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Halloween (1978)

7.9
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Ratings: 7.9/10 from 105,625 users   Metascore: 85/100
Reviews: 1,095 user | 236 critic | 10 from Metacritic.com

A psychotic murderer institutionalized since childhood for the murder of his sister, escapes and stalks a bookish teenage girl and her friends while his doctor chases him through the streets.

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Title: Halloween (1978)

Halloween (1978) on IMDb 7.9/10

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2 wins & 2 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
...
Nancy Kyes ...
Annie Brackett (as Nancy Loomis)
...
...
...
...
John Michael Graham ...
Nancy Stephens ...
...
Mickey Yablans ...
Brent Le Page ...
Adam Hollander ...
Robert Phalen ...
...
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Storyline

The year is 1963, the night: Halloween. Police are called to 43 Lampkin Ln. only to discover that 15 year old Judith Myers has been stabbed to death, by her 6 year-old brother, Michael. After being institutionalized for 15 years, Myers breaks out on the night before Halloween. No one knows, nor wants to find out, what will happen on October 31st 1978 besides Myers' psychiatrist, Dr. Loomis. He knows Michael is coming back to Haddonfield, but by the time the town realizes it, it'll be too late for many people. Written by Massive Fan

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

Everyone is entitled to one good scare See more »

Genres:

Horror | Thriller

Certificate:

R | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

25 October 1978 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

John Carpenter's Halloween  »

Box Office

Budget:

$325,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$47,000,000 (USA)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (extended)

Sound Mix:

Color:

(Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
See  »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

From a budget of $325,000 the film went on to gross $47 million at the US box office. In 2008 takings that would be the equivalent of $150 million, making Halloween one of the most successful independent films of all time. See more »

Goofs

Shadow of crew member when Lindsey is watching television. See 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 ...
[...]
See more »

Crazy Credits

The music for the film -- written and performed by John Carpenter -- is instead credited to "The Bowling Green Philharmonic Orchestra." Carpenter grew up in Bowling Green, Kentucky. See more »

Connections

Referenced in The Shining (1980) See more »

Soundtracks

"Don't Fear The Reaper"
Blue Öyster Cult
Courtesy C.B.S. Records
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
The Greatest of the Slasher Flicks
27 February 2005 | by (Stockport, England) – See all my reviews

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.

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


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