Here’s the latest from Cinema Scholars
Often repeated but never bettered, John Carpenter’s Halloween (1978) isn’t just a classic horror film, it changed the genre. It was also the most successful independent film of its time, grossing over $70 million in its initial release. Shot on a budget of $325,000 in just twenty-five days, Carpenter filmed it in Panavision (unheard of for a horror movie), used gorgeous tracking shots, and paid homage to his favorite directors. Namely, Alfred Hitchcock and Orson Welles. Perhaps most importantly, it portrayed female characters in the slasher sub-genre as dominating, empowered, and authentic people. Something that was sorely lacking up to that point.
With beautiful and creative cinematography and a believable screenplay written by Carpenter and producer Debra Hill, Halloween remains one of the very best horror films of all time. And let’s not forget about one of the most iconic film scores (in unique 5/4 time) of all time. Paving the way for popular franchises such as Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Scream, and countless others and turning future Oscar-winner Jaime Lee Curtis into a ‘Scream Queen,” Halloween is the gold standard of slasher movies. We celebrate John Carpenter’s legendary film, by presenting a 45th-anniversary deep-dive retrospective…
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