Way Back Wednesday - Halloween

Halloween

I'm talking the original Halloween from 1978 - an American independent horror film set in the fictional suburban midwestern town of Haddonfield, Illinois. This classic horror film takes place on Halloween and features Michael Myers' escape from a psychiatric hospital, his murdering of teenagers, and Dr. Loomis' attempts to track and stop him. Halloween is widely regarded as one of the most influential horror films of its era - I orginally saw this at the Starlight Drive-In in Danville, Kentucky. In 2006, Halloween was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Halloween is directed by John Carpenter and stars Donald Pleasence as Dr. Sam Loomis, Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode, and Nick Castle, Tony Moran and Tommy Lee Wallace sharing the role of Michael Myers.

Halloween spawned seven sequels, a 2007 remake — titled Halloween and directed by Rob Zombie — and a 2009 sequel to the remake, Halloween II, which is unrelated to the sequel to the original. The sequels feature more explicit violence and gore, and are generally dismissed by mainstream film critics. The 10 Halloween films, including the 2007 remake and its sequel, have had eight directors. Only Rick Rosenthal and Rob Zombie directed more than one Halloween film: Rosenthal directed Halloween II and Halloween: Resurrection, while Zombie directed the remake and its sequel.

Favorite quotes:

Dr. Sam Loomis: I met him, fifteen years ago. I was told there was nothing left. No reason, no conscience, no understanding; even the most rudimentary sense of life or death, good or evil, right or wrong. I met this six-year-old child, with this blank, pale, emotionless face and, the blackest eyes... the *devil's* eyes. I spent eight years trying to reach him, and then another seven trying to keep him locked up because I realized what was living behind that boy's eyes was purely and simply... *evil*.

Tommy Doyle: Laurie, what's the boogeyman?
Laurie: There's no such thing.

Sheriff Leigh Brackett: Every kid in Haddonfield thinks this place is haunted.
Dr. Sam Loomis: They may be right.

Dr. Sam Loomis: You've got to believe me, Officer, he is coming to Haddonfield... Because I know him - I'm his doctor! You must be ready for him... If you don't, it's your funeral!

Tommy Doyle: But I saw the boogeyman! I saw him!
Laurie: Okay, what did he look like?
Tommy Doyle: Ummm...
[pauses and thinks]
Tommy Doyle: the boogeyman!

[last lines]
Laurie: It *was* the boogeyman.
Dr. Sam Loomis: As a matter of fact, it was.