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Halloween

  • 1978
  • R
  • 1h 31m
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
323K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,742
10
Halloween (1978)
Home Video Trailer from Anchor Bay Entertainment
Play trailer2:41
12 Videos
99+ Photos
B-HorrorSlasher HorrorTeen HorrorHorrorThriller

Fifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween night 1963, Michael Myers escapes from a mental hospital and returns to the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois, to kill again.Fifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween night 1963, Michael Myers escapes from a mental hospital and returns to the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois, to kill again.Fifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween night 1963, Michael Myers escapes from a mental hospital and returns to the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois, to kill again.

  • Director
    • John Carpenter
  • Writers
    • John Carpenter
    • Debra Hill
  • Stars
    • Donald Pleasence
    • Jamie Lee Curtis
    • Tony Moran
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.7/10
    323K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    1,742
    10
    • Director
      • John Carpenter
    • Writers
      • John Carpenter
      • Debra Hill
    • Stars
      • Donald Pleasence
      • Jamie Lee Curtis
      • Tony Moran
    • 1.8KUser reviews
    • 340Critic reviews
    • 90Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 9 wins & 3 nominations total

    Videos12

    Halloween
    Trailer 2:41
    Halloween
    Jamie Lee Curtis Doesn't Give a **** About Michael Myers
    Clip 2:56
    Jamie Lee Curtis Doesn't Give a **** About Michael Myers
    Jamie Lee Curtis Doesn't Give a **** About Michael Myers
    Clip 2:56
    Jamie Lee Curtis Doesn't Give a **** About Michael Myers
    'Halloween' | Franchise Retrospective
    Clip 2:30
    'Halloween' | Franchise Retrospective
    How 'Halloween' Gave Jamie Lee Curtis Her Whole Life
    Clip 1:20
    How 'Halloween' Gave Jamie Lee Curtis Her Whole Life
    Will 'Halloween Ends' End Halloween? Reboots, Sequels, & Easter Eggs Revealed
    Clip 2:59
    Will 'Halloween Ends' End Halloween? Reboots, Sequels, & Easter Eggs Revealed
    'Halloween Kills' Cast on Michael Myers' Most Shocking Moments
    Clip 2:43
    'Halloween Kills' Cast on Michael Myers' Most Shocking Moments

    Photos406

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    Top cast27

    Edit
    Donald Pleasence
    Donald Pleasence
    • Loomis
    Jamie Lee Curtis
    Jamie Lee Curtis
    • Laurie
    Tony Moran
    Tony Moran
    • Michael Myers (Age 23)
    Nancy Kyes
    Nancy Kyes
    • Annie
    • (as Nancy Loomis)
    P.J. Soles
    P.J. Soles
    • Lynda
    • (as P J Soles)
    Charles Cyphers
    Charles Cyphers
    • Brackett
    Kyle Richards
    Kyle Richards
    • Lindsey
    Brian Andrews
    Brian Andrews
    • Tommy
    John Michael Graham
    John Michael Graham
    • Bob
    Nancy Stephens
    Nancy Stephens
    • Marion
    Arthur Malet
    Arthur Malet
    • Graveyard Keeper
    Mickey Yablans
    • Richie
    Brent Le Page
    • Lonnie
    Adam Hollander
    • Keith
    Robert Phalen
    Robert Phalen
    • Dr. Wynn
    Will Sandin
    Will Sandin
    • Michael Myers (Age 6)
    Sandy Johnson
    Sandy Johnson
    • Judith Myers
    David Kyle
    • Boyfriend
    • Director
      • John Carpenter
    • Writers
      • John Carpenter
      • Debra Hill
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews1.8K

    7.7323.4K
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    Featured reviews

    Steve-280

    Sure scared me back in 78

    I was 20 back in 1978, and saw this on opening weekend. I knew nothing of it, and after growing up on the old Hammer films, followed by a period of almost nothing, this was quite a nice surprise. It really worked! Had me checking the back seat in cars, gave me a sinking feeling when I lost my keys, etc. The low death toll and relative lack of blood, as compared to subsequent slasher films, has me really admiring how effectively it created the atmosphere & suspense that kept me on edge, and made me jump at the right places. I certainly don't jump any more at it, but I do have fun remembering what it was like watching it when the now-cliches were fresh & new. I laugh at the 'horror' flicks of the 30s & 40s, but when they were new, I bet they were something. And I bet in another 20 years, today's toddlers will find Scream/IKWYDLS, et al, to be tame and passe too, at least compared to what they'll (& I'll) be watching then!

    I'm surprised at the number of people half my age who wish they could've been around to see this film when it was brand new!

    Looking back, Halloween probably scared me more when it was new, than other horror movies have,when they were new. Horror films are indebted to Halloween for breaking some new ground, and I can't wait for the next horror film that will do something on a similar scale.
    DunnDeeDaGreat

    Hands down classic horror film

    Halloween is a hands down classic horror film. John Carpenter made a film that was often imaited but never duplicated. The camera angles are one of the many things that make the film scary. Carpetner allows the viewer to see through the eyes of the killer with the subjective camera and then there's the classic music score. Jamie Lee Curtis had a star making role in this movie and if you've never seen the film you should.
    TheMgnt

    It *is* a classic

    To begin, this is a twenty year old film. Few films remain as suspenseful today as they did when it came out. (see: Night of the Living Dead -- had people running from the theatres when released but is very tame today). Clearly a movie fan brought up on the standards of today's movies will fail to find enjoyment of such 'classic' films. But when watching Halloween today perhaps it helps to consider a few things: Halloween was a low budget film (read: bad acting, poor special effects) made for only $300,000. It was not a product of Hollywood but a bunch of 20 year olds. This was the first film to feature the Boogeyman that Wouldn't Die which has been ripped off time and time again in the Friday the 13th, Elm Street, Scream, etc. You're used to it now, but Halloween did it first. Even Scream ripped off the look of the villian in Halloween. The theme of teenagers being stalked by a madman has been ripped of numerous times as well (again, Halloween did it first) but what seperates Halloween from the imitators is that it plays on traditional fears: The Thing that Wouldn't Die; the Boogeyman coming to get you; being followed and stalked; the boyfriend returning to the room under a bedsheet -- and it's not really him; someone hiding in the car... all things that have made our skin crawl in real life at one time or another. Watching Halloween tonight again for the first time in years I found myself again on the edge of my seat. Classic? Hell, yes. Maybe not to a generation who feels Scream was a 'good' horror movie but a classic none the less.
    10AngusBeef

    The Absolute Finest

    Halloween is not only the godfather of all slasher movies but the greatest horror movie ever! John Carpenter and Debra Hill created the most suspenseful, creepy, and terrifying movie of all time with this classic chiller. Michael Myers is such a phenomenal monster in this movie that he inspired scores of imitators, such as Jason Vorhees (Friday the 13th), The Miner (My Bloody Valentine), and Charlie Puckett (The Night Brings Charlie). Okay, so I got a little obscure there, but it just goes to show you the impact that this movie had on the entire horror genre. No longer did a monster have to come from King Tut's tomb or from Dr. Frankenstein's lab. He could be created in the cozy little neighborhoods of suburbia. And on The Night He Came Home...Haddonfield, Illinois and the viewers would never be the same. There are many aspects of this movie that make it the crowning jewel of horror movies. First is the setting...it takes place in what appears to be a normal suburban neighborhood. Many of us who grew up in an area such as this can easily identify with the characters. This is the type of neighborhood where you feel safe, but if trouble starts to brew, nobody wants to lift a finger to get involved (especially when a heavy-breathing madman is trying to skewer our young heroine.) Along with the setting, the movie takes place on Halloween!! The scariest night of the year! While most people are carving jack-o-lanterns, Michael Myers is looking to carve up some teenie-boppers. Besides the setting, there is some great acting. Jamie Lee Curtis does a serviceable job as our heroine, Laurie Strode, a goody-two-shoes high-schooler who can never seem to find a date. However, it is Donald Pleasance, as Dr. Sam Loomis, who really steals the show. His portrayal of the good doctor, who knows just what type of evil hides behind the black eyes of Michael Myers and feels compelled to send him to Hell once and for all, is the stuff of horror legend. However, it is the synthesizer score that really drives this picture as it seems to almost put the viewer into the film. Once you hear it, you will never forget it. I also enjoy the grainy feel to this picture. Nowadays, they seem to sharpen up the image of every movie, giving us every possible detail of the monster we are supposed to be afraid of. In Halloween, John Carpenter never really lets us get a complete look at Michael Myers. He always seems like he is a part of the shadows, and, I think that is what makes him so terrifying. There are many scenes where Michael is partly visible as he spies on the young teens (unbeknownst to them), which adds to his creepiness. If you think about, some wacko could be watching you right now and you wouldn't even know it. Unfortunately for our teenagers (and fortunately for us horror fans), when they find Michael, he's not looking for candy on this Halloween night..he's looking for blood. Finally, Michael Myers, himself, is a key element to this movie's effectiveness. His relentless pursuit of Laurie Strode makes him seem like the killer who will never stop. He is the bogeyman that will haunt you for the rest of your life. So,if you have not seen this movie (if there are still some of you out there who haven't, or even if you have), grab some popcorn, turn off every light, pop this into the old DVD and watch in fright. Trick or Treat!
    9Hotstar

    The Greatest of the Slasher Flicks

    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.

    More like this

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    Halloween H20: 20 Years Later
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    Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers
    4.9
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    Halloween III: Season of the Witch
    5.2
    Halloween III: Season of the Witch

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      From a budget of $300,000 over a 20 day shoot, 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.
    • Goofs
      (at around 18 mins) When Michael goes to the school and gets in the car to follow Tommy, the passenger side window is no longer smashed from the previous night's attack on the nurse.
    • Quotes

      Loomis: I met him, 15 years ago; I was told there was nothing left; no reason, no conscience, no understanding in even the most rudimentary sense of life or death, of good or evil, right or wrong. I met this... six-year-old child with this blank, pale, emotionless face, and... the blackest eyes - the Devil's eyes. I spent eight years trying to reach him, and then another seven trying to keep him locked up, because I realized that what was living behind that boy's eyes was purely and simply... evil.

    • 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.
    • Alternate versions
      For the 20th Anniversary restoration in 1998, new sounds were added to the film's audio track under John Carpenter's approval. New thunder sounds were added to the Loomis car scene. Wind sounds were added as well. The 1999 DVD release contains both the original unaltered mono sound and a Dolby Digital 5.1 option with the added sound effects.
    • Connections
      Edited into Halloween II (1981)
    • Soundtracks
      Don't Fear the Reaper
      Written by Donald Roeser

      Performed by Blue Öyster Cult

      Courtesy of CBS Records

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    FAQ33

    • How long is Halloween?Powered by Alexa
    • How does Dr. Loomis know that it's Michael driving away in the car when Loomis never saw the patients face?
    • Laurie caught Michael staring at her on three separate locations so why doesn't she call the police about him?
    • What song is Laurie singing as she's walking down the street by herself?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 27, 1978 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Facebook
      • Facebook
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • He Came Home for Halloween
    • Filming locations
      • Meridian Avenue & Mission Street, South Pasadena, California, USA(Intersection where Michael drives behind Dr. Loomis who is standing in front of the hardware store.)
    • Production companies
      • Compass International Pictures
      • Falcon International Pictures
      • Falcon International Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $325,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $47,160,000
    • Gross worldwide
      • $47,173,315
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 31 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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