Fun Fact-Janet Leigh who is the mom of Jamie Lee Curtis played Marion Crain in the movie Psycho and her boyfriend's name is...Sam Loomis ...who is also the name of the Doctor in Halloween Dr.Sam Loomis
Keep in mind, in the original film, Michael's only reason for killing was simply being evil. Which is one reason why Loomis never really called Michael by "him,." Loomis instead calls Michael "IT." It kind of shows why. He doesn't act or feel human. Later films give Michael more of a reason of why he does and what does. I will not spoil it for you but what I will say is that its much scarier to have no reason why Michael is Michael lol. Oh and the musical score is mostly all synths with very few minor strings.
Yep. One of the things that makes Michael so utterly terrifying. He wasn't abused, he isn't possessed, he's not a mutant or undead or any other sort of supernatural entity. He's a normal kid who grew up on a normal street and one day something in his brain just broke, and every ability to empathize or even communicate effectively disappeared. That's why all the bodies are rigged for Laurie to find at the start of the climax: he's built a haunted house, and he's just trying to scare her, because it's Halloween and that's what you do. He has no concept anymore that murdering people isn't the way to do that.
Concreteowl: Exactly. It seems like most reactors never catch on to the amount of times people reference how Haddonfield is filled with pranksters, to the point that the sheriff is more interested in keeping the peace due to pranksters than trying to help Loomis find what he believes is a harmless asylum escapee. It's weird, but funny
It might not be obvious, but Michael's mask is a modified Captain Kirk mask. Their two options during filming was that mask and an Emmett Kelly Hobo Clown mask. I'm so glad they went with Kirk.
They weren't watching John Carpenter's 'The Thing.' They were watching Howard Hawks' "The Thing From Another World" from 1951. John Carpenter remade it in 1982.
The Fog is fun with JLC, her mom Janet Leigh, Nancy Loomis (Annie, in Halloween) and Charles Cyphers (Brackett in Halloween) A character named Nick Castle (one of the Michael Meyers in the original Halloween) and John Carpenter in a cameo. A character named after Tommy Wallace (crew member, one of the Michael Meyers in Halloween who played the epic close scene). Wallace played one of the pirate ghosts in The Fog.
11:33 actually in this first movie Michael’s appeal and what makes him more terrifying to watch was he was only 6’1 and about 160-180 something pounds, he’s average male height and weight but can lift a man with one arm and pierce him with a chef’s knife and hang him to a wooden cabinet door with little difficulty
JLC with her wig in that film b/c she cut her hair short. When they shot some extra footage for Halloween as padding for the network TV version, she wore a towel around her head in her scene with PJ Soles to hide her change in hair style.
The cinematography of this movie is so absurdly great. It was Carpenter's first collaboration with Dean Cundey, who would go on to work together again on Escape From New York, The Fog, The Thing, and Big Trouble in Little China. He also was the DP for Who Framed Roger Rabbit, the Back to the Future Trilogy, Hook, Jurassic Park, and Apollo 13. Most recently he's been working on Star Wars, lensing two episodes of The Book of Boba Fett and three season 3 episodes of The Mandalorian. The long takes do such an amazing job establishing the neighborhood's geography. At no point during the third act is it ever unclear where the characters are and what they are doing. The highlights & shadows create so much tension because you are constantly expecting Michael Myers to emerge from all sorts of hiding places on the screen. And that shot where Cundey simply opens up the iris to let the white mask materialize in the darkness behind Laurie is a masterpiece of blocking. So many movies took the wrong lessons from this one and it still holds up today, with nowhere near the level of jump-scares or gore that became the backbone of horror later. Also, Tony Moran only played the unmasked Michael. For the rest of the film, he was played by Nick Castle, who went on to become a director himself on films like The Last Starfighter, The Boy Who Could Fly, Dennis the Menace and Major Payne. Castle was a college friend and bandmate of John Carpenter and was a trained dancer and mime, and much of Michael's movement (such as the head tilt when he pinned the guy to the door) was designed by Castle. Now as far as the sequels....WHOOOO boy, Halloween is the original movie multiverse. There are not one, not two, but THREE different continuities, with only the original film being the connection between all three: THE ORIGINAL SERIES: Halloween, Halloween II, Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers, Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers THE REBOOT SERIES: Halloween, Halloween II, Halloween: H20, Halloween: Resurrection THE CARPENTER/BLUM SERIES: Halloween, Halloween (2018), Halloween Kills, Halloween Ends Only the most recent series had Carpenter involved for its entirety, as director of the first film and the executive producer for the other three. He also scored all four films. Carpenter wrote & produced the original Halloween II and Halloween III: Season of the Witch. Halloween III is not a Michael Myers film, as Carpenter had originally hoped that the series would become an anthology, with a new horror tale released every year and the season being the thing that ties them together. In fact, Halloween III takes place in a world where the original film is just that...a film. Halloween III was intended to be Carpenters homage to the British horror-sci-fi Dr. Quatermass series, but audiences responded negatively to the movie because if its lack of connection to the first two films, and producer Moustapha Akkad took over the franchise with Halloween IV. However, Halloween III has since been reassessed and is now considered a cult classic in the horror-sci-fi genre. Carpenter would later be able to do a more direct Quatermass homage with his film Prince of Darkness, part 2 of his "Apocalypse Trilogy" that also includes The Thing and In the Mouth of Madness.
By today standards Halloween could be considered pretty tame. Very little gore or blood. But what makes it a classic and still scary is the way John Carpenter builds the tension and not know what could be around the corner.
I really enjoy seeing people react to this film for the first time. I've seen it countless times and love it so much. But no one has ever noted the Kitty Genovese element when Laurie's cries for help are ignored. Thank you for catching that! Something else that I only just realized now is that the only man who "takes his time" in this film is Michael 🤔
19:11 “This is the first time the Dr. is even smiling in this whole movie” I’ve never thought of it this way but it’s interesting to note that.. We’re so caught up in the fact that Michael IS back that we don’t even consider for a moment how this affects Loomis. Perhaps he never smiles as he himself is a reflection of what was before him the last 15 years-an emotionless void that’s lost all humanity.. or perhaps he himself has gone mad and only finds comfort in his own trauma by the littlest of things I don’t know, just something to think about
Great reaction, as usual, Master Katarn. Yes, you're right: Michael focused on Laurie and Tommy, because they were the first 2 people he encountered upon returning to his hometown...plus, they were both in front of his house, and they resembled 17-year-old Judith and 6-year-old Michael. And, yes, Kyle: Michael's pursuit of Laurie as his "Final Kill", became his undoing...he got a knitting needle to his throat, a wire hanger to the eye socket, a stab wound to his upper body, 6 gunshots from a revolver, and a fall from a 2-story balcony. And, Carpenter and Hill intentionally meant for the (unnerving) ending to mean that the spirit of Michael/The Boogeyman is present everywhere, now, in Haddonfield. He truly went back HOME... A classic.
@@radfem2010 Absolutely. It was rather cheesy...even Carpenter admits to that truth. It was cool, in H20: Halloween -- 20 Years Later, because it was a helluva dynamic, with 37-year-old Laurie Strode finally confronting her 41-year-old psychopath Brother.
The great Donald Pleasance is absolutely brilliant as Dr. Loomis, his signature role. His line readings, his expressions, his intensity....all perfect. Also, this was 1978. Carpenter's remake of "The Thing" was in 1982. The version of "The Thing" shown on the TV in the film is the 1951 original which is excellent in it's own right.
I never saw Michael knocking down the potted plant as deliberate. I always liked it as a mistake that until now we’ve never seen him make;makes him more relatable and therefore, scarier.
Yeah I thought it was accidental and he'd only been out of the mental institution about 24 hours so he'd be awkward. Plus I think that's when Annie spilled a little water or something on her shirt so had to strip.
The classic, and another example of horror that is more about building tension than relying on cheap jump scares and gore. The movie on the TV was The Thing From Another World from 1951. John Carpenter's The Thing came out four years after Halloween.
Many people just assume that Michael is a serial killer in a mask. This isn't the case. This is low key mentioned by Dr Loomis in every scene that he talks about Michael; referring to him as "it", his conversation with the cop in the Myers house. Even in the script it doesn't refer to Michael by name, it instead refers to him as "The Shape". It's even in the credits. You have child Michael, adult Michael, and The Shape. Michael is an evil without an origin and with no apparent reason for killing; that's what makes the story more chilling. John Carpenter had hoped to turn the Halloween franchise into an anthology project, with each movie being centered around Halloween. Halloween 3 was Carpenter's next entry into his anthology idea but people wanted more Michael so the movie flopped. Halloween 3 had nothing to do with Michael Myers. Because of Friday the 13th's success the studio wanted more Michael movies but Carpenter refused leading someone else to direct Halloween 2. Carpenter was offered to do whatever he wanted with Halloween 3 if he stayed on to write Halloween 2. For the TV version of Halloween extra scenes were added to tie it into Halloween 2. We're then left with the seemingly myriad of different Halloween timelines with the first Halloween as the only common thread. Halloween (1978), Halloween 2 (1981), Halloween 4, Halloween 5, Halloween 6 is the first timeline. Halloween (1978), Halloween 2 (1981), Halloween H20, Halloween: Resurrection is the second timeline. Halloween (1978), Halloween (2018), Halloween Kills, Halloween Ends is the last timeline. Halloween (2007), Halloween 2 (2009) is Rob Zombie's remake of their respective titles. Removes the mystery from Michael's origin and much of the supernatural nature of the original story. Edit: Added some things I wanted to include, but forgot, and corrected some errors.
As someone else said, Peeping Tom fits the bill more. In "Psycho", people keep coming to the hotel and triggering Norman. In "Peeping Tom", this guy is a killer through and through. He even had a gimmick, using a tripod camera to both film his victims and do the killing.
Halloween wasn't technically tge first slasher movie but Michael Meyers *was* the first killer we'd ever seen in the 70's who wouldn't stay dead no matter what you did to him. That car scene where Annie gets killed is why 45 years later I still check the backseat of a vehicle before I get in. This movie also accidentally started the trope of only virgins surviving horror movies. That wasn't intended when they made it. Friday the 13th set the tropes of no sex, no drugs, no drinking and never saying "I'll be right back" if you wanted to survive a horror movie in stone.
GREAT video. Hallowe'en is such a fantastic film. And it was beyond awesome that Hallowe'en 2 is a direct sequel, continuing the events from October 31st into November 1st. Incredible.
I love how you thought the theme song was a Christmas movie one lol. The “this is Halloween, this is Halloween” song is from Tim Burton’s the night before Christmas
I just realized something new many years after seeing this movie many times. That ticking percussion in the soundtrack you hear is actually the signal alarm for a train crossing. There's this whole symbolism between "fate" as discussed in the movie, Michael Myers as a relentless killing machine, and a freight train barreling towards a helpless person. Also, John Carpenter said in an interview I think I read somewhere that all of his movies were actually Westerns in disguise, and trains feature heavily in old westerns. Plus, there is a literal train when Michael kills the guy for his overalls and leaves his body in the weeds.
I really hope you watch the original sequel to this, Halloween II. It wraps everything up neatly. Then, if you like, you can do the new sequels. And then the Rob Zombie reboot. That's the one where Michael is a giant...mainly due to him being played by Tyler Mane in those films.
FYI: THE 1st slasher film, psycho, was inspired by an actual person. Ed Gein. He also inspired the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, & the Silence of the Lambs killer, BUFFALO BILL.
This is one of the greatest films of all time, it's in the congressional library's film registry board. It's a list of films deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant" that are recommended for preservation by those holding the best elements for that film, be it motion picture studios, the Library of Congress and other archives, or filmmakers. Around 830 films on that list, out of millions made. Carpenter wrote Myers to be the actual boogeyman. He said he's a human, but he has a supernatural edge. He was only gonna do this one film, and the ending was supposed to scare people as it implies that you can't kill the boogeyman, with them showing all the places he's been in the movie, and his breathing getting heavier. It suggests that he can be everywhere, and nowhere. Another fun fact is that the movie cost $325,000, half of it went to the camera and lenses. The Myers house is in Pasadena, CA, they were gonna demolish it in 1987 but a guy who is not even a fan of the movie, but realized what the house meant stopped it, and they actually designated it as a historic site. So they moved the house down the street as they were building condos there. The street where Myers is looking at Laurie as she sings walking away it's all the way down there at the intersection. It's a dentist/insurance office, right across the street from the the hardware store that was broken into in the movie.
It was Nick Castle who played "The Shape". Tony whatshisface played Michael for the brief few seconds he was unmasked. Nick Castle is a legend for coming back decades later to be Michael for the last trilogy.
Yeah Robert Englund (Nightmare on Elm Street) was one of the leaf wranglers. It was shot in spring/summer with the daytime neighborhood shots being in South Pasadena so the trees including the palm trees (in Illinois!) were green. They subbed in squash for most of the pumpkins (though they did locate a couple) b/c it was offseason for them.
Special props to actor/stuntman Nick Castle who played adult Michael Meyers throughout, except for the few face reveal moments. It was uncommon in 1978 for anyone to achieve such a scene stealing, monumental screen presence without showing their face or speaking a single word of dialog. Many silent villains populated the slasher wave to follow but none imo did so in such a compelling and original way.
17:04 "You saw him walk off. You see his shoulder." Wait until you see HALLOWEEN 5. My God! That one had the most obvious "Somebody is right there!" yet Tina did NOT see him.
Thanks, Grizz! 🎃 There are a zillion ways to proceed. If you want to stick with vintage-flair you can watch HALLOWEEN II (1981) and end with HALLOWEEN H20: 20 YEARS LATER (1998). If you want to see the recent trilogy, which I think is pretty good, then directly watch HALLOWEEN (2018), HALLOWEEN KILLS (2021) and HALLOWEEN ENDS (2022). And if you ever want to add a death metal flavor, you'll want to compare to Rob Zombie's HALLOWEEN (2007) and HALLOWEEN II (2009). But whatever you do is fine, I just want you to enjoy yourself... and I hope to witness it all. #GrizzledWizard #John Carpenter #Halloween #Halloween1978
Moran only played Michael during the "unmasking" scene. Producer Debra Hill played Michael as a child - the scene where he murders his sister, Judith. Prodution Designer Tommy Lee Wallace was Michael tearing into the closet-door slates (he had set the slats up to break apart). Last - but not least - The Shape was played by Nick Castle, a long-time friend of Carpenter. Castle was not physically imposing at 5'10" and 160-ish lb, but for whatever reason, as the series progressed, Michael Myers got bigger and bulkier. Go figure.
Debra Hill also played one scene of Michael standing with Lindsey's house behind him. You can kind of tell b/c he looks shorter in that shot. One of the crew people in Halloween who helped with building sets was Robert Englund who later played Freddy Kruger. He was also the autumn leaf wrangler. The film was shot in Pasadena during spring/summer so they had to find some autumn leaves.
@@Kenny-ep2nf Yeah the novelization explains it a bit and also makes it clear that Michael Meyers' homicidal tendencies continued in the mental institution. Origianlly in the novel he spoke for a while and "accidents" started happening when he was around and then went mute. it also made it clear that yes, Annie's dad smoked the pot cloud and that Annie actually was aware the car they'd seen earlier that she yelled out was following them but decided not to tell Laurie. I saw her give a look while driving which made me wonder if that part made it in.
Well , the 2 teens driving, ( jamie and her friend) , did not drive all day with Michael trailing them. The friend did not meet Laurie until 6 : 30 p.m.. So technically it was dark in the next 30 minutes. It is fall season . But why she , the driver, never noticed Micheal was trailing them is unknown? Maybe, they both were high on reefer? Lol
The one I thought was creepy was Lynda b/c he posed as the boyfriend. Someone raised the point as to whether or not Lynda actually realized that it wasn't her boyfriend trying to kill her since unlike Laurie and Tommy she didn't seem to have really made the connection with Michael driving by them. Though there was a scene filmed for the TV version where she dropped by Laurie's house and said someone had been following her and then mentioned a name of someone she knew. Interesting that Annie got the gravestone.
It certainly is Michael at his strongest. The way he kills some people by crushing them with his bare hands... The mask was too clean though...and they got the clown mask wrong for Jamie's costume.
Straight up masterpiece and top 5 films of all time for me, in any genre. The only thing that bothers me a little is that she's seen this dude all day. Maybe it's the '70's but I would've been "Wtf is going on here?" hours before. 😂
If you view the movie in isolation, and ignore the sequels, I think Michael was just curious at first. I do think he came to Haddonfield to try and recreate his first kill, but I don't think he necessarily intended to harm Laurie or Tommy. The first overtly aggressive action he takes is when Annie shouts at him "speed kills" and he breakchecks. That seems to be what triggers him. Although he does follow Laurie to her house, on Halloween night itself he shows no interest in Laurie at all. It's all Annie, because she's the one that reminds him the most of his sister. Annie is the one he constructs a shrine for with his sister's gravestone. And after he kills her, he makes no attempt to go after Laurie. Everyone else he kills and/or chases are people who came to the house where he was chilling with his creepy sister shrine. And even when he goes after Laurie, he's all business. He springs his ambush and, when it fails, he chases her. He doesn't stalk her all night the way he did Annie. To him, Laurie was no more significant than Bob or Lynda. Of course, the sequels introduce some more context which kind of mess all that up. And even kind of create a continuity flaw in the fact he uses Annie to create his sister-shrine, but eh.
I’ve never heard that perspective before. I guess I’m in the camp that he definitely intended to harm her since he began stalking her as soon as he laid eyes on her. But it’s really interesting to see different perspectives.👍🙂
Michael Myers isn't really that big. He's more slender and feline. It's hard to slip in and out of the shadows and hide behind bushes if you're a huge guy. Jason Voorhees from the Friday the 13th movies is usually shown as being a hulk, and some of the subsequent Halloween movies feature a jacked Michael Myers. But in this first one, less is more, which can be said for a lot of the film.
oneironaut: In Halloween I and II, both Castle and Warlock are very average people in terms of height and weight. For me, this cements the idea of The Ordinary that's established in the setting of the movie. Haddonfield is an ordinary small suburban town in ordinary Middle America with ordinary people in it with no reason to think they're in danger at any time. Myers being of average build is how he fools everyone... Except Loomis. He has everyone fooled with his nonthreatening appearance that hides extraordinary intelligence, strength, and abilities all centered around his Evil. That's what's scary about the movie and great about Myers. It seems like he was only made bigger to compete with Jason. But, in the novelizations, his father and grandfather were described as big men, so it's possible he was a late bloomer. haha
@@oneironaut420 That was something that was talked about in the novelization. There were basic descriptions of him, but also, Myers had a few thoughts about it... If I recall correctly. Let me know if you're interested in listening to the audio drama version of the novel here on UA-cam
Nick Castle. They did show a brief glimpse of him and hired an actor under the credit of Michael Meyers (23). He was actually 21 but the actor who played him was 23.
This was FUN!😃 After you watch Halloween II (1981) please look up the music video Careless Sister by The Merkins here on UA-cam. It’s BRILLIANTLY done!😃
@@Kenny-ep2nf It’s a music video made specifically for Halloween. It includes lots of footage from Halloween and then there’s footage from something else but I don’t want to give that away because it’s REALLY well known.😄 They did a brilliant job with the lyrics. It’s a popular video. I just checked and it’s up to 4.1 million views.
You were possibly thinking of the jingle from the silver shamrock novelties company in Halloween 3. The only entry in the series that doesn't feature Micheal Myers. The jingle plays repeatedly throughout the film as an advert that counts down to Halloween and I think it's pretty well known despite the mixed reception to the film itself.
Would not the fact that an individual up for parole or review requiring over-drugging for docility during the hearing, negate the hearing to begin with?
There are so many movies in this franchise that it can get rather confusing. This may help: ua-cam.com/video/Tpc7eYkVmXk/v-deo.html Admittedly, the video's out of date because it was made before the most recent movie trilogy, but it still illustrates the point. XD Possible spoilers, but I'll still leave it here.
Grizzled Wizard as 4 how Michael The Boogeyman/The Shape Myers inexplicably pops up plus disappears/vanishes he was originally designed/made 2 be an almost Supernatural Force (Superhuman Physique (Durability as well as Arm Strength of unknown degree/limit) who's Supernaturally Edged: Self Healing Factor 4 every kill he commits & seemingly some kind/some sort of/some form of Teleportation) a virtually indestructible/unkillable/unstoppable evil force of nature that's loose though he may appear/look/seem human 2 ya except he's not entirely human otherwise he would've died as well as stayed dead from every physical deadly thing that's been done 2 him such getting hit in the face/head by a big/huge handheld rock or a bag/sack full of bricks!
I think the only one that would have been spared would have been Linda if she'd been sexing it up elsewhere with Bob. I think he was peeved at Annie for yelling at him while he was driving by b/c he braked suddenly.
It's amazing to think that Jamie Lee Curtis only got $8,000. ($24,000. adjusted for inflation), Donald Pleasence only got $20,000. ($60,000. AFI), and Michael only got $25. a day ($75. a day AFI). 🤔 I guess there were actors who cared more art then. 🤠
Yeah she did't make much. My brothers knew her and knew she landed a film (after doing some TV) but not what film. She was about 19. She got about $8,000 and a small wardrobe budget (as opposed to having to use her own clothes).
I just found this guy and can’t stop watching
Fun Fact-Janet Leigh who is the mom of Jamie Lee Curtis played Marion Crain in the movie Psycho and her boyfriend's name is...Sam Loomis ...who is also the name of the Doctor in Halloween Dr.Sam Loomis
Tommy Doyle the kid in Halloween that Laurie babysits is named after Det. Tom Doyle in Rear Window.
Keep in mind, in the original film, Michael's only reason for killing was simply being evil.
Which is one reason why Loomis never really called Michael by "him,." Loomis instead calls Michael "IT." It kind of shows why. He doesn't act or feel human. Later films give Michael more of a reason of why he does and what does. I will not spoil it for you but what I will say is that its much scarier to have no reason why Michael is Michael lol.
Oh and the musical score is mostly all synths with very few minor strings.
Yep. One of the things that makes Michael so utterly terrifying. He wasn't abused, he isn't possessed, he's not a mutant or undead or any other sort of supernatural entity. He's a normal kid who grew up on a normal street and one day something in his brain just broke, and every ability to empathize or even communicate effectively disappeared. That's why all the bodies are rigged for Laurie to find at the start of the climax: he's built a haunted house, and he's just trying to scare her, because it's Halloween and that's what you do. He has no concept anymore that murdering people isn't the way to do that.
My nightmare is that thoughtless, soulless killer. No reason, no escape.
yep Michael doesn't really have a proper reason to do what he does other than the fact that he simply can, he thrives off of it.
Yeah they went back to the original motivation of no reason when they did the latest trilogy which only used the original as historic canon.
The scariest bit is when Laurie is screaming for help and knocking on doors but nobody helps because they just assume it's a prank.
Concreteowl: Exactly. It seems like most reactors never catch on to the amount of times people reference how Haddonfield is filled with pranksters, to the point that the sheriff is more interested in keeping the peace due to pranksters than trying to help Loomis find what he believes is a harmless asylum escapee.
It's weird, but funny
Funny, I thought the scariest bit was the knife wielding psychopath in the mask
@@xavvi hahaha
And it was common back then to pull off such pranks
It might not be obvious, but Michael's mask is a modified Captain Kirk mask. Their two options during filming was that mask and an Emmett Kelly Hobo Clown mask. I'm so glad they went with Kirk.
They weren't watching John Carpenter's 'The Thing.' They were watching Howard Hawks' "The Thing From Another World" from 1951. John Carpenter remade it in 1982.
yup
The use of blue lighting in this film was great
very intelligently done
Another John Carpenter classic! It's called "The Fog" You will loveeeeee❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
The Fog is fun with JLC, her mom Janet Leigh, Nancy Loomis (Annie, in Halloween) and Charles Cyphers (Brackett in Halloween) A character named Nick Castle (one of the Michael Meyers in the original Halloween) and John Carpenter in a cameo. A character named after Tommy Wallace (crew member, one of the Michael Meyers in Halloween who played the epic close scene). Wallace played one of the pirate ghosts in The Fog.
I know Halloween has past BUT you could watch the 2nd film too. It takes place on the same night as the first.
yep it's just as good
11:33 actually in this first movie Michael’s appeal and what makes him more terrifying to watch was he was only 6’1 and about 160-180 something pounds, he’s average male height and weight but can lift a man with one arm and pierce him with a chef’s knife and hang him to a wooden cabinet door with little difficulty
None of the sequels are as good as the original. I have a suggestion for you: The 1971 "The Andromeda Strain." Top notch!
Halloween 2 picks up where this ended 😊
JLC with her wig in that film b/c she cut her hair short. When they shot some extra footage for Halloween as padding for the network TV version, she wore a towel around her head in her scene with PJ Soles to hide her change in hair style.
25:39 This is one of those moments ingrained in my mind in terms of horror films.
The cinematography of this movie is so absurdly great. It was Carpenter's first collaboration with Dean Cundey, who would go on to work together again on Escape From New York, The Fog, The Thing, and Big Trouble in Little China. He also was the DP for Who Framed Roger Rabbit, the Back to the Future Trilogy, Hook, Jurassic Park, and Apollo 13. Most recently he's been working on Star Wars, lensing two episodes of The Book of Boba Fett and three season 3 episodes of The Mandalorian.
The long takes do such an amazing job establishing the neighborhood's geography. At no point during the third act is it ever unclear where the characters are and what they are doing. The highlights & shadows create so much tension because you are constantly expecting Michael Myers to emerge from all sorts of hiding places on the screen. And that shot where Cundey simply opens up the iris to let the white mask materialize in the darkness behind Laurie is a masterpiece of blocking. So many movies took the wrong lessons from this one and it still holds up today, with nowhere near the level of jump-scares or gore that became the backbone of horror later.
Also, Tony Moran only played the unmasked Michael. For the rest of the film, he was played by Nick Castle, who went on to become a director himself on films like The Last Starfighter, The Boy Who Could Fly, Dennis the Menace and Major Payne. Castle was a college friend and bandmate of John Carpenter and was a trained dancer and mime, and much of Michael's movement (such as the head tilt when he pinned the guy to the door) was designed by Castle.
Now as far as the sequels....WHOOOO boy, Halloween is the original movie multiverse. There are not one, not two, but THREE different continuities, with only the original film being the connection between all three:
THE ORIGINAL SERIES: Halloween, Halloween II, Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers, Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers
THE REBOOT SERIES: Halloween, Halloween II, Halloween: H20, Halloween: Resurrection
THE CARPENTER/BLUM SERIES: Halloween, Halloween (2018), Halloween Kills, Halloween Ends
Only the most recent series had Carpenter involved for its entirety, as director of the first film and the executive producer for the other three. He also scored all four films.
Carpenter wrote & produced the original Halloween II and Halloween III: Season of the Witch.
Halloween III is not a Michael Myers film, as Carpenter had originally hoped that the series would become an anthology, with a new horror tale released every year and the season being the thing that ties them together. In fact, Halloween III takes place in a world where the original film is just that...a film. Halloween III was intended to be Carpenters homage to the British horror-sci-fi Dr. Quatermass series, but audiences responded negatively to the movie because if its lack of connection to the first two films, and producer Moustapha Akkad took over the franchise with Halloween IV. However, Halloween III has since been reassessed and is now considered a cult classic in the horror-sci-fi genre. Carpenter would later be able to do a more direct Quatermass homage with his film Prince of Darkness, part 2 of his "Apocalypse Trilogy" that also includes The Thing and In the Mouth of Madness.
@@LoneWolf_Cub_Ogami_Itto Yeah, those anamorphic flares are 100% Cundey.
By today standards Halloween could be considered pretty tame. Very little gore or blood. But what makes it a classic and still scary is the way John Carpenter builds the tension and not know what could be around the corner.
Halloween 2 picks up right at the ending of this one. I actually like it more.
this and Halloween 2 are the best
@@Kenny-ep2nf Halloween 2 was the first R rated movie I watched in the theatre with my mom. Remember it like it was yestetday.
@@matthewreese8064 it must have been an epic experience at the time to watch it on the big screen aye
I really enjoy seeing people react to this film for the first time. I've seen it countless times and love it so much. But no one has ever noted the Kitty Genovese element when Laurie's cries for help are ignored. Thank you for catching that! Something else that I only just realized now is that the only man who "takes his time" in this film is Michael 🤔
The song you were singing at the beginning is "this is Halloween" from "The nightmare before christmas."
I was like wth is he singing 😂 🎃
Favorite moment: "Why are you still there? Why aren't you moving? Why aren't you moving?" lol
They started selling lucky strike filters again. They sell them all over Washington too!
19:11 “This is the first time the Dr. is even smiling in this whole movie” I’ve never thought of it this way but it’s interesting to note that..
We’re so caught up in the fact that Michael IS back that we don’t even consider for a moment how this affects Loomis. Perhaps he never smiles as he himself is a reflection of what was before him the last 15 years-an emotionless void that’s lost all humanity.. or perhaps he himself has gone mad and only finds comfort in his own trauma by the littlest of things
I don’t know, just something to think about
Great reaction, as usual, Master Katarn. Yes, you're right: Michael focused on Laurie and Tommy, because they were the first 2 people he encountered upon returning to his hometown...plus, they were both in front of his house, and they resembled 17-year-old Judith and 6-year-old Michael. And, yes, Kyle: Michael's pursuit of Laurie as his "Final Kill", became his undoing...he got a knitting needle to his throat, a wire hanger to the eye socket, a stab wound to his upper body, 6 gunshots from a revolver, and a fall from a 2-story balcony. And, Carpenter and Hill intentionally meant for the (unnerving) ending to mean that the spirit of Michael/The Boogeyman is present everywhere, now, in Haddonfield. He truly went back HOME...
A classic.
They did change his motive a bit for the second film which was kind of cheesy imo.
@@radfem2010 Absolutely. It was rather cheesy...even Carpenter admits to that truth. It was cool, in H20: Halloween -- 20 Years Later, because it was a helluva dynamic, with 37-year-old Laurie Strode finally confronting her 41-year-old psychopath Brother.
Yesss! I grew up on all the classics 🎃 soooo good !
Now you need to watch Halloween II
The great Donald Pleasance is absolutely brilliant as Dr. Loomis, his signature role. His line readings, his expressions, his intensity....all perfect. Also, this was 1978. Carpenter's remake of "The Thing" was in 1982. The version of "The Thing" shown on the TV in the film is the 1951 original which is excellent in it's own right.
I never saw Michael knocking down the potted plant as deliberate. I always liked it as a mistake that until now we’ve never seen him make;makes him more relatable and therefore, scarier.
Yeah it goes to show he learnt to be more stealthy after a while.
Yeah I thought it was accidental and he'd only been out of the mental institution about 24 hours so he'd be awkward. Plus I think that's when Annie spilled a little water or something on her shirt so had to strip.
The classic, and another example of horror that is more about building tension than relying on cheap jump scares and gore.
The movie on the TV was The Thing From Another World from 1951. John Carpenter's The Thing came out four years after Halloween.
Watch "Black Christmas" in a couple of months. That's reeeeeally the one that started it all.
Actually, go further back to Mario Bava.
yep the best
Halloween originally was proposed as a sequel to that film.
Many people just assume that Michael is a serial killer in a mask. This isn't the case. This is low key mentioned by Dr Loomis in every scene that he talks about Michael; referring to him as "it", his conversation with the cop in the Myers house. Even in the script it doesn't refer to Michael by name, it instead refers to him as "The Shape". It's even in the credits. You have child Michael, adult Michael, and The Shape. Michael is an evil without an origin and with no apparent reason for killing; that's what makes the story more chilling.
John Carpenter had hoped to turn the Halloween franchise into an anthology project, with each movie being centered around Halloween. Halloween 3 was Carpenter's next entry into his anthology idea but people wanted more Michael so the movie flopped. Halloween 3 had nothing to do with Michael Myers. Because of Friday the 13th's success the studio wanted more Michael movies but Carpenter refused leading someone else to direct Halloween 2. Carpenter was offered to do whatever he wanted with Halloween 3 if he stayed on to write Halloween 2. For the TV version of Halloween extra scenes were added to tie it into Halloween 2.
We're then left with the seemingly myriad of different Halloween timelines with the first Halloween as the only common thread.
Halloween (1978), Halloween 2 (1981), Halloween 4, Halloween 5, Halloween 6 is the first timeline.
Halloween (1978), Halloween 2 (1981), Halloween H20, Halloween: Resurrection is the second timeline.
Halloween (1978), Halloween (2018), Halloween Kills, Halloween Ends is the last timeline.
Halloween (2007), Halloween 2 (2009) is Rob Zombie's remake of their respective titles. Removes the mystery from Michael's origin and much of the supernatural nature of the original story.
Edit: Added some things I wanted to include, but forgot, and corrected some errors.
Nice!
Pls don't wait long to react to Halloween II (1981)!
Agreed
Halloween 2.😏
FYI: THE 1st slasher movie was the Alfred Hitchcock film, PSYCHO; 1960.
Peeping Tom, 1960.
As someone else said, Peeping Tom fits the bill more. In "Psycho", people keep coming to the hotel and triggering Norman. In "Peeping Tom", this guy is a killer through and through. He even had a gimmick, using a tripod camera to both film his victims and do the killing.
@@gswithen Yep
Halloween wasn't technically tge first slasher movie but Michael Meyers *was* the first killer we'd ever seen in the 70's who wouldn't stay dead no matter what you did to him.
That car scene where Annie gets killed is why 45 years later I still check the backseat of a vehicle before I get in.
This movie also accidentally started the trope of only virgins surviving horror movies. That wasn't intended when they made it. Friday the 13th set the tropes of no sex, no drugs, no drinking and never saying "I'll be right back" if you wanted to survive a horror movie in stone.
yeah Halloween was the movie that made slashers more popular
Yeah Black Christmas wasn't exactly the first but preceded Halloween. In fact the original concept for Halloween was as a sequal to Black Christmas.
GREAT video. Hallowe'en is such a fantastic film. And it was beyond awesome that Hallowe'en 2 is a direct sequel, continuing the events from October 31st into November 1st. Incredible.
I love how you thought the theme song was a Christmas movie one lol. The “this is Halloween, this is Halloween” song is from Tim Burton’s the night before Christmas
Tommy was watching the thing , the original film, Carpenter's remake was a little years after
I think John Carpenters version was dope
I just realized something new many years after seeing this movie many times. That ticking percussion in the soundtrack you hear is actually the signal alarm for a train crossing. There's this whole symbolism between "fate" as discussed in the movie, Michael Myers as a relentless killing machine, and a freight train barreling towards a helpless person. Also, John Carpenter said in an interview I think I read somewhere that all of his movies were actually Westerns in disguise, and trains feature heavily in old westerns. Plus, there is a literal train when Michael kills the guy for his overalls and leaves his body in the weeds.
I really hope you watch the original sequel to this, Halloween II. It wraps everything up neatly.
Then, if you like, you can do the new sequels. And then the Rob Zombie reboot. That's the one where Michael is a giant...mainly due to him being played by Tyler Mane in those films.
FYI: THE 1st slasher film, psycho, was inspired by an actual person. Ed Gein. He also inspired the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, & the Silence of the Lambs killer, BUFFALO BILL.
The same year Psycho came out the brilliant Peeping Tom came out from British filmmaker Michael Powell.
Your horror movie reactions are the best, really fun❤
You can't kill the Boogyman.
John Wick: I can try.....
You’ve watched the classic ones now. Which one is your favorite so far? The scariest?
This is one of the greatest films of all time, it's in the congressional library's film registry board. It's a list of films deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant" that are recommended for preservation by those holding the best elements for that film, be it motion picture studios, the Library of Congress and other archives, or filmmakers. Around 830 films on that list, out of millions made.
Carpenter wrote Myers to be the actual boogeyman. He said he's a human, but he has a supernatural edge. He was only gonna do this one film, and the ending was supposed to scare people as it implies that you can't kill the boogeyman, with them showing all the places he's been in the movie, and his breathing getting heavier. It suggests that he can be everywhere, and nowhere. Another fun fact is that the movie cost $325,000, half of it went to the camera and lenses.
The Myers house is in Pasadena, CA, they were gonna demolish it in 1987 but a guy who is not even a fan of the movie, but realized what the house meant stopped it, and they actually designated it as a historic site. So they moved the house down the street as they were building condos there. The street where Myers is looking at Laurie as she sings walking away it's all the way down there at the intersection. It's a dentist/insurance office, right across the street from the the hardware store that was broken into in the movie.
It was Nick Castle who played "The Shape". Tony whatshisface played Michael for the brief few seconds he was unmasked. Nick Castle is a legend for coming back decades later to be Michael for the last trilogy.
yeah Nick Castle seems to enjoy playing Michael Myers
@12:03; filmed in SoCal - look how green this "autumn" is. In other scenes, fallen leaves were shipped in to film sites for authenticity.
Yeah Robert Englund (Nightmare on Elm Street) was one of the leaf wranglers. It was shot in spring/summer with the daytime neighborhood shots being in South Pasadena so the trees including the palm trees (in Illinois!) were green. They subbed in squash for most of the pumpkins (though they did locate a couple) b/c it was offseason for them.
Special props to actor/stuntman Nick Castle who played adult Michael Meyers throughout, except for the few face reveal moments. It was uncommon in 1978 for anyone to achieve such a scene stealing, monumental screen presence without showing their face or speaking a single word of dialog. Many silent villains populated the slasher wave to follow but none imo did so in such a compelling and original way.
Gotta watch part 2 it’s a continuation from this night
17:04 "You saw him walk off. You see his shoulder."
Wait until you see HALLOWEEN 5. My God! That one had the most obvious "Somebody is right there!" yet Tina did NOT see him.
Thanks, Grizz! 🎃 There are a zillion ways to proceed. If you want to stick with vintage-flair you can watch HALLOWEEN II (1981) and end with HALLOWEEN H20: 20 YEARS LATER (1998). If you want to see the recent trilogy, which I think is pretty good, then directly watch HALLOWEEN (2018), HALLOWEEN KILLS (2021) and HALLOWEEN ENDS (2022). And if you ever want to add a death metal flavor, you'll want to compare to Rob Zombie's HALLOWEEN (2007) and HALLOWEEN II (2009). But whatever you do is fine, I just want you to enjoy yourself... and I hope to witness it all. #GrizzledWizard #John Carpenter #Halloween #Halloween1978
Moran only played Michael during the "unmasking" scene.
Producer Debra Hill played Michael as a child - the scene where he murders his sister, Judith.
Prodution Designer Tommy Lee Wallace was Michael tearing into the closet-door slates (he had set the slats up to break apart).
Last - but not least - The Shape was played by Nick Castle, a long-time friend of Carpenter.
Castle was not physically imposing at 5'10" and 160-ish lb, but for whatever reason, as the series progressed, Michael Myers got bigger and bulkier. Go figure.
Debra Hill also played one scene of Michael standing with Lindsey's house behind him. You can kind of tell b/c he looks shorter in that shot. One of the crew people in Halloween who helped with building sets was Robert Englund who later played Freddy Kruger. He was also the autumn leaf wrangler. The film was shot in Pasadena during spring/summer so they had to find some autumn leaves.
Thanks for reacting to this masterpiece, it's the one of my favorite movies.
Nightmare Before Christmas...oh boy.
What's ridiculous is him driving so well. He got locked up at 6 years old and he could pull that off
Somebody taught him
@@Kenny-ep2nf Yeah the novelization explains it a bit and also makes it clear that Michael Meyers' homicidal tendencies continued in the mental institution. Origianlly in the novel he spoke for a while and "accidents" started happening when he was around and then went mute. it also made it clear that yes, Annie's dad smoked the pot cloud and that Annie actually was aware the car they'd seen earlier that she yelled out was following them but decided not to tell Laurie. I saw her give a look while driving which made me wonder if that part made it in.
Well , the 2 teens driving, ( jamie and her friend) , did not drive all day with Michael trailing them.
The friend did not meet Laurie until 6 : 30 p.m..
So technically it was dark in the next 30 minutes.
It is fall season .
But why she , the driver, never noticed Micheal was trailing them is unknown?
Maybe, they both were high on reefer? Lol
He stalks her and tommy because they were the first people he encountered when they dropped the keys at his home
yup
The one I thought was creepy was Lynda b/c he posed as the boyfriend. Someone raised the point as to whether or not Lynda actually realized that it wasn't her boyfriend trying to kill her since unlike Laurie and Tommy she didn't seem to have really made the connection with Michael driving by them. Though there was a scene filmed for the TV version where she dropped by Laurie's house and said someone had been following her and then mentioned a name of someone she knew. Interesting that Annie got the gravestone.
Part 4 is my personal favourite
It certainly is Michael at his strongest. The way he kills some people by crushing them with his bare hands... The mask was too clean though...and they got the clown mask wrong for Jamie's costume.
Straight up masterpiece and top 5 films of all time for me, in any genre. The only thing that bothers me a little is that she's seen this dude all day. Maybe it's the '70's but I would've been "Wtf is going on here?" hours before. 😂
You got the theme tune to Nightmare Before Christmas
I think I may of been about seven or eight, when I first watched this. Looking back, it may not have been the best idea.
If you view the movie in isolation, and ignore the sequels, I think Michael was just curious at first. I do think he came to Haddonfield to try and recreate his first kill, but I don't think he necessarily intended to harm Laurie or Tommy. The first overtly aggressive action he takes is when Annie shouts at him "speed kills" and he breakchecks. That seems to be what triggers him. Although he does follow Laurie to her house, on Halloween night itself he shows no interest in Laurie at all. It's all Annie, because she's the one that reminds him the most of his sister.
Annie is the one he constructs a shrine for with his sister's gravestone. And after he kills her, he makes no attempt to go after Laurie. Everyone else he kills and/or chases are people who came to the house where he was chilling with his creepy sister shrine. And even when he goes after Laurie, he's all business. He springs his ambush and, when it fails, he chases her. He doesn't stalk her all night the way he did Annie. To him, Laurie was no more significant than Bob or Lynda.
Of course, the sequels introduce some more context which kind of mess all that up. And even kind of create a continuity flaw in the fact he uses Annie to create his sister-shrine, but eh.
I’ve never heard that perspective before. I guess I’m in the camp that he definitely intended to harm her since he began stalking her as soon as he laid eyes on her. But it’s really interesting to see different perspectives.👍🙂
Michael Myers isn't really that big. He's more slender and feline. It's hard to slip in and out of the shadows and hide behind bushes if you're a huge guy. Jason Voorhees from the Friday the 13th movies is usually shown as being a hulk, and some of the subsequent Halloween movies feature a jacked Michael Myers. But in this first one, less is more, which can be said for a lot of the film.
oneironaut: In Halloween I and II, both Castle and Warlock are very average people in terms of height and weight. For me, this cements the idea of The Ordinary that's established in the setting of the movie.
Haddonfield is an ordinary small suburban town in ordinary Middle America with ordinary people in it with no reason to think they're in danger at any time.
Myers being of average build is how he fools everyone... Except Loomis. He has everyone fooled with his nonthreatening appearance that hides extraordinary intelligence, strength, and abilities all centered around his Evil.
That's what's scary about the movie and great about Myers. It seems like he was only made bigger to compete with Jason. But, in the novelizations, his father and grandfather were described as big men, so it's possible he was a late bloomer. haha
@@LA_HA Yeah, I like slinky Michael. His dad didn't look so big at the beginning of the first film though!
@@oneironaut420 That was something that was talked about in the novelization. There were basic descriptions of him, but also, Myers had a few thoughts about it... If I recall correctly.
Let me know if you're interested in listening to the audio drama version of the novel here on UA-cam
Also, Michael Myers dons a William Shatner as Captain Kirk mask from the era.
indeed
That’s why they call him the shape in the credits.
Nick Castle. They did show a brief glimpse of him and hired an actor under the credit of Michael Meyers (23). He was actually 21 but the actor who played him was 23.
His name is Michael not Mike
And he is not huge
He is a normal sized person
You’re thinking of Rob Zombie
Haha I knew nothing! I was a novice!
Excelente video 😃
@6:16; ...is he a realtor? If only cars could talk.
This was FUN!😃 After you watch Halloween II (1981) please look up the music video Careless Sister by The Merkins here on UA-cam. It’s BRILLIANTLY done!😃
is it a movie?
@@Kenny-ep2nf It’s a music video made specifically for Halloween. It includes lots of footage from Halloween and then there’s footage from something else but I don’t want to give that away because it’s REALLY well known.😄 They did a brilliant job with the lyrics.
It’s a popular video. I just checked and it’s up to 4.1 million views.
@@oldhollywoodfan8009 thanks for mentioning it, I oughta check it out soon
You were possibly thinking of the jingle from the silver shamrock novelties company in Halloween 3. The only entry in the series that doesn't feature Micheal Myers. The jingle plays repeatedly throughout the film as an advert that counts down to Halloween and I think it's pretty well known despite the mixed reception to the film itself.
Technically, Michael does appear. A trailer for the original Halloween is on TV.
Would not the fact that an individual up for parole or review requiring over-drugging for docility during the hearing, negate the hearing to begin with?
🔥🔥🔥
Dr. Sam Loomis, who at one time was Jamie Lee's mom's boyfriend...or something.
wow
There are so many movies in this franchise that it can get rather confusing. This may help: ua-cam.com/video/Tpc7eYkVmXk/v-deo.html Admittedly, the video's out of date because it was made before the most recent movie trilogy, but it still illustrates the point. XD Possible spoilers, but I'll still leave it here.
Grizzled Wizard as 4 how Michael The Boogeyman/The Shape Myers inexplicably pops up plus disappears/vanishes he was originally designed/made 2 be an almost Supernatural Force (Superhuman Physique (Durability as well as Arm Strength of unknown degree/limit) who's Supernaturally Edged: Self Healing Factor 4 every kill he commits & seemingly some kind/some sort of/some form of Teleportation) a virtually indestructible/unkillable/unstoppable evil force of nature that's loose though he may appear/look/seem human 2 ya except he's not entirely human otherwise he would've died as well as stayed dead from every physical deadly thing that's been done 2 him such getting hit in the face/head by a big/huge handheld rock or a bag/sack full of bricks!
I think it was more to do with Laurie and Tommy coming up to his house.
I think the only one that would have been spared would have been Linda if she'd been sexing it up elsewhere with Bob. I think he was peeved at Annie for yelling at him while he was driving by b/c he braked suddenly.
It's amazing to think that Jamie Lee Curtis only got $8,000. ($24,000. adjusted for inflation), Donald Pleasence only got $20,000. ($60,000. AFI), and Michael only got $25. a day ($75. a day AFI). 🤔 I guess there were actors who cared more art then. 🤠
Yeah she did't make much. My brothers knew her and knew she landed a film (after doing some TV) but not what film. She was about 19. She got about $8,000 and a small wardrobe budget (as opposed to having to use her own clothes).
Como
Watch more Halloween movies
he should aye