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 to kill again.

Director:

John Carpenter

Writers:

John Carpenter (screenplay), Debra Hill (screenplay)

Stars:

Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tony Moran

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

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Taglines:

The trick was to stay alive.

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Genres:

Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official Facebook

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:

$300,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$47,000,000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$70,000,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Compass International Pictures,Falcon International Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min 101 min (Extended TV Version)

Sound Mix:

Mono Dolby Atmos

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Halloween was shot in 20 days in the spring of 1978. Made on a budget of $300,000, it became the highest-grossing independent movie ever made at that time.

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Goofs

Halloween was on Tuesday in 1978, so there is no way Lynda could have learned new cheers in the morning for a morning football game (during school hours!) and then spend the rest of the day getting ready for the dance later that night.

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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

Referenced in Hypnagogia (2014)

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Soundtracks

The Shape Lurks
Written by John Carpenter
Performed by The Bowling Green Philharmonic Orchestra

User Reviews

Outstanding

Halloween(1978)stars a very young Jamie Lee Curtis, the late Donald Pleasance, and, among others, P.J. Soles(the cap-brat from Carrie). The story centers around the demented/catatonic-schizophrenic Michael Myers and the brutal, cold-blooded murder of his oldest sister in 1963(done by him). Now it is fifteen years later and Michael has escaped the sanitarium and is headed for Haddonfield, Illinois, home of Laurie Strode(Curtis), his sister who was adopted shortly after the 1963 murder. Laurie has no idea about her past and wanders around with her friends, seemingly free of worry, and unaware that her every step is under careful watch from hiding eyes.

In the long run I am at a loss for words. Everything is here. And it's even terrifying...and a slasher movie, what a combination. Slasher movies, to me, usually aren't scary. But Halloween is. Seriously, if you haven't seen it yet you are really missing out. It's a rare achievement in film history and is one of the best horror movies ever made. It's a perfect 10/10 all the way!!!