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

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Halloween -- A psychotic murderer institutionalized since childhood escapes on a mindless rampage while his doctor chases him through the streets.

Overview

User Rating:
7.9/10   104,576 votes »
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Down 7% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
John Carpenter
Writers:
John Carpenter (screenplay) and
Debra Hill (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for Halloween on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
25 October 1978 (USA) See more »
Genre:
Horror | Thriller See more »
Tagline:
The trick was to stay alive. See more »
Plot:
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. Full summary » | Full synopsis »
Plot Keywords:
See more »
Awards:
2 wins & 2 nominations See more »
NewsDesk:
(1350 articles)
Cinema’s Greatest Villains: The 1970′s
 (From SoundOnSight. 19 May 2013, 4:43 PM, PDT)
Top 10 games that should be movies – and their ideal directors
 (From The Guardian - Film News. 15 May 2013, 7:40 AM, PDT)
Felix Vasquez Jr.’s F-Bombs: Arrivederci, Zombie
 (From Beyond Hollywood. 13 May 2013, 10:15 AM, PDT)
User Reviews:
The Greatest of the Slasher Flicks See more (1093 total) »

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

Donald Pleasence ... Dr. Sam Loomis

Jamie Lee Curtis ... Laurie Strode
Nancy Kyes ... Annie Brackett (as Nancy Loomis)

P.J. Soles ... Lynda van der Klok

Charles Cyphers ... Sheriff Leigh Brackett

Kyle Richards ... Lindsey Wallace

Brian Andrews ... Tommy Doyle
John Michael Graham ... Bob Simms
Nancy Stephens ... Marion Chambers

Arthur Malet ... Graveyard Keeper
Mickey Yablans ... Richie
Brent Le Page ... Lonnie Elamb
Adam Hollander ... Keith
Robert Phalen ... Dr. Terence Wynn

Tony Moran ... Michael Myers (age 23)
Will Sandin ... Michael Myers (age 6)
Sandy Johnson ... Judith Margaret Myers
David Kyle ... Judith's Boyfriend
Peter Griffith ... Morgan Strode
Nick Castle ... The Shape
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Barry Bernardi ... Dead Mechanic (uncredited)

John Carpenter ... Paul, Annie's Boyfriend (voice) (uncredited)

George O'Hanlon Jr. ... Mr. Peter Myers (uncredited)

Darla Rae ... Student (uncredited)
Gwen Van Dam ... Sanitarium Nurse (uncredited)
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Directed by
John Carpenter 
 
Writing credits
John Carpenter (screenplay) and
Debra Hill (screenplay)

Produced by
Debra Hill .... producer
Kool Marder .... associate producer (as Kool Lusby)
Irwin Yablans .... executive producer
Moustapha Akkad .... executive producer (uncredited)
John Carpenter .... producer (uncredited)
 
Original Music by
John Carpenter 
 
Cinematography by
Dean Cundey (director of photography)
 
Film Editing by
Charles Bornstein 
Tommy Lee Wallace  (as Tommy Wallace)
 
Production Design by
Tommy Lee Wallace  (as Tommy Wallace)
 
Set Decoration by
Craig Stearns 
 
Makeup Department
Erica Ueland .... makeup artist (as Erica Ulland)
 
Production Management
Don Behrns .... production manager
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jack De Wolf .... second assistant director
Rick Wallace .... assistant director
 
Art Department
Dick Girod .... set painter (as Richard Girod)
Randy Moore .... assistant art director
Craig Stearns .... property master
 
Sound Department
Joseph F. Brennan .... boom operator (as Joe Brennan)
Thomas Causey .... sound mixer (as Tommy Causey)
William L. Stevenson .... supervising sound editor (as William Stevenson)
Tex Rudloff .... sound re-recording mixer (uncredited)
Lee Strosnider .... sound mixer (uncredited)
 
Special Effects by
Conrad Rothmann .... special effects (uncredited)
 
Stunts
James Winburn .... stunts (as Jim Windburn)
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Reid Freeman .... electrician (as Reed Freeman)
Kim Gottlieb .... still photographer
Walt Hill .... grip
Steve Mathis .... best boy
Josh Miller .... best boy
Krishna Rao .... second assistant camera
Dylan Shephard .... key grip (as Dylan Shepard)
Raymond Stella .... camera operator (as Ray Stella)
Raymond Stella .... panaglide operator (as Ray Stella)
Fred Vickter .... assistant camera (as Fred Victar)
Mark Walthour .... gaffer
Douglas Olivares .... assistant camera (uncredited)
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Beth Rodgers .... wardrobe
Joan Joseff .... costume jeweller (uncredited)
 
Music Department
Peter Bergren .... music mixer
Peter Bergren .... music recordist
Bob Walters .... music coordinator
Dan Wyman .... orchestrator
 
Other crew
Barry Bernardi .... production assistant
Paul Fox .... production assistant
Louise Jaffe .... script supervisor
 
Crew verified as complete


Production CompaniesDistributorsOther Companies
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
"John Carpenter's Halloween" - USA (complete title)
See more »
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
91 min | USA:101 min (extended version)
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Metrocolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
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) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:AA (Ontario) (video rating) (1982) | Canada:R (Manitoba) (re-rating) (2003) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Ontario) (original rating) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia) | 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) | Mexico:B | Argentina:18 (original rating)
Filming Locations:
1000 Mission Street, South Pasadena, California, USASee more »
Company:
Compass International PicturesSee more »

Did You Know?

Trivia:
The original script, titled "The Babysitter Murders", had the events take place over the space of several days. It was a budgetary decision to change the script to have everything happen on the same day (doing this reduced the number of costume changes and locations required) and it was decided that Halloween, the scariest night of the year, was the perfect night for this to happen.See more »
Goofs:
Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): In the beginning of the movie Michael is six years old. The rest of the movie is enacted 15 years later, so Michael must be 21 years old. In the end credits however, there's a Michael of age six and a Michael of age 23.See more »
Quotes:
Dr. Terence Wynn:Now, for God's sake, he can't even drive a car!
Dr. Sam Loomis:He was doing very well last night! Maybe someone around here gave him lessons!
See more »
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Let There Be Light: The Odyssey of Dark Star (2010) (V)See more »
Soundtrack:
Don't Fear The ReaperSee more »

FAQ

What are the differences between the theatrical version and the Extended Version?
Who and what is The Shape?
How does the movie end?
See more »

User Reviews

   (Review this title)
136 out of 163 people found the following review useful.
The Greatest of the Slasher Flicks, 27 February 2005
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.

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

Was the above review useful to you?
See more (1093 total) »

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Halloween (1978)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
A Line I Don't Understand velvetkevorkian610
Halloween vs Black Christmas dullfinboy
Halloween vs. Friday the 13th drew-soto
What made more of an Impact? Scream or Halloween. drew-soto
Very slow burner... jasonblack_123
still rated 18? cabbott1983
See more »

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