Jan 05 2009
Halloween, $300,000- 2.5m?
I often wonder how certain things gain popularity. You take a movie about a masked man who decides to go around killing babysitters on Halloween and you think to yourself how can something like this possibly make money. Well in 1978 John Carpenter and Debra Hill sold a movie made for only about $300,000, which was a “B” movie at the start, that grossed over 2 million in the box offices. To me any way, it is a shock that something that was basically filmed in a month could make so much. All “Halloween” had to offer was a little slash and dash. It however started what is known today as the slasher genre. All other such movies were just pale copies of a cult classic as Halloween. If we look at the popularity of the movie, it was simple. A simple sound track, which the major part of the theme consisted of only four notes, a metronome, and a small orchestra ensemble, we learn from a Master about building up suspence. The parts where Michael Myers just suddenly appears out of no where and they play that high pitched squeal that they did had me jumping out of my skin for years to come. Halloween only had a few principle locations to it and at least from my view point used a minimal of sets. It’s simplicity not withstanding I love it for what it is the under dog that no one expected to go anywhere and yet it came up and gave us something new. A new reason to scream for, and a new name In terror. For a movie that was classified as a B film it spawned at least 8 sequals. Will we ever know why things that make us scream thrill us or for that matter why little kids, who haven’t even seen the film are scared of Michael Myers. It must be the absence of “a soul” in the Mask. A Mask, which was just William Shatner any ways. Either way it lets us see that, a scream queen Jamie lee Curtis, a director, Nick Castle, and a Legend, Donald Pleasance, all had a big pay day. Well Thanks Mr. Carpenter, Mrs. Hill, and all the rest for giving us reasons to be afraid of the dark, and entertaining us. Here is to over 31 great years of terror.
There is one 4 year old who loves him.. Doesnt have any idea who Michael is but she calls him mikey and asks h im if he wants a necklace and wants the mask in her room
I guess her mom is a horror fan and so is her new daddy. Its in her blood *winks* but lets see when she is a tad older
good work love.. ill spread it aeroud
I Love Halloween but I’m not to fond of Michael Myers He scares me or the thought of him does and those movies are messed up, but hey whatever works for the film directors right?
As stated before the character of Michael Myers was meant to be terrifying. they were originally going to have him in a clown mask like the opening of the film but realized that the shatner mask provided more terror since the “shape” as Michael was commonly known as through out the film was supposed to represent the every man, that anyone could hide a serial killer underneath. I had read on a blog elsewhere that when Laurie unmasks Michael at the climax of the first film that they chose the actor tony moran because of his angelic look. They figured that it would say that under that mask was the most innocent of faces but a heart of the devil. And even though sequals can be good, nothing will ever beat the first film in terms of terror and quality. Thanks for the comments.