Michael Myers, unstoppable psycho-killer

The Halloween films are a series of horror movies, of which the first film is considered one of the most important and influential of the genre. Michael Myers from the Halloween series of films File links The following pages link to this file: Halloween (movie) Slasher film Michael Myers (Halloween) ... Michael Myers from the Halloween series of films File links The following pages link to this file: Halloween (movie) Slasher film Michael Myers (Halloween) ... DVD cover showing horror characters as depicted by Universal Studios. ...

The original blockbuster

The first film, Halloween, (originally titled The Babysitter Murders), was released in 1978. It was written by Debra Hill and John Carpenter, who also directed, and was executive produced by Moustapha Akkad. It starred Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasence. Shot on a budget of $300,000, it became the highest grossing independent film ever, and held that title until Dirty Dancing was released in 1987. It is still the most profitable horror movie title to date. See also: 1977 in film 1978 1979 in film 1970s in film years in film film Events February 1 - Bob Dylans film Renaldo and Clara, a documentary of the Rolling Thunder Revue tour premieres in Los Angeles, California March 1 - Charlie Chaplins coffin is stolen from a Swiss... Debra Hill (1950–March 7, 2005) was an American screenwriter and film producer who co-wrote the horror movie Halloween. ... John Carpenter John Howard Carpenter (born January 16, 1948 in Carthage, New York) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film music composer. ... Moustapha Akkad (born in 1935, in Syria) is a producer, director and actor. ... Jamie Lee Curtis, Lady Haden-Guest (born November 22, 1958) is an American film actress born in Los Angeles, California. ... Donald Pleasence as Ernst Stavro Blofeld in the James Bond film You Only Live Twice Donald Pleasence (October 5, 1919 - February 2, 1995) was an English actor. ... An independent film (or indie film) is a film initially produced without financing or distribution from a major movie studio. ... Dirty Dancing is a 1987 musical/romance film starring Patrick Swayze, Jennifer Grey and the late Jerry Orbach. ... See also: 1986 in film, other events of 1987, 1988 in film, list of years in film. // Events May 9 - Actor Tom Cruise marries actress Mimi Rogers. ...

Telling the story of an unstoppable psycho-killer wearing an inside-out William Shatner mask, Halloween is generally considered the first of a long line of modern-day "slasher" movies (although there are several potential predecessors, including Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960)). The movie originated a great many of the clichés seen in countless low-budget slashers of the 1980s and 1990s (although first-time viewers of Halloween may be surprised by the fact that compared to its many imitators and competitors, the original film actually has very few explicitly violent scenes). William Shatner as Captain Kirk William Shatner (born in Montreal, Quebec, March 22, 1931) is an actor, writer and musical performer. ... The slasher film is a sub-genre of the horror genre. ... Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was a British film director closely associated with the suspense genre. ... This article is about the novel and the movies based on it. ... See also: 1959 in film 1960 1961 in film 1950s in film 1960s in film years in film film Events April 20 - for the first time since coming home from military service in Germany, Elvis Presley returns to Hollywood, California to film August 10 - Filming of West Side Story begins. ...

Deeper meaning has been read into this movie by some film critics, including the idea that everyone who dies in the film is sexually promiscuous, while the "innocent" (chaste) heroine survives. Carpenter has been quoted as saying that inclusion of this sort of morality into the story was entirely unintentional, and he did not mean for the movie to be seen as a form of "punishment" for those who indulge in sex and drug use. Nevertheless the parallel between a character's moral strengths and their likelihood of not getting killed has become a standard slasher movie trope. Sexual morality refers to the beliefs and practices by which a culture, group, faith, etc. ...

Plot

Six-year-old Michael Myers brutally kills his older sister on Halloween night, 1963, and is locked in a mental institution. Fifteen years later, he escapes and returns to his hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois (trivia: named after co-writer & producer Debra Hill's hometown of Haddonfield, New Jersey) to repeat his rampage. Pursued by his psychiatrist Dr. Sam Loomis (Pleasance), Myers sets his murderous intentions on a babysitter (after already killing two of her friends). We find out later in Halloween II the babysitter is actually Myers' other sister, Laurie Strode (Curtis); it seems she was put up for adoption, and her records were sealed by the agency. Eventually, Loomis catches up with Myers in the upstairs room of a house, and shoots the murderer six times. Myers falls through a window and Loomis rescues Laurie. But looking out of the upstairs window, Loomis discovers that Myers is gone... Myers has "come home" (as the tagline on the movie poster mentions) and will return to kill again. Michael Myers (full name: Michael Audrey Myers, also known as The Shape) is a fictional character who has appeared in all of the Halloween films, with the exception of Halloween III: Season of the Witch. ... State nickname: Land of Lincoln, The Prairie State Other U.S. States Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Governor Rod Blagojevich Official languages English Area 149,998 km² (25th)  - Land 143,968 km²  - Water 6,030 km² (4. ... Debra Hill (1950–March 7, 2005) was an American screenwriter and film producer who co-wrote the horror movie Halloween. ... Haddonfield is a borough located in Camden County, New Jersey. ...

Sequels

Halloween II

Main article: Halloween II Halloween II (aka Halloween II: The Nightmare Isnt Over!) (1981) is the sequel to the hugely popular horror film, Halloween. ...

Halloween's success led inevitably to a sequel. In 1981, Akkad sold the film rights to maverick producer Dino DeLaurentis (though Akkad was still actively involved in production of any films that used those rights). Later that year, DeLaurentis (in partnership with Universal Pictures) released Halloween II, also written by Carpenter, but this time directed by Rick Rosenthal. It was designed to pick up precisely where the 1978 original left off, in fact taking place on the same night the original movie ended. At the time, this sequel was intended to be the final chapter of the series. See also: 1980 in film 1981 1982 in film 1980s in film years in film film Events January 19 - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer acquires beleaguered concurrent United Artists. ... Agostino De Laurentiis, usually credited as Dino De Laurentiis, (born August 8, 1919) is an Italian movie producer born at Torre Annunziata in the province of Naples. ... Universal Studios logo This article is about the Universal Studios movie studio and Universal Hollywood theme park. ... Halloween II (aka Halloween II: The Nightmare Isnt Over!) (1981) is the sequel to the hugely popular horror film, Halloween. ...

Critics generally agreed it was not the calibre of its predecessor. Carpenter himself was extremely displeased with the end result, describing it as "about as scary as an episode of Quincy" and, reportedly, reshooting many scenes himself. Retrospectively, it is now generally considered by far the best of the sequels. Many of the original films' fans are disenchanted by the seemingly endless spate of further sequels featuring Michael Myers, which are perceived as cynically-motivated moneymakers, rather than quality horror films made by dedicated filmmakers with a love for the originals and a genuine artistic vision. Klugman as Dr. Quincy Quincy, M.E. (or simply Quincy) is name of a United States television series that aired October 3, 1976 to May 11, 1983 on NBC. It starred Jack Klugman as Dr. Quincy, a strong-willed forensic coroner working to ascertain facts about suspicious deaths. ...

Halloween III: Season of the Witch

Main article: Halloween III: Season of the Witch Halloween III: Season of the Witch is a horror film released in 1982. ...

A third film in the series, Halloween III: Season of the Witch was released in 1982, also by Universal Pictures. It was directed by Tommy Lee Wallace, with John Carpenter only acting as producer. Whereas the first sequel was a direct continuation of the original story, Halloween III was an entirely unrelated film. Many were disappointed that Michael Myers did not return in this entry, although it was Carpenter himself who felt that the Myers storyline could not be extended any further. Halloween III: Season of the Witch is a horror film released in 1982. ... See also: 1981 in film 1982 1983 in film 1980s in film years in film film // Events January 11 - Production begins on the Star Wars sequel, Return of the Jedi. ...

Post-Carpenter sequels

Main articles: Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers

John Carpenter was to play no further part in the series, other than supplying the original Halloween theme music. In 1988 (the tenth anniversary of the release of the original movie), Moustapha Akaad bought back the rights to the series from Dino DeLaurentis, and produced Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers. See also: 1987 in film, other events of 1988, 1989 in film, list of years in film. Events Michael Jacksons first film was Moonwalker Top grossing films Rain Man, starring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise Who Framed Roger Rabbit Coming to America Big, starring Tom Hanks Crocodile Dundee II...

The film (which was released independently) brought both murderer Michael Myers and Dr. Loomis back from their graves (in Hollywood scriptwriting tradition). The success of this sequel inspired yet another the following year, Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers, also released independently.

Dimension Films sequels

Halloween Resurrection poster art

Main articles: Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, Halloween H20: 20 Years Later, Halloween: Resurrection Promotional poster for Halloween: Resurrection, deemed fair use. ... Promotional poster for Halloween: Resurrection, deemed fair use. ...

In 1995, the sequel rights were sold again, this time to Miramax Films (via its Dimension Films division). Miramax/Dimension then released Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, which partially told the story of Michael Myers' origins. Joe Chappelle directed, but studio interference caused re-editing of the film and the re-shooting of certain scenes, leaving the door open for another sequel. This is a list of film-related events in 1995. ... Miramax is a Big Ten film distribution and production company. ... Dimension Films, a subsidiary of Walt Disney has released films such as Spy Kids, Scream and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and produces films that are more adult in content. ...

Donald Pleasance, who had appeared in every entry of the series to date, died before Halloween H20: 20 Years Later could begin production in 1998 (the 20th anniversary of the first film). Halloween H20 marked the return of Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode (since her character had died sometime before the events of the fourth film, the continuity of the previous three films in the series are ignored and this film is treated as a direct follow-up to Halloween II). See also: 1997 in film, other events of 1998, 1999 in film, list of years in film. Events February 14 - Sharon Stone marries Phil Bronstein Top grossing films Saving Private Ryan, starring Tom Hanks Armageddon Theres Something About Mary, starring Ben Stiller and Cameron Diaz A Bugs Life...

Both Halloween H20 and its follow-up, Halloween: Resurrection (2002), were produced in the same style as Dimension's previous 1990s horror films (such as Scream (1996)). This is a list of film-related events in 2002. ... Scream is a 1996 psycho/dark comedy film directed by Wes Craven and written by Dawsons Creek creator Kevin Williamson. ... This is a list of film-related events in 1996. ...

The film rights

• Halloween
  • Main rights: Trancas International Films (Akkad's production company)
  • Home video rights: Anchor Bay Entertainment
  • Television rights: Carlton/ITC Entertainment
• Halloween II
  • Main rights: Universal Pictures
  • Home video rights: Universal Pictures
  • Television rights: Universal Pictures
• Halloween III: Season of the Witch
  • Main rights: Universal Pictures
  • Home video rights: Universal Pictures
  • Television rights: Universal Pictures
• Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
  • Main rights: Trancas International Films
  • Home video rights: Anchor Bay Entertainment
  • Television rights: Anchor Bay Entertainment
• Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers
  • Main rights: Trancas International Films
  • Home video rights: Anchor Bay Entertainment
  • Television rights: Anchor Bay Entertainment
• Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers
  • Main rights: Miramax/Dimension
  • Home video rights: Miramax/Dimension
  • Television rights: Miramax/Dimension
• Halloween H20: 20 Years Later
  • Main rights: Miramax/Dimension
  • Home video rights: Miramax/Dimension
  • Television rights: Miramax/Dimension
• Halloween: Resurrection
  • Main rights: Miramax/Dimension
  • Home video rights: Miramax/Dimension
  • Television rights: Miramax/Dimension

Dimension Films also currently own rights to any further sequels in the Halloween series. Anchor Bay Entertainment is a home video/television distribution company which has released films by Sam Raimi, Werner Herzog, George Romero, Monte Hellman, Dario Argento, John Landis, Peter Jackson, Kathryn Bigelow and Wim Wenders. ... Carlton logo in cinemas Carlton Television Limited is the United Kingdom Channel 3 (ITV) licencee for London, Monday 9:25am, to Friday, 5:15pm. ... The Incorporated Television Company (ITC) was founded by television mogul Lew Grade in 1954. ... Universal Studios logo Universal Studios is a famous Hollywood movie studio located at 100 Universal City Plaza Drive in Universal City, California, which is in the San Fernando Valley. ... Dimension Films, a subsidiary of Walt Disney has released films such as Spy Kids, Scream and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and produces films that are more adult in content. ...

See also

Halloween, the holiday the movie is named after, and around which the events of the films take place. A jack-o-lantern Halloween is a holiday celebrated on the night of October 31, usually by children dressing in costumes and going door-to-door collecting candy. ...

External links

• The official website of Michael Myers
• Halloween at theofficialjohncarpenter.com
• Halloween at The Internet Movie Database