| Special Features |
John Carpenter’s Halloween
On its 30th Anniversary
By Dark Soul
Its almost hard to believe that this little film is now 30
years old. That whole generations of horror fans grew up
in the shadow of this movie. There are few film let alone
horror films that can stand the test of time. Most films come and go and leave little
in their wake other then being forgotten about. Not so with the John Carpenter
classic horror film “Halloween” as it has not only stood the test of time but also
over the years grew into a pop icon along with the masked killer star of the movie
himself.
In the spring of 1978 a new horror film went into production. It had damn near no
budget, only one know star of which almost all the production money went to and
a young unknown film maker who had yet to be tested. John Carpenter knew he
had something wonderful but it would take all of his skills to make this a picture
one that would stand out among other made that year. Like “Night of The Living
Dead” a full ten years before and another movie with little in production value
Carpenter worked with what he had as not only the films director but also its co-
writer, camera man and he even wrote the movies creepy music. It was he who
created the now famous Halloween theme that is now just as known as the movie
itself.
John Carpenter not only created a hit movie but he unknowingly created the next
horror movie icon monster. With only Leatherface before him by three years
Michael Myers took his place beside Frankenstein, Dracula, The Wolf Man and
The Mummy as Hollywood’s next great monster icon. Later the likes of Jason and
Freddy would come into play followed by other creatures like Pinhead,
Pumpkinhead and The Creeper. But not since Frankenstein first stepped into
horror film history followed by the batch of other Universal Monsters has a villain
be so well received.
As with any hit film Michael found his way into new films and more teen death
would come. “Halloween” would set the ground work for all teen films to come
kicking off what was to be called The Slasher Film. Here there was always an
never ending amount of teens and young adults who would face death any
number of ways as we sat in a darkened theater and cheered each one. Using
teens as film protagonists harped back to the 1950s monster movies like “The
Blob,” “I Was A Teenage Werewolf” and “The Giant Gilla Monster.” The 1975
movie “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” restarted the teen victim genre with
untapped violence like never before, but it was the man in the ghostly white mask
that got under every-ones skin and has stayed there ever since.
Few people know that the name that Michael Myers had on the set of the film in
1978 was called The Shape. The sub-name that was never used in the movie was
never carried over to any of the follow up films that came after. The original mask
that was used for Myers came from a near by Hollywood costume shop. Carpenter
new he wanted something unlike anything that came before. At first he was
thinking of a clown mask to go with the one used to kill his sister in the beginning
of the movie. In the end of all things a William Shatner “Star Trek” mask was
found and painted pale white. The eye holes were cut open a little more and the
hair teased out a bit and the simple face mask with its dead expression made one
creepy face staring you down as he hunted one victim at a time.
After endless films continuing the murder antics of Myers in one bad follow up
after another since the 78 master piece new film director Rob Zombie said that he
wanted to through out all the shit from the past 20 years and remake the 1978
classic. When most people screamed (Myself as well) Zombie new that he could
take the icon that was Michael Myers and once again turn him into a monster that
will once again scare the hell out of people. Twenty nine years after Carpenter
brought the world the killer Michael Myers Rob Zombie in 2007 did just what he
said he’ll do and he remade the classic. His vision told a back story of the masked
killer that even Carpenter never dreamed up. Michael as a boy leading up to the
monster that he would soon become. Like the remakes of “Dawn of The Dead”
and “ The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” Rob Zombie showed that “Halloween”
could be remade and stand toe to toe with its classic counter part.
So are there new stories and murders in Michael Myers future? Will Rob Zombie
take this monster and pit him with lets say Pinhead for a new monster showdown
as in “Freddy vs Jason”. Unlikely but if Michael Myers dose return again we can
only hope that he will be lead down the right path as Zombie took him. Thirty
years we have known him and thirty years from now in the year 2038 Myers will
still be a horror movie icon as the movie “Halloween” lives on forever.
On its 30th Anniversary
By Dark Soul
Its almost hard to believe that this little film is now 30
years old. That whole generations of horror fans grew up
in the shadow of this movie. There are few film let alone
horror films that can stand the test of time. Most films come and go and leave little
in their wake other then being forgotten about. Not so with the John Carpenter
classic horror film “Halloween” as it has not only stood the test of time but also
over the years grew into a pop icon along with the masked killer star of the movie
himself.
In the spring of 1978 a new horror film went into production. It had damn near no
budget, only one know star of which almost all the production money went to and
a young unknown film maker who had yet to be tested. John Carpenter knew he
had something wonderful but it would take all of his skills to make this a picture
one that would stand out among other made that year. Like “Night of The Living
Dead” a full ten years before and another movie with little in production value
Carpenter worked with what he had as not only the films director but also its co-
writer, camera man and he even wrote the movies creepy music. It was he who
created the now famous Halloween theme that is now just as known as the movie
itself.
John Carpenter not only created a hit movie but he unknowingly created the next
horror movie icon monster. With only Leatherface before him by three years
Michael Myers took his place beside Frankenstein, Dracula, The Wolf Man and
The Mummy as Hollywood’s next great monster icon. Later the likes of Jason and
Freddy would come into play followed by other creatures like Pinhead,
Pumpkinhead and The Creeper. But not since Frankenstein first stepped into
horror film history followed by the batch of other Universal Monsters has a villain
be so well received.
As with any hit film Michael found his way into new films and more teen death
would come. “Halloween” would set the ground work for all teen films to come
kicking off what was to be called The Slasher Film. Here there was always an
never ending amount of teens and young adults who would face death any
number of ways as we sat in a darkened theater and cheered each one. Using
teens as film protagonists harped back to the 1950s monster movies like “The
Blob,” “I Was A Teenage Werewolf” and “The Giant Gilla Monster.” The 1975
movie “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” restarted the teen victim genre with
untapped violence like never before, but it was the man in the ghostly white mask
that got under every-ones skin and has stayed there ever since.
Few people know that the name that Michael Myers had on the set of the film in
1978 was called The Shape. The sub-name that was never used in the movie was
never carried over to any of the follow up films that came after. The original mask
that was used for Myers came from a near by Hollywood costume shop. Carpenter
new he wanted something unlike anything that came before. At first he was
thinking of a clown mask to go with the one used to kill his sister in the beginning
of the movie. In the end of all things a William Shatner “Star Trek” mask was
found and painted pale white. The eye holes were cut open a little more and the
hair teased out a bit and the simple face mask with its dead expression made one
creepy face staring you down as he hunted one victim at a time.
After endless films continuing the murder antics of Myers in one bad follow up
after another since the 78 master piece new film director Rob Zombie said that he
wanted to through out all the shit from the past 20 years and remake the 1978
classic. When most people screamed (Myself as well) Zombie new that he could
take the icon that was Michael Myers and once again turn him into a monster that
will once again scare the hell out of people. Twenty nine years after Carpenter
brought the world the killer Michael Myers Rob Zombie in 2007 did just what he
said he’ll do and he remade the classic. His vision told a back story of the masked
killer that even Carpenter never dreamed up. Michael as a boy leading up to the
monster that he would soon become. Like the remakes of “Dawn of The Dead”
and “ The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” Rob Zombie showed that “Halloween”
could be remade and stand toe to toe with its classic counter part.
So are there new stories and murders in Michael Myers future? Will Rob Zombie
take this monster and pit him with lets say Pinhead for a new monster showdown
as in “Freddy vs Jason”. Unlikely but if Michael Myers dose return again we can
only hope that he will be lead down the right path as Zombie took him. Thirty
years we have known him and thirty years from now in the year 2038 Myers will
still be a horror movie icon as the movie “Halloween” lives on forever.
| For article Behind the Screams: Lucan the Defender, click here For articles Introducing Ghost and The Doom Patrol, click here |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
