Halloween (1978)

Director:

John Carpenter

Writers:

John Carpenter (screenplay) and
Debra Hill (screenplay)

Release Date:

25 October 1978 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

The trick was to stay alive.

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.

Plot Keywords:

Halloween | Night | Michael Myers | Death | Knife

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

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)

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

Production Companies

• Compass International Pictures
• Falcon International Productions (copyright holder)

Distributors

• Compass International Pictures (1978) (USA) (theatrical)
• Mid-America Releasing (1979) (USA: Midwest) (theatrical)
• Warner-Columbia Film (1979) (France) (theatrical)
• Joy Pack Film (1979) (Japan) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1981) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Astral Films (1978) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Miracle Films (1978) (UK) (theatrical)
• Warner-Columbia Filmverleih (1979) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (1997) (USA) (DVD)
• Arte (2005) (Germany) (TV)
• Astral Video (1984) (Canada) (VHS)
• Astro Distribution (2001) (Germany) (DVD)
• Atlantic Film (2004) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Blockbuster Entertainment Group (1995) (USA) (VHS)
• Continental Home Vídeo (2001) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (1994) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Future Film (1998) (Finland) (VHS)
• Future Film (2001) (Finland) (DVD)
• Image Entertainment (1994) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Indies Home Entertainment (2000) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Indies Home Entertainment (2000) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Kabel 1 (199?-200?) (Germany) (TV)
• Kabel 1 (????) (France) (TV)
• Media Home Entertainment (1981) (USA) (VHS)
• Pro 7 (????) (Germany) (TV)
• Reserva Especial (1983) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Starlight Film (2010) (Germany) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Vídeo Ban (1985) (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Crest Digital  post-production
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)  titles and opticals (as MGM)
• Samuel Goldwyn Studios  re-recording
• Sound Arts  music recording
• The Bowling Green Philharmonic Orchestra  orchestra

Also Known As:

"John Carpenter's Halloween" - USA (complete title)
"La nuit des masques" - Belgium (French title), Canada (French title), France (imdb display title)
"Halloween" - Argentina, Mexico
"Η Νύχτα με τις Μάσκες" - Greece
"Alla helgons blodiga natt" - Sweden
"De nacht van de griezels" - Belgium (Flemish title)
"Halloween" - Hungary (DVD title)
"Halloween" - Poland (imdb display title)
"Halloween" - Japan (English title)
"Halloween - A Noite do Terror" - Brazil
"Halloween - A rémület éjszakája" - Hungary (imdb display title)
"Halloween - Die Nacht des Grauens" - West Germany
"Halloween - naamioiden yö" - Finland
"Halloween: La notte delle streghe" - Italy (imdb display title)
"I nyhta me tis maskes" - Greece (transliterated ISO-LATIN-1 title)
"La noche de Halloween" - Spain
"Maskernes nat" - Denmark (imdb display title)
"Noc vestica" - Serbia
"O Regresso do Mal" - Portugal (imdb display title)
"Yabanci" - Turkey (Turkish title) (imdb display title)

Runtime:

91 min | USA:101 min (extended version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (original release)

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:AA (Ontario) (video rating) (1982) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia) | Canada:R (Manitoba) (re-rating) (2003) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Ontario) (original rating) | 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 | USA:PG-13 | Argentina:18 (original rating) | 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)

Filming Locations:

1000 Mission Street, South Pasadena, California, USA

Company:

Compass International Pictures

Trivia:

As the film was made in spring, the crew had huge difficulty in procuring pumpkins.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: Although the story takes place in Illinois, all the cars have California license plates.

Quotes:

Tommy Doyle:[screaming hysterically] It's the boogeyman! The boogeyman's outside!
Laurie:Oh Tommy, stop it! You're scaring Lindsey. There's nobody out there, now if you don't stop this I'm going to have to turn the TV off and send you to bed.
Tommy Doyle:Nobody believes me!
Lindsey Wallace:I believe you, Tommy.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Prince of Darkness (1987)

Soundtrack:

Don't Fear The Reaper

THE perfect horror film!

Halloween is one of the best examples of independent film. It's very well made and has more psychological elements to it than you might realize at first glance. It is a simple movie told very well. The music is perfect and is one of the most haunting scores... If you haven't seen this movie yet, you must check it out. The cast is all terrific. I wish they had never made sequel after sequel. The first one was by far the best and should have ended like it did without having a sequel. It was fun to see Jamie Lee Curtis in the movie. She hasn't seemed to age (she's just as gorgeous today, without the hairdo and seventies clothes). The scenes through the mask are one of the scariest things ever!