Halloween (1978)

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 (screenplay), Debra Hill (screenplay)

Stars:

Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tony Moran

6 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Donald Pleasence	...	Loomis
Jamie Lee Curtis	...	Laurie
Nancy Kyes	...	Annie (as Nancy Loomis)
P.J. Soles	...	Lynda
Charles Cyphers	...	Brackett
Kyle Richards	...	Lindsey
Brian Andrews	...	Tommy
John Michael Graham	...	Bob
Nancy Stephens	...	Marion
Arthur Malet	...	Graveyard Keeper
Mickey Yablans	...	Richie
Brent Le Page	...	Lonnie
Adam Hollander	...	Keith
Robert Phalen	...	Dr. Wynn
Tony Moran	...	Michael Myers (age 23)

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.

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Plot Keywords:

halloween | year 1978 | babysitting | stabbed to death | knife murder | 

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Taglines:

He's come back

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Genres:

Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Was selected in 2006 for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

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Goofs

(at around 47 mins) While Lindsey is watching Forbidden Planet and is alone in the living room, the camera dollies across the couch. A large shadow moves across the couch from out of shot but no one should be in the room with her.

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Quotes

Annie: Still spooked?
Laurie: I wasn't spooked.
Annie: Lies!
Laurie: I wasn't! I saw someone standing in Mr. Riddle's back yard.
Annie: Probably Mr. Riddle!
Laurie: He was watching me.
Annie: Mr. Riddle was watching you? Laurie, Mr. Riddle is eighty-seven!
Laurie: He can still watch.
Annie: That's probably all he can do!

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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.

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Alternate Versions

Additional scenes were shot by director John Carpenter for the 1981 Television Network premiere. These include:

• a meeting between Dr. Loomis and two doctors from the mental (psychiatric) institution where Michael Myers is being kept
• a scene where a nurse leads Dr. Loomis to Michael's room, telling him who was supposed to have been watching the patients. Once they arrive in Michael's room, she tells him he must have broken the window glass with his bare hands. They then glance over on the wall, and see that he has written in blood the word "sister".
• a shot of Michael Myers sitting completely motionless in his cell
• a scene where Lynda visits Laurie Strodes at home and borrows a blouse just as Annie calls trying to borrow the same blouse.

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Connections

Featured in Phelous & the Movies: Friday the 13th Part IX: Jason Goes on Vacation: Part 2 (2013)

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Soundtracks

Don't Fear the Reaper
Written by Donald Roeser
Performed by Blue Öyster Cult
Courtesy of CBS Records

User Reviews

Dosn't Deserve the Legacy At All!!!

I know everyone is gonna disagree with me when I say all this. I understand this was the first slasher film, it influenced almost every slasher film today (which we really could have done with out!) Just because something is the first of it's kind doesn't make it good. There's no mystery in this film, no creepy or scary bits, nothing interesting in it at all! Michael Myers doesn't even have a reason for killing people! I also don't get why he is such a superhuman and just disappears and dies and comes back to life all the time. He just a person! The actors... what can I say. Awful! Cheesy and not convincing. Especially those kids. I would have expected more from a so called 'classic'. The one thing I liked in this film is the theme tune. And even that gets annoying! Usually I would recommend a slasher film just to get scared and to watch on Halloween not to be interested or get into the story. Halloween doesn't a interesting plot and is not scary. There is no way this film should be a classic. Most overrated film of all time. 2/10

Details

Official Sites:

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Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 October 1978 (USA)

Also Known As:

John Carpenter's Halloween

Filming Locations:

Meridian Avenue & Mission Street, South Pasadena, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$325,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$47,000,000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$47,000,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Compass International Pictures, Falcon International Pictures, Falcon International Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min 101 min (Extended TV Version)

Sound Mix:

Mono Dolby Surround 7.1

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1