Halloween (franchise)

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File:Halloween2.jpg
Michael Myers peers over the stairs from the original Halloween film

The Halloween films are a financially successful series of horror films. The first is considered one of the most important and influential of the horror genre. All but one of the films feature the Michael Myers character as an unstoppable psycho-killer.

The series

  1. Halloween (1978)
  2. Halloween II (1981)
  3. Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)
  4. Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)
  5. Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989)
  6. Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)
  7. Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)
  8. Halloween: Resurrection (2002)
  9. Halloween (2007 film) (2007)

Halloween (1978)

Main article: Halloween (film)

Halloween was released in 1978. John Carpenter directed and Debra Hill produced the film. Carpenter and Hill also co-wrote the screenplay, which was based on an idea of Irwin Yablan's. Donald Pleasance starred as Dr. Sam Loomis, and Jamie Lee Curtis made her motion picture debut in the film.

Halloween was filmed with a mere budget of $325,000. Nearly half of it was used on the Panaglide and Panavision camera equipment. This film became one of the most successful independent films in history.[citation needed]

The small, quiet town of Haddonfield, Illinois where most of the film takes place, is named after Haddonfield, New Jersey, where screenwriter Debra Hill was born and raised.

Halloween is considered the first of the modern-day "slasher" movies descending from 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.

The film tells the story of psycho-killer wearing a white-painted William Shatner mask (from the film The Devil's Rain). 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 to repeat his rampage. Pursued by his psychiatrist Dr. Sam Loomis (Pleasance), Myers sets his murderous intentions on a group of young female babysitters.

Halloween II

Main article: Halloween II

Halloween's success led to a sequel. In 1981, Moustapha Akkad, executive producer of the original film, sold the film rights to maverick producer Dino DeLaurentiis, though Akkad was still actively involved in production of any films that used those rights. Later that year, DeLaurentiis released Halloween II in partnership with Universal Pictures. The film was written by John 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.

Critics generally agreed it was not of the same caliber as its predecessor. Carpenter himself was extremely displeased with the end result, describing it as "about as scary as an episode of Quincy." Carpenter confirmed that he reshot many of the scenes, but refused on-screen credit as co-director because of his disappointment with the finished product. 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.

Halloween III: Season of the Witch

Main article: Halloween III: Season of the Witch

The 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. While the first sequel was a direct continuation of the original story, Halloween III is an entirely unrelated film. Characters in the film are seen watching Carpenter's Halloween on television. Many fans 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.

Post-Carpenter sequels

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

John Carpenter was not involved in the making of these films. In 1988, the tenth anniversary of the release of the original movie, Moustapha Akkad bought back the rights to the series from Dino DeLaurentiis, and produced Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers.

The film, which was released independently, brought both murderer Michael Myers and Dr. Loomis back from their graves. The success of this sequel inspired a follow-up the next year, Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers, also released independently. Michael's target in both films is his niece, Laurie's daughter Jamie Lloyd (Danielle Harris).

Dimension Films sequels

Main articles: Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, Halloween H20: 20 Years Later, Halloween: Resurrection

In 1995, the sequel rights were sold again to Dimension Films, which was a Miramax subsidiary at the time. 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. The film made $15.1 million domestically.

Donald Pleasance, who had appeared in every entry of the series to date (with the exception of the unrelated Halloween III) 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, whose character supposedly died in a car crash before the events of the fourth, but was later revealed to have set up an elaborate way to go into hiding. The film ignores the events of parts 4, 5 and 6 of the series, acting as a direct sequel to Halloween II. As in Halloween II, Michael is seemingly killed for good, but this was not the case, as Michael returned to kill again in Halloween: Resurrection, (2002).

Both Halloween H20 and Halloween: Resurrection were produced in the same style as Dimension's previous 1990s horror films, such as Scream (1996). Halloween H20 was a hit, raking in over $55 million domestically and earning over $70 million worldwide with a budget of $17 million. Halloween: Resurrection earned $30 million domestically, and only $7 million internationally. Its production/marketing budget combined was estimated to be $33 million.

On June 5, 2006, after several days of speculation, it was announced that Dimension Films had hired Rob Zombie to write, produce, and direct a new version of the original film, for release on October 19, 2007. According to Zombie, the movie will not be a straight remake of the 1978 original, but rather a "reimagining." [1]

Dimension, which currently holds sequel rights, was spun off from Miramax/Disney by the producing Weinstein brothers in late 2005, and is now part of the Weinstein Company.

Characters in the Halloween Saga

  • Judith Myers- The eldest sister to now-serial killer Michael Myers and heroine Laurie Strode. Her brutal death is the commencement for the entire series. She appears only in the first installment. She was killed on the night of Thursday October 31, 1963.
  • Michael Myers- The principal antagonist of the series. He appears in each film except the unrelated third installment.
  • Dr. Samuel J. Loomis- Michael's psychiatrist. He is the only person to know what his patient truly is. His main goal in the saga is either Michael's capture or execution. (H1, H2, H4, H5 and H6)
  • Laurie Strode- The younger sister of Michael Myers and secondary protagonist of the saga. (H1, H2, H7 & H8)
  • Jamie Lloyd- daughter and first child of Laurie Strode. (H4, H5 & H6)
  • Rachel Carruthers- foster sister / surrogate sibling to Jamie Lloyd in 1988 and 1989. (H4 & H5)
  • Sheriff Leigh Brackett- The former sheriff of Haddonfield, Illinois. (H1 & H2)
  • Sheriff Benjamin "Ben" Meeker- He succeeded as Haddonfield Sheriff when Brackett retired in 1981 to move to Saint Petersburg, Florida. (H4 & H5)
  • Lindsey Wallace- A survivor along with Thomas Doyle on the night of Tuesday October 31, 1978 (H1 & H2)
  • Thomas "Tommy" Doyle- A survivor along with classmate Lindsey Wallace on Halloween 1978. Became obsessed with tracking down Myers for the next seventeen years. He befriended Kara and Danny Strode. He is responsible for saving Jamie Lloyd's newborn son. (H1, H2 & H6)
  • Kara Strode- Laurie Strode's adoptive-paternal cousin. (H6)
  • Daniel "Danny" Strode- Kara's son. (H6)
  • Stephen Lloyd- son of Jamie Lloyd, born on the night of Monday October 30, 1995. (H6)
  • James "Jimmy" Lloyd- Haddonfield college student and an orderly for Haddonfield Memorial Hospital in 1978. Laurie's first husband and the biological father of Jamie Lloyd. (H2)
  • Jonathan "John" Tate- son and second child of Laurie Strode. (H7)
  • Molly Cartwright- John Tate's girlfriend and fellow Hillcrest Academy High School classmate in 1998. (H7)
  • Sara Moyer- Psychology student at Haddonfield University and reluctant Dangertainment contestant. She is the principal character [besides Laurie and Michael] and survivor in Halloween: Resurrection (H8).
  • Freddie Harris- Dangertainment owner and entrepreneur. He is the other survivor alongside Sara in Halloween: Resurrection (H8)

The film rights

  • Halloween II
  • 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
  • Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers
    • Main rights: Trancas International Films
    • Home video rights: Anchor Bay Entertainment
    • Television rights: Anchor Bay Entertainment

Dimension Films also currently own rights to any further films in the Halloween film franchise.

Comic Books

Between November of 2000 and November of 2001, Chaos Comics produced three one-shot Halloween comic series, using characters from the film franchise. The three comic books were written by Phil Nutman and were named Halloween, Halloween II: The Blackest Eyes and Halloween III: The Devil's Eyes. The comic books even attempted to bridge continuity between Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers and Halloween H20: 20 Years Later but in doing so made the plot of Halloween: Resurrection (unreleased at the time) impossible.

Merchandise

The Halloween franchise has also seen profitability through various merchandise like toys, dolls, statues, model kits, bobbleheads, snow globes, movie posters, masks, T-shirts, hats, and more. Michael Myers has made appearances in the form of dolls and toys from McFarlane Toys, Sideshow Collectibles, and NECA (also known as National Entertainment Collectibles Association). Even Dr. Loomis has been recently immortalized in plastic alongside Michael Myers in a two-figure set produced by NECA.

The Michael Myers mask has been reproduced over the years by Don Post, the mask company responsible for the creation of the masks from several of the Halloween films (the Silver Shamrock novelty factory seen in Halloween III was actually shot on location in one of Don Post's factories). While Don Post reproductions of the Michael Myers mask are still commonly found in costume stores every Halloween, the license to produce Michael Myers masks has since been given to Cinema Secrets, the company commissioned with the creation of the Michael Myers mask for the most recent Halloween film, Halloween: Resurrection.

The Halloween series also lives on in DVD form. Many versions of the original Halloween (often including special extras like free merchandise or additional footage missing from previous DVD releases of the film) as well as several of its sequels can be found just about anywhere DVD's are sold courtesy of Anchor Bay Entertainment.

Location of Haddonfield

In the first film, it is first implied that the city is located in Hardin County, Illinois, which in reality is located in the extreme southeastern part of the state. It is here where the 21-year-old Michael Myers must be presented for a court date. It is also later said to be located 150 miles away from the equally fictitious Smith's Grove, Illinois. Smith's Grove in Halloween II is revealed to be located in Warren County. There is a real-life Warren County in Illinois and it is located in the western part of the state.

In Halloween II, Haddonfield's police officials have "Warren County" embossed into their shoulder badges. Haddonfield and Smith's Grove cannot be located in the same county for the sake of continuity.

In Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, the bus route map shows that Haddonfield and Smith's Grove are now located between the Illinois towns of Pontiac and Dwight. Smith's Grove does not at all belong on the map. According to mappoint.msn.com the quickest distance between Pontiac and Dwight is 21 miles and the shortest distance is 18.5 miles. The fictional Haddonfield and Smith's Grove are 150 miles apart.

To once and for all solve the riddle of where Haddonfield should be located, one must place it on Old Illinois Route 66 three miles east of Rowe. This placement also puts it in the vicinity of the Memorial Park Cemetery and in between Pontiac and Dwight in Livingston County, Illinois. Also, Smith's Grove should be located in Warren County, Illinois on Illinois Route 116 4.8 miles south then east from Smithshire and 3.7 miles west of Roseville.

In Halloween, Dr. Loomis' route from Smith's Grove to Haddonfield should be as follows-

  • Smith's Grove to Smithshire: 4.8 miles- west on Illinois State Highway, then north on County Road 14.
  • Smithshire to Monmouth: 13.7 miles- east then north on County Road 11, then northeast on United States Route 34.
  • Monmouth to Galesburg: 16.4 miles- east on State Route 164.
  • Galesburg to Laura: 25.1 miles- east on United States Route 150, east on county Road 18, then briefly north on State Route 78.
  • Laura to West Hallock: 15.6 miles- north on State Route 78, then east on State Route 90.
  • West Hallock to Sparland: 18.4 miles- east on State Route 90, north on State Route 40, then east on State Route 17.
  • Sparland to Wenona: 22.3 miles- east on State Route 17.
  • Wenona and Cornell: 22.1 miles- east on State Route 17, south on County Road 29, then east on State Route 23.
  • Cornell to Rowe: 8.6 miles- east then south on State Route 23.
  • Rowe to Haddonfield: 3 miles- east on County Roads E 2100 and E 2125.

The total distance from Smith's Grove to Haddonfield using only this route adds up to 150 miles.

While en route to Haddonfield on the morning of Tuesday October 31, 1978, Dr. Loomis stops to telephone Haddonfield authorities about Michael's return to his hometown. By using this route, it can be concluded that the telephone beside that rural highway is located at the junction of States Route 90 and 40, 0.8 miles east of West Hallock and 0.6 miles south of Edelstein. The distance from this telephone booth to Haddonfield would in reality be about 73 miles. And, if a title card were to appear in the film it could read as ROUTES 90 & 40 JUNCTION, WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS.

People Who Have Played Michael Myers

See also

Halloween, the holiday the movie is named after, and around which the events of the films take place.

External links

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