A new episode of the Halloween saga comes out on the screens this Wednesday. The opportunity to return, in ten infos, on the original feature film of 1978, unmissable work of the career of John Carpenter.
In theaters this Wednesday, "Halloween" is the direct sequel to the original 1978 film. Here are ten facts you should know about the 1978 film.
1. The French title
Only "geeks" worthy of the name still use this title. But, when it was released in France in March 1979, Halloween was called La nuit des masques . At the time, the feast where disguised children go door-to-door to stuff themselves with sweets (introduced to the United States by Irish and Scottish immigrants) has not yet crossed the Atlantic, being only identified as "Eve of All Saints". The many suites are aligned with the original title.
2. The original idea
The concept of a babysitter who has to face a dangerous psychopath does not come from the director himself but from the producer Irwin Yablans. " Halloween, at night, seemed like an ideal context," he says. I was convinced that it had already been used. But I realized that no one had exploited in a film title this word and this festival yet popular.
3. Michael Myers exists
If the name Michael Myers is now associated with the knife killer, he was named in "tribute" to a real producer, owner in the 70s of a company called Miracle Pictures, based in London. He was the one who made the distribution of Assault , John Carpenter 's previous 1976 film, in Great Britain.
4. John Carpenter is thrifty
When the proposal to stage Halloween is submitted to him, John Carpenter does not have eyes bigger than the belly. He estimates that he can do his job for a budget of $ 300,000, which is more than reasonable, even for the time. The filmmaker has two requirements: that his name appears above the title of the film and have total artistic control.
5. A star is necessary
For the role of Sam Loomis, who follows Michael Myers since childhood and tries to stop the carnage, John Carpenter wants a star. He thinks to draw among the big names of Hammer including Peter Cushing (who just appeared in Star Wars ) and Christopher Lee. Financial claims are too important. Donald Pleasence will agree to pledge a check for $ 25,000.
6. Jamie Lee Curtis was not the first choice
Originally, to embody the heroine Laurie Strode, John Carpenter thinks of Anne Lokchart, 24, who has a solid experience on television. Debra Hill, co-producer, co-writer and fiancée of the director, slips the name of Jamie Lee Curtis. " She had just played in the series Operation Charm . She was only 19 years old and gave off energy and freshness, Judge Hill. Of course, she was known to be the daughter of Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis. She was great for the role but it was thought that being a child of famous parents could help make the feature film known. " The producer Irwin Yablans throws himself on this opportunity: " It is a datum that played in his favor. This offered great opportunities at the marketing level. His mother had appeared in Psychosis , which was one of the first inspirations for Halloween .
While the feature film was once accused of sexism, Jamie Lee Curtis has always been keen to defend his character. When the success of the 2018 North American box office last weekend, she did not fail to point out that it was the best start in history for a horror movie with a heroine female.
OKAY. I'm going for one BOAST post. Biggest horror movie with a female lead.
Biggest movie opening with a female lead over 55.
Second biggest October movie opening ever.
Biggest Halloween ever opening #womengetthingsdone @halloweenmovie pic.twitter.com/DhUBy82z3U
7. A mask with a known face
The mask worn by Michael Myers seems expressionless. This is not quite the case. John Carpenter says, "Tommy Lee Wallace (the decorator) went to a store on Hollywood Boulevard and brought back some masks. One of them represented Captain Kirk's face in Star Trek. By removing his eyes, we realized that he was quite neutral, he did not think of anyone in particular. Wallace continues the anecdote: "We removed the eyebrows and added a strange hairstyle to accentuate the disturbed side, then we repainted it in white". Carpenter asks the question : "Can we say that all the success of Halloween is in the face of William Shatner (the actor playing Kirk) ? " And answers: "In reality, the mask did not look like the actor's head at all! ".
8. An imaginary city
Debra Hill's birthplace, Haddonfield, where the plot takes place, actually exists in New Jersey. Only the name was borrowed to build a fictional environment. Most of the film was shot in Pasadena, east of Los Angeles.
9. A profitable business for Carpenter
If John Carpenter agreed to commit to the film for a salary of $ 10,000, his contract contained a revenue clause. " Some time after the release, I received the biggest check of my life," he confessed. I could not believe my eyes. "
10. A cult music
The Halloween soundtrack is one of the most famous horror movies. It is due to John Carpenter himself, also a musician and used to writing the music of his films. While performing his best compositions on Oct. 11 at Pleyel Hall in Paris (a mini-tour that he will complete next week in Los Angeles), the artist has resumed his keyboards to compose the tracks accompanying this Halloween version 2018.
Tour starts this Wednesday! Looking forward to see you there! Tickets for all shows available here: https://t.co/WoNnVWCXqs pic.twitter.com/QfmLg7YOTn
- John Carpenter (@TheHorrorMaster) October 8, 2018