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John Carpenter had only filmed and written two half-obscure films when executive producer Irwin Yablans had offered him to make a low budget film about the killing of babysitters. "It was a horrible idea," said Carpenter during a recent phone interview. "But I wanted to do more movies, so I said," Great! ""
Forty years later, this movie – "Halloween" – continues to generate sequels, remakes and reboots. The latest, also titled "Halloween" and inaugurated Oct. 19, brings back Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), the only survivor of the initial rampage of psycho-masked Michael Myers. Now an armed grandmother, she is determined to kill the seemingly immortal Myers. "What really motivates me to come back all those years later is the deep love and reverence of the fans," said Curtis. "The passion for this film is very powerful."
Mr. Carpenter, Ms. Curtis, four of her co-stars and others spoke about their memories of making the original film. "It's the best experience of my life," said Curtis. "It gave me everything in my creative life."
These are edited excerpts from the conversation.
Alongside Producer Debra Hill, his girlfriend, Mr. Carpenter wrote the screenplay, describing the title action after the holiday after Mr. Yablans suggested replacing the film title of "The Babysitter." Murders "by" Halloween. "
JOHN CARPENTER It was very smart. I can not believe anyone else has called their movie "Halloween" before. I told Irwin that I wanted a final cut and my name above the title. It was important for me to control my own movie. He said, "Yes, of course."
For Laurie's key role, Carpenter told Curtis, 19-year-old daughter of Janet Leigh, star of Alfred Hitchcock's slasher film, "Psycho". A few years earlier, the producers of "The Exorcist" envisioned Mrs. Curtis as the possessed child Regan, but Ms. Leigh did not allow it. (The role went to Linda Blair.)
JAMIE LEE CURTIS My mother was protecting me from being a child in the cinema. Later, I had a role in the sitcom on ABC's "Operation Petticoat". I was sent back and I was devastated. If I had not been fired, I would not have been available for "Halloween". As my Jewish family would say, it was low – it was intended. I did not think for a second that it was a horror movie and my mother had been in a horror movie.
CARPENTER It was pretty obvious: I was not stupid. But the reason I threw her, is that she could play that innocent and pent-up girl, and she had a spark of intelligence about her. It was his first film, so I called after the first day of filming. She needed that.
CURTIS When the phone rang at my house the first night and my roommate told me it was John, I thought I was fired. As soon as I picked up the phone, I heard John say softly from the south: "Darlin," I just wanted to tell you how awesome it was. This has never happened to me since.
Carpenter called on Nick Castle, a former student at the University of Southern California Film School, to play Michael.
CASTLE OF NICK I said, "I'd like to be on the set while you realize, because it will demystify the experience for me." John said, "Great, we're going to have a guy who's going to hide. Why do not you do it? It was as simple as that.
CARPENTER Nick's father was a choreographer and Nick has a grace for his movements. I would say, "Nick, walk here and … action!" That's why I needed him, and he was perfect for that.
CASTLE It did not take Juilliard to do it, but people seem to like the moves I made. I was clay in the hands of John.
Designer Tommy Lee Wallace went to Bert Wheeler's Magic Shop on Hollywood Boulevard to buy a mask for Michael. He came back with two: a clown mask and one from William Shatner in the role of Captain Kirk in "Star Trek".
CASTLE Tommy came in with the clown mask and we said to ourselves, "Ooh, it's pretty scary." Then he put on the Shatner mask, then we stopped and said, "It's perfect."
CARPENTER Tommy had spray-painted it in white and cut the larger holes. It was scary. It's weird to wear a human face. Once I went to see William Shatner at a convention and said, "Hello, I'm John Carpenter." He was on the phone and never looked up.
WILLIAM SHATNER I do not remember it. I would love to meet him. He is a very talented man.
CARPENTER It is such [expletive]!
SHATNER I thought it would be fun once if I took my own children to trick or treat and I wore the mask. If they did not offer my children a candy, I removed the mask.
To lend the film gravitas, Mr. Carpenter played the famous British actor Donald Pleasence ("The Great Escape") in the role of Michael's psychiatrist, Loomis.
CARPENTER At first, I was terrified because he said, "I do not know why I'm doing this movie. The only reason my daughter liked the music you wrote in your other movie, "Assault on Precinct 13." "But we quickly became friends.
Lindsey, one of Laurie's babysitting charges, was played by Kyle Richards, a veteran actor who grew up to become a star of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills".
KYLE RICHARDS People jokingly say, "What's more scary: turn" Real Housewives "or" Halloween "? and I say, "It's hard for me to answer." It was really scary to watch me in this movie. After seeing him, I had to sleep with my mother until the age of 15 years old.
With a budget of $ 300,000, everyone had to participate. The cast members helped Mr. Carpenter decorate the decor. The film was shot in southern California in the spring, but the leaves were hand-painted to give the impression of being October. Haddonfield, Ill., Where the film was shot.
CARPENTER We were kids and we wanted to be in the cinema business. There was not a lot of ego involved. Everyone was working together and it was fun. You do not have much fun in movies.
NANCY LOOMIS (Babysitter Annie) John knew what he wanted technically because he understood the support. There was no thought. It was just: "Let's go do this movie and have fun."
CARPENTER My job, clear and simple, was to scare the public. He does not need to be more than that. The movie was an exciting adventure.
Nowhere was Carpenter's mastery more evident than in the inaugural film – a single take of five minutes from the killer's point of view. He filmed it with a new camera, the Panaglide, which gave the scenes held in hand a finesse never seen before.
CARPENTER The foreground was a wacky thing to do when you think of classic movies that have long follow-up plans such as "Touch of Evil" and "Scarface". It was a challenge and that's why it was exciting.
CURTIS It was the last day of filming. Since the budget was so limited, there were moments in the foreground where electricians rushed into another room as soon as the camera passed them to light another corner. It was very exciting to watch.
CARPENTER The Panaglide had a unique movement. The camera swayed back and forth and added something really strange and sinister.
The particularly frightening effect of this film also contributed to the impact of the film. It was composed by Mr. Carpenter and was awarded to the Bowling Green Philharmonic Orchestra. (The director attended Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky)
CARPENTER I only had three days to write it, and the main title was a piano riff on my father 's teaching 5/4 times on the bongos when I was 13 years old. I thought it was unusual. I sat at the piano, I called my father and I played him. It's a very simple score. The Bowling Green Philharmonic Orchestra was just me and the synthesizer teacher at U.S.C., a very nice man by the name of Dan Wyman. We did not have money. That's how you make a low-budget movie.
LOOMIS The first time I saw the movie, it was a rough cut without the music and I thought to myself, "Oh, it's so forgettable." Then I went to a screening when the score was over, and I was impressed by the terrifying film was.
The film initially drew negative reviews and slowly started at the box office.
CARPENTER During the first series of reviews, I was very badly caught as a director.
But "Halloween" was incorporated into word-of-mouth that eventually drew the praise of influential critics like Roger Ebert, who gave him four stars and compared to "Psycho".
CURTIS I remember going to see him in Hollywood, and in the middle of the film, when Laurie was walking down the street where the character of PJ Soles was being strangled, that woman stood up and shouted, "N '. do not go in there. ! "In that second, I understood exactly what John was planning to do. The audience cared for Laurie.
CARPENTER I was delighted when critics began to praise it.
The film ended up establishing the career of Mr. Carpenter and Mrs. Curtis.
CARPENTER That made my career. That even made me notice and associated me with horror movies. That brought me to work from there.
CURTIS The stars have fallen on me and I do not know why. I am almost 60 years old and I am sitting in a tower with a bodyguard outside my room, speaking at the New York Times.
"Halloween" became the most successful independent film at the time of its release, making nearly $ 50 million in the domestic market (about $ 180 million in today's dollars). Yet this also inspired a critical reaction among feminist critics, who noted that the Virgin Laurie survives while his promiscuous pals are killed.
P.J.SOLES (Babysitter Lynda) This review is ridiculous. I mean, totally ridiculous!
LOOMIS The film is a very good example of the patriarchate's position at that time. The fact that John said it was not intentional is really relevant. It was the norm.
CARPENTER The biggest mistake of my life was getting a prize at the Women's Film Festival, and I was booed. I deserved it, I suppose.
CURTIS The film has generated a lot of PhDs and it's great because we need more people who think.
In another sense, the film has advanced feminism by establishing Ms. Hill (died at age 54 in 2005) as a writer-producer and pioneer of equality.
LOOMIS Debra was pretty sharp. She has innovated and is known to have helped many women gain access to positions they would not otherwise have.
RICHARDS In my childhood, seeing a woman in a strong position stood out from me. I remember thinking, "Wow, this woman is one of the bosses."
Insoles Debra was really an inspiration and that is John who, without a doubt, encouraged her to move on.
CURTIS She was very much a partner of John, but she was more than that. She was the voice of the three women in the film. I became very good friends with Debra and miss her terribly.
Although Michael Myers escaped at the end of the original "Halloween," there were no plans for sequels or remakes – well under 10, including the 2018 release.
CURTIS It did not start as a franchise. None of the people involved in the film planned to develop their own sector.
CARPENTER The disappearance of Michael at the end of the first movie makes you gasp, and I wanted to leave the public this way. I did not want any suites. Boy, was I wrong, huh?
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