleasence) speech in which he describes Michael Myers to the sheriff (Charles Cyphers, a reliable repertory player in several of Carpenter's earlier works)?

It's fantastic, and worth seeking out. This is my favorite John Carpenter movie of all time.

It's not totally infallible - there are script holes, after all - but overall it makes a solid impact.

9/10

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Halloween (1978)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Why did Michael sit up so stiffly? cuzzin
I could use your advice brent-kappel
I could use your advice brent-kappel
Rank Myers masks from best to worst cbabyc007
Creepiest scene ever? Spielbergian
Absolute funniest line in the film! Edinboro
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