It’s the perfect slasher movie. Often imitated, never duplicated, John Carpenter’sHalloweenis a masterpiece of suspense and terror, giving the horror movie world one of its best-known masked villains: The Shape, aka Michael Myers. Reboots, remakes, endless sequels, love them or hate them, there’s no beating the 1978 original.
The film is over 40 years old, yet it still makes a lasting impact as new generations discover this timeless classic. Due to the nature of the title, the movie is revisited by many every Halloween as a must-watch. With how many times people have seen there, there is plenty they may not know. Here are killer facts about John Carpenter’sHalloween.
Update July 31, 2025: Happy Halloween! With the holiday that the film is named after, this article has been updated with more facts about John Carpenter’s iconic 1978 film.
Was Going To Be Called The Babysitter Murders
John Carpenterand his longtime producing partner, the late Debra Hill, co-wrote the script forHalloweenin just ten days. They nearly called this movieThe Babysitter Murders. They settled on Halloween because they discovered that nobody actually owned the rights to the title Halloween, which they thought for sure would have been taken. They snatched up the rights, and the rest is history.
Quick Turnaround and Was Made for Cheap
The production itself was remarkably short. Preproduction, principal photography, and post-production took place over a combined 12 weeks. That averages out to be about one month per each phase of production. Carpenter composed the almost instantly iconicHalloweenscore in just three days.
John Carpenter received $10,000 to write, direct, and scoreHalloween,andJamie Lee Curtisearned only $8,000 for her role as Laurie. Since the budget was so low—reported at around $300,000— Carpenter relied on his friends to help crew the movie. Without funds for a wardrobe department, all the actors wore their own clothes.
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The lack of funds for more lighting also contributed to many of the film’s dark scenes—something that wasn’t intentional. In the end, Carpenter also retained 10 percent of the film’s profits, making his payday worthwhile in the end.
Haddonfield Has Real Roots
Film producer Debra Hill wrote the first draft ofHalloween,and it was her idea to set it in a town called Haddonfield, even though Haddonfield, Illinois, is a fictional town. Hill grew up in Haddonfield, New Jersey, which actually resembled the small town besieged by Michael Myers throughout the years. Carpenter and Hill felt the idea that the movie’s horrific events could happen in any suburban town added to its fear factor.
The irony is that despite taking place in Illinois, the film was actually filmed in California. Pasadena specifically, as it is clear by the palm trees in background shots, which is not a tree anyone in Illinois would find.
Michael, Michael, Michael
Carpenter’s old USC classmateNick Castle, who played the Beach Ball Alien and worked as a camera assistant onDark Star, visited theHalloweenset to watch his friend direct. Carpenter suggested he put on the mask and play the killer. ‘Though it’s actor Tony Moran’s face when Michael is unmasked, it’s Castle’s movements and overall presence that became one of the most recognizable parts of the movie.
Castle collaborated with Carpenter several more times behind the scenes and went on to directThe Last StarfighterandThe Boy Who Could Fly, among other movies.Halloweeneditor and production designer Tommy Lee Wallace, who himself went on to directHalloween III: Season of the Witch, actually played The Shape during the classic closet scene.
What’s In a Name?
Several of the characters inHalloweenare named after people Carpenter knew in real life or in tribute to his influences. “Laurie” was an ex-girlfriend.“Michael Myers"was a film distributor who helped getAssault on Precinct 13out in the UK. Sheriff Leigh Brackett is named after the author and screenwriter responsible forThe Big Sleep,Rio Bravo,The Long Goodbye, and (together with Lawrence Kasdan)The Empire Strikes Back. (Sadly, Brackett passed away the same yearHalloweenwas released.)
Laurie’s off-screen crush, Ben Tramer, was named after Carpenter pal Bennett Tramer, who went on to be a writer/producer on TV’sSaved by the Bell. Tommy Doyle is named after the detective fromRear Window. Dr. Sam Loomis was named after a character from another Alfred Hitchcock classic,Psycho, which earned an Academy Award nomination for Jamie Lee Curtis’ famous mother, Janet Leigh.
Family Ties
Carpenter’s first choice to play Laurie Strode was Anne Lockhart, later best known for her role as Lieutenant Sheba on the originalBattlestar Galactica, but she turned him down. Jamie Lee Curtis, who had yet to appear in a feature film, lovedAssault on Precinct 13and was determined to work with Carpenter.
Debra Hill loved the idea of giving Janet Leigh’s daughter a starring role in what had the potential to become another genre classic. Carpenter directed both women in his next movie,The Fog, and the mother/daughter duo worked together again in 1998’sHalloween: H2O.
Hammer Horror
Carpenter offered the role of Dr. Loomis to Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, two veterans of the Hammer horror films. Unfortunately, the film’s meager budget couldn’t afford either of them. They were, however able to secure actor Donald Pleasance, who was famous for his role as Blofeld in the James Bond film,You Only Live Twice, and as SEN 5241 in George Lucas’THX-1138.
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Donald Pleasence went on to play Dr. Loomis in five films:Halloween,Halloween II,Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers,Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers, andHalloween: The Curse of Michael Myers. He also played the President in Carpenter’s 1981 sci-fi action classicEscape from New York. Dr. Loomis is role Plesance is now most famous for.
William Shatner
The now iconic mask was described in the script as little more than “the pale, neutral features of a man.” Production designer Tommy Lee Wallace grabbed a couple of cheap masks from a local store for just $2 each. The mask in question was a Captain Kirk mask stretched out and painted white, which caught Carpenter’s eye. Of course, now we call it the “Michael Myers mask.” Shatner has even gotten in on the fun andwore a Michael Myers mask one year for Halloween.
Fun Cameos
John Carpenter has a voice cameo inHalloweenas Annie’s boyfriend on the other end of the phone. Debra Hill is in the movie, too; young Michael’s hands actually belong to her in the opening scenes, as the child actor couldn’t be on set for more than one day and certainly couldn’t be around for all of that nudity. Jamie Lee has a Carpenter-esque voice cameo of her own inHalloween III: Season of the Witch.
New Scenes Were Shot for TV
NBC wanted to airHalloweenin October 1981 to coincide with the release of the sequel (which Carpenter co-wrote and produced but did not direct). But once the nudity and some of the violence were cut for broadcast, the original’s runtime was too short for its time slot. So Carpenter oversaw the completion of new footage duringHalloween II’s production, including some scenes that hinted at the eventual revelation inHalloween IIthat Michael and Laurie were actually brother and sister.
