Fuel the Fear

Review Written By: Gaius Bolling

Release Date: October 25th, 1978

"I met him, fifteen years ago. I was told there was nothing left. No reason, no conscience, no understanding; not even the most rudimentary sense of life or death, 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 what was living behind that boy's eyes was purely and simply... *evil*." (Dr. Sam Loomis)

This is probably going to be the hardest review I write because I'm going to sound like a gushing fanboy. The truth is I've probably exhausted every positive compliment that can be bestowed upon "Halloween" to all my friends and common strangers alike. So many people talk about what projects inspire them and I can whole heartedly say that "Halloween" is the reason why I want to be involved in film. I've seen the film so many times and on each viewing I find more to love and be inspired by. Since this is a site about horror and what scars us let me call it how I see it: I think "Halloween" is the scariest film ever made. This is just my humble opinion but it's the only horror film that still scares me every time I watch it. That's when you know you have a truly scary film when it can still terrify you after multiple viewings. No other horror film has ever had that kind of impact on me.

Because of its title and subject matter, Halloween has constantly been lumped into the group of other slasher films that dominated cinema's in the 80's. The fact is, "Halloween" was released in 1978 and was essentially the first of its kind. One can make an argument about "Psycho" starting the trend but that film is more of a psychological thriller than a slasher film. Another case can be made for Bob Clark's "Black Christmas" and I can buy that one more than "Psycho" because "Halloween" does follow some of the successful tricks that were utilized in "Black Christmas". The fact is "Halloween" is probably the first slasher film gain widespread mainstream attention. "Black Christmas" had a small cult following but took many years to find its audiences. Lets put it this way, if "Halloween" wasn't so successful and well received than there would probably be no "Friday the 13th" which was released 2 years later. "Halloween" began the assembly line of slasher films that would dominate cinema's well into the late 80's.

What separates "Halloween" from the many films it has spawned is that it was actually made with passion and care. I'm sure they hoped their film would be successful but the intention was simply to make a truly scary movie. With a modest budget, but a lot of heart, John Carpenter, Debra Hill, & crew truly made magic happen back in 1978.

Proving that even simple plots can be extremely effective, "Halloween's" backstory is pretty standard. The film opens with a long, single shot prologue that takes place in 1963. Someone peers into a home as a teenage girl and her boyfriend fool around. Eventually the boyfriend leaves and the unseen figure enters the home and makes their way upstairs. They come across a crown mask on their way to the bedroom and there we find the girl sitting in her room, naked and brushing her hair. The figure then proceeds to stab her repeatedly and makes a hasty exit from the house. We only learn as a couple comes home and removes the intruders mask that the assailant is only a grade schooler.

The bulk of the movie takes place 15 years later and we eventually learn that the assailant was Michael Myers (Nick Castle) and the victim was his sister, Judith (Sandy Johnson). Since the attack he has spent his time in a mental asylum and is being prepared to be transferred, on court order, by his psychiatrist Dr. Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasance). On the night before Halloween Michael escapes and returns home to Haddonfield, Illinois where he committed his single act of crime. With Dr. Loomis in hot pursuit, Michael has set his sights on Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) who dropped off a key at the old Myers because her parents are trying to sell it. Unbeknownst to her, Michael is hiding there and makes a visceral connection with Laurie that will spell terror for her and her friends as they babysit on Halloween night.

From minute one, "Halloween" is dripping in atmosphere. Who cares that "Halloween" was actually filmed in California during the spring? John Carpenter does a great job of giving us the illusion that this is a small midwestern town. Most of "Halloween's" effectiveness is due to that fact that it looks like it could happen in your neighborhood. Somewhere that looks so peaceful and serene is the backdrop for impending violence.

A lot of "Halloween's" scares don't eve take place at night. Most of the daytime scenes are truly terrifying. Laurie and her friends spot Michael several times during the film (but ignore it for various reasons) and some of the moments work very well. Laurie seeing Michael stare at her from across the street as she sits in class or when she spots him in her neighbor's backyard peering into her window are enough to give any viewer goosebumps. "Halloween" is a slow burner and most of the scares are of the suspenseful variety. Michael Myers doesn't really truly strike until a good hour into the film and the whole time we're waiting for it to happen with great unease.

The Shape aka Michael Myers is a truly scary incarnation. From the expressionless white mask he wears, to the precise way he walks and moves his body, a lot of care has gone into making this man truly scary. It helps that we learn virtually nothing about him. Dr. Loomis provides a brief and telling description of him that makes him seem more like the essence of evil rather than a person but this is all we get. Michael is more like a force that's unleashed on these girls and he simply can not be stopped. The problem with the sequels is that they tried to explain the method behind his madness but it works better here, when he's virtually a blank slate.

Carpenter does many small things to scare the audience before Laurie finally confronts him during the final act. There are moments when Michael is viewed just outside of the frame in the background, unbeknownst to the characters. Even as a viewer these images catch us off guard because it's usually a blink or you'll miss him moment but when you do see him it's quite a frightening sight.

Actually Carpenter plays with the characters often by putting them in danger that we're aware of as an audience but they have co clue about. The most effective use of this is after Michael kills Lynda's (PJ Soles) boyfriend, Bob (John Michael Graham). Lynda is in the bedroom waiting for Bob to come back and Michael enters the room with a sheet over his body, wearing Bob's glasses. The audience knows that Bob is dead in the kitchen but Lynda has no clue and that fact that we know she has no way out of the situation, makes the scene uncomfortable and terrifying. The whole time you're on the edge of your seat wanting to scream at her and tell her "IT'S NOT YOUR BOYFRIEND".

Writer's John Carpenter & Debra Hill, also do a good job creating likable characters. The problem with most slasher films is that they have so many disposable characters that are just there to add to the body count. In "Halloween", some of the characters do represent a certain stereotype, particularly Annie (Nancy Loomis) and Lynda but they're so identifiable and likable that it's easy to forgive them for making the characters a bit one note. It also helps that Laurie and Dr. Loomis balances them out. Laurie is the essential horror movie heroine. She's strong, smart, sensitive, innocent and completely vulnerable. Her innocence plays well with the more overt rebelliousness of her friends. Then you have Dr. Loomis to balance out the teenage story lines. Loomis is there to give Michael a sense of foreboding and he's the vessel that lets the viewers know about the whole evil concept behind Michael Myers. Every character is essential and they all serve a purpose, which is rare for most horror films.

The acting is pretty top notch for the material. Jamie Lee Curtis, as we all know, has an impressive pedigree. Her dad is actor Tony Curtis and her mom, Janet Leigh made her own mark in the horror genre playing Marion Crane in "Psycho". It seems only fitting that Curtis started her film career in the horror genre since her mom was featured in one of the best entries of the genre. Curtis is very good here and it appears that talent did indeed run in the family. She is equal parts likable and vulnerable. There is an every girl quality about her that works well for the role. It's funny to find out that Jamie Lee Curtis has stated she was more like the characters the other two girls played because she's very good at playing the repressed Laurie Strode. She also has a nice set of pipes on her that works well during the final act. The girl can definitely sell the terror but she does so without appearing weak. She eventually became the "Scream Queen" after this film was released having appeared in several horror films after this film became a hit.

The other major actor in the cast is veteran Donald Pleasance and i'll be perfectly honest: The role is vastly underwritten but Pleasance brings more to the role than what is on the page. When he's especially worried about what Michael could do, you buy it because he sells it without even saying a word. He brings a sense of class to the project and he eventually became the face of the "Halloween" series until his death in 1995. Rounding out the cast is Nancy Loomis and PJ Soles as Laurie's friends and they're both likable in their own right. They bring some much needed humor to the film and despite the fact that we know that they won't make it to the final reel, we still root for their survival.

The last ingredient to the films success is John Carpenter's simple but effective score. Just about everyone knows the "Halloween" theme, even if they aren't familiar with the film. It's a really scary piece of music and it adds a sense of dread to many of the scenes. "The Shape Stalks Laurie" theme is another well used piece of music that really adds to the scene as Laurie is being chased from home to another, with Michael Myers closing in on her. Lastly the "Halloween 1978" theme also known as "Laurie's Theme" works well during the early morning shots of Haddnfield after Michael escapes from the asylum. This film could be a classic example of how effective a good score actually is. Imagine "Halloween" without the music and see how well it actually works.

I would like to point out that "Halloween" proves that less is more. This isn't a gory motion picture, in fact there is very little blood shed and Carpenter makes up for that with well timed suspense. Nowadays horror films want to show you everything to get a reaction and it doesn't always work. The monster works best when he's hidden in shadows until the right possible moment. Look no further than "Jaws" as a good example of this. We don't get a good shot of the shark until well into the last act of the film.

I could go on and on singing this film's praises but I think I would get redundant. Simply put there is a reason "Halloween" spawned so many imitators and that's because it set a new standard for the genre. It showed audiences that there was more than one way to make a truly scary motion picture. The film still holds up well even in 2009 and despite it having endless sequels and being remade badly (thanks Rob Zombie, not looking forward to your continued story in Halloween II either) it still has stood tall during these blows and maintains a top contender in the genre. I think this film will live on for a very long time and continue to scare audiences for years to come.

Trivia:

There are numerous references in John Carpenter's movies, particularly in this film, that are taken from the area surrounding the town he grew up in - Bowling Green, KY. The performance of the film's musical score is credited to "The Bowling Green Philharmonic." There is no Philharmonic in Bowling Green. The "orchestra" is actually Carpenter and assorted musical friends. In one scene the subtitle depicts the location as "Smiths Grove, IL." Smiths Grove is actually a small town of about 600 people located 15 miles north of Bowling Green on I-65. There are also numerous references in Halloween to street names that are major roads in the greater Bowling Green area.
As the movie was actually shot in early spring in southern California (as opposed to Illinois in late October), the crew had to buy paper leaves from a decorator and paint them in the desired autumn colors, then scatter them in the filming locations. To save money, after a scene was filmed, the leaves were collected and reused. However, as Jamie Lee Curtis and John Carpenter note on the DVD audio commentary, the trees are quite full and green and even some palm trees can be seen, despite that in Illinois in October, the leaves would probably be mostly gone and there would be no palm trees.
Jamie Lee Curtis' first feature film.
Due to its shoestring budget, the prop department had to use the cheapest mask that they could find in the costume store: a Captain Kirk (William Shatner) mask. They later spray-painted the face white, teased out the hair, and reshaped the eye holes.
The kids watch the opening of The Thing From Another World (1951) on TV. Carpenter would later re-make this film himself in 1982 as The Thing (1982).
Halloween was shot in 21 days in April of 1978. Made on a budget of $320,000, it became the highest-grossing independent movie ever made at that time.
According to screenwriter/producer Debra Hill, the character of Laurie Strode was named after John Carpenter's first girlfriend.
Tommy Doyle's name was from Rear Window (1954) and Sam Loomis' name is from Psycho (1960).
Inside Laurie's bedroom there is a poster of a painting by James Ensor (1860-1949). Ensor was a Belgian expressionist painter who used to portray human figures wearing grotesque masks.
The film takes place primarily in Haddonfield, Illinois. Haddonfield, NJ is the home town of screenwriter Debra Hill.

All of the actors wore their own clothes, since there was no money for a costume department. Jamie Lee Curtis went to J.C. Penney for Laurie Strode's wardrobe. She spent less than a hundred dollars for the entire set. She shot the film while on hiatus from the sitcom Operation Petticoat (1977) (TV).
The character of Michael Myers was named after the European distributor of Carpenter's previous film, Assault on Precinct 12 (1976) as a kind of weird "thank you" for the film's overseas success.
Tommy's Halloween costume is an Alphan uniform from Space: 1999 (1975).
The opening shot appears to be a single, tracking, point of view shot, but there are actually three cuts. The first when the mask goes on, and the second and third after the murder has taken place and the shape is exiting the room. This was done to make the point of view appear to move faster.

Kyle Richards, who plays Lindsey Wallace, is the sister of Kim Richards, who appeared in John Carpenter's previous film, Assault on Precinct 13 (1976). Kyle Richards is also the aunt of Paris Hilton.

Half of the $320,000 budget was spent on the Panavison cameras so the film would have a 2:35:1 scope. Donald Pleasence was paid $20,000 for 5 days work.
Carpenter approached Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee to play the Sam Loomis role (that was eventually played by Donald Pleasence) but both turned him down. Lee later said it was it was the biggest mistake he ever made in his career.
Morgan Strode's black Fleetwood (seen in the driveway when he is talking to Laurie early in the movie) belonged to director John Carpenter, while the Phelps Garage truck was owned by the company that catered for the film.
Anne Lockhart was John Carpenter's first choice for the role of Laurie Strode.
None of the big studios at the time was interested in distributing the movie, so executive producer Irwin Yablans decided to distribute the film via his own company (Compass International). MCA/Universal produced and distributed the next two sequels in the early '80s.
Aside from dialogue, the script cites Michael Myers by name only twice. In the opening scene, he is called a POV until he is revealed at age 6. From the rest of the script on out he is referred to as a "shape" until Laurie rips his mask off in the final scene (which he never reapplies in the script). "The Shape", as credited in the film, refers to when his face is masked or obscured.
P.J. Soles was dating Dennis Quaid at the time of filming, so John Carpenter and Debra Hill wanted to cast him in the role of Bob. Unfortunately, Quaid was busy working on another project and John Michael Graham was cast in the role instead.
John Carpenter provides the voice of Annie's boyfriend, Paul, whom we hear on the phone talking to Annie.
The original script, titled "The Babysitter Murders", had the events take place over the space of several days. It was a budgetary decision to change the script to have everything happen on the same day (doing this reduced the number of costume changes and locations required) and it was decided that Halloween, the scariest night of the year, was the perfect night for this to happen.
When they were shooting the scenes for the start of the film (all the ones seen from Michael's point of view) they couldn't get the 6-year old child actor until the last day, so the movie's producer, Debra Hill, volunteered to be Michael for any scenes where his hands come into view. This is why the nails on young Michael's hands look so well manicured and varnished.

Donald Pleasence did all of his scenes in only 5 days of shooting.
When Dr. Loomis is talking to the doctors in the empty classroom, Dr. Loomis is sitting in seat #37.
This was voted the fifth scariest film of all time by Entertainment Weekly.
The "Myers" house was a locale found in South Pasadena that was largely the decrepit, abandoned place seen in the majority of the film. However, as the house had to look ordinary (and furnished) for the early scenes with the young Michael Myers, almost the whole cast and crew worked together to clean the place, move in furniture, put up wallpaper, and set up running water and electricity, and then take it all out when they were through.
Much credit for the concept must go to its producer Irwin Yablans, who had the concept originally for a horror film called "The Babysitter Murders". Upon further research, Yablans discovered to his surprise that no previous film had been titled "Halloween" and thought it would be a great concept to set these "babysitter murders" on the holiday. With these ideas, Yablans convinced an excited John Carpenter to write and direct a film around them.
The wealthy film producer Moustapha Akkad had admittedly little interest in this film and helped make it primarily due to the enthusiasm of John Carpenter and Irwin Yablans. However, when the film turned out to be a huge box-office smash, Akkad saw an opportunity and has since facilitated every 'Halloween' sequel.
The adult Michael Myers was portrayed by Nick Castle in almost every scene, except for some pick-up shots and the unmasking scene, where he was replaced by Tony Moran. Castle was a school-buddy of John Carpenter and was thought of by Carpenter because he was tall and had what Carpenter considered an interesting walk. Castle admitted he was disappointed to not be the face shown, but understood that Carpenter wanted a more "angelic" face to juxtapose with Myers' ghastly deeds. Castle has gone on to become a successful director.
John Carpenter was quite intimidated by Donald Pleasence, of whom he was a big fan and who was easily the oldest and most experienced person on set. Although Pleasance asked Carpenter difficult questions about his character, Pleasance turned out to be a good-humored, big-hearted individual and the two became great friends.
Of the female leads (all the girls are supposed to be in high school), only Jamie Lee Curtis was actually a teenager at the time of shooting.
P.J. Soles says the word "totally" eleven times.

A young Jamie Lee Curtis was so disappointed with her performance that she became convinced she would be fired after only the first day of filming. When her phone rang that night and it was John Carpenter on the phone, Curtis was certain it was the end of her movie career. Instead, Carpenter called to congratulate her and tell her he was very happy with the way things had gone.
The Halloween theme is written in the rare 5/4 time signature. John Carpenter learned this rhythm from his father.
The scene where The Shape seems to appear out of the darkness behind Laurie was accomplished by using a simple dimmer switch on the light that slowly illuminated the mask.
One of the characters is named "Marion Chambers". Marion was the first name of the female protagonist of Psycho (1960), and Chambers was the last name of the sheriff in that movie.
That Michael Myers could drive a car despite having gotten committed to an asylum at the age of six inspired many guffaws. The first movie novelization came up with a simple but effective explanation: when Doctor Loomis drove Michael to sanity hearings over the years, Michael simply watched very closely and carefully as Doctor Loomis operated the car. Remember, even if Michael sat in the back seat and there was a screen of bulletproof glass partition, Michael could still look over the Doctor's shoulder without Loomis realizing the significance.
According to an additional scene in the extended television version, Michael Myers' middle name is Audrey.
Carpenter wrote the part of Lynda for P.J. Soles after seeing her performance in Brian De Palma's Carrie (1976).
Although Nick Castle plays the part of Michael Myers throughout the film, when his mask is removed by Laurie at the climax, another actor Tony Moran was used.
The opening POV sequence took 2 days to film.
Carpenter composed the score in 4 days.
For its first airing on television, extra scenes had to be added to make it fit the desired time slot. Carpenter filmed these during the production of Halloween II (1981) against his better judgment.
Donald Pleasence confessed to John Carpenter that the main reason why he took the part of Loomis was because his daughter Angela loved Carpenter's Assault on Precinct 13 (1976).

Carpenter's intent with the character of Michael Myers was that the audience should never be able to relate to him.
Carpenter and co-writer Debra Hill have stated many times over the years that they did not consciously set out to depict virginity as a way of defeating a rampaging killer. The reason why the horny teens all die is simply that they're so preoccupied with getting laid that they don't notice that there's a killer at large. Laurie Strode, on the other hand, spends a lot of time on her own and is therefore more alert.
As the film was shot out of sequence, Carpenter created a fear meter so that Jamie Lee Curtis would know what level of terror she should be exhibiting.
Debra Hill wrote most of the dialog for the female characters, while Carpenter concentrated on Dr Loomis's speeches.
As the film was made in spring, the crew had huge difficulty in procuring pumpkins.

From a budget of $325,000 the film went on to gross $47 million at the US box office. In 2009 takings that would be the equivalent of $150 million, making "Halloween" one of the most successful independent films of all time.
Prior to the movie, a book was written by Curtis Richards, and reveals more of the story behind Michael's rage. However, the book is very rare.

Review: Halloween (1978)