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Halloween
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Halloween (1978) More at IMDbPro »

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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   59,772 votes
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Down 8% 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:
(323 articles)
'I Died 12 Times!' Michele Morrow Part II
 (From Fangoria. 1 January 2010, 4:00 AM, PST)

Dread Central's Best Horror Films of the Decade
 (From Dread Central. 1 January 2010, 2:46 AM, PST)

User Reviews:
The Greatest of the Slasher Flicks more (991 total)


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 (Manitoba) (re-rating) (2003) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Ontario) (original rating) | 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:
According to an additional scene in the extended television version, Michael Myers' middle name is Audrey. more
Goofs:
Continuity: Whenever Laurie, Tommy or Lindsey looks out the window at the Wallace House, there is a pumpkin visible with a candle burning. In all of the shots except two, the jack-o-lantern is a flat-looking thing. The two exception shots show a tall and more narrow/skinny pumpkin. more
Quotes:
Sheriff Leigh Brackett: I have a feeling that you're way off on this.
Dr. Sam Loomis: You have the wrong feeling.
Sheriff Leigh Brackett: You're not doing very much to prove me wrong!
Dr. Sam Loomis: What more do you need?
Sheriff Leigh Brackett: Well, it's going to take a lot more than fancy talk to keep me up all night crawling around these bushes.
Dr. Sam Loomis: I- I- I watched him for fifteen years, sitting in a room, staring at a wall, not seeing the wall, looking past the wall - looking at this night, inhumanly patient, waiting for some secret, silent alarm to trigger him off. Death has come to your little town, Sheriff. Now you can either ignore it, or you can help me to stop it.
[...]
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Little Erin Merryweather (2003) more
Soundtrack:
Don't Fear The Reaper more

FAQ

What's the story behind Michael's mask?
Is "Halloween" based on a book?
What are the kids chanting at the very beginning of the movie?
more
112 out of 131 people found the following review useful.
The Greatest of the Slasher Flicks, 27 February 2005
9/10
Author: Hotstar from Stockport, England

John Carpenter's Halloween is quite frankly a horror masterpiece. It tells the immortal story of escaped mental patient Michael Myers, who returns to his hometown on Halloween night to stalk and kill a group of babysitters.

This was the first and without doubt the best in the Halloween franchise. Carpenter shows great restraint in pacing the story very slowly and building likable characters; unusual for a horror picture.

Even more unusual is the non-existence of blood and gore, and yet it remains the scariest Halloween to date. Get that!

Halloween marked the film debut of Jamie Lee Curtis and a defining point in the late great Donald Pleasance's career. A true classic.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Halloween (1978)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Rank the series from best to worst cbabyc007
Michael Myers took driving lessons? whaledogs911
Deserves a spot on the top 250! poefan
I think Halloween 4 has become my favorite... jthohnine
Why did Michael sit up so stiffly? cuzzin
Rank Myers masks from best to worst cbabyc007
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Recommendations

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