From Psycho to Camp Crystal Lake-Part 2
An essay on the bloody origins of the slasher movie
Last week I covered the humble beginnings of the slasher movie in the movie Psycho as its the 65th Anniversary this month. This week I will be covering Halloween which included all the tropes that we have become to know and love about the slasher movies, final girl, scary masked killer and all the bodies making a grisly appearance in the final act.
Directed by John Carpenter and released in October 1978 ( UK in Jan 1979), Halloween introduced the serial killer, Michael Myers to the World.
Carpenter and Debra Hill wrote the original script in just 10 days.
Made on a budget of $325,000 and shot in only 22 days it grossed $47 million at the box office, making it one of the most successful independent films of all time.
Halloween was influenced by ‘Black Christmas’ and Sir Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. Carpenter hired Jamie Lee Curtis for the main role as her mum was Janet Leigh, who famously stared in Psycho and Carpenter considered this to be the ultimate tribute to Hitchcock. Also the character of Dr Sam Loomis was named after Sam Loomis, the boyfriend of Leigh’s character, Marion Crane in Psycho.
Production designer Tommy Lee Wallace used a 1975 Captain Kirk rubber mask for Michael Myers to wear which was bought at a costume shop on Hollywood Boulevard for $1.98. The eyebrows and side burns were ripped off, face painted white, hair sprayed brown and eyes opened up more to give it a creepy, emotionless look.
The adult Michael Myers was portrayed mainly by Nick Castle, who was a school-buddy of Carpenter at USC. He was originally just on set to watch the filming. But Carpenter suggested he take the role of Michael Myers as he was tall and had an interesting walk.
Castle was disappointed that his face wasn’t used during the unmasking scene, that honour went to Tony Moran, but understood Carpenter wanted a more ‘angelic’ face to contradict Myers’ terrifying actions.
The iconic musical score was composed and performed by Carpenter himself. Like Psycho before it the score became synonymous with the movie. With its hauntingly minimalistic synth soundscape and simple, repetitious piano melody in an unusual 5/4 time signature, it gives the movie its unsettling and suspenseful atmosphere. This piece of music has become one of the most recognised and enduring horror movie themes of all time.
Originally the title was to be ‘The Baby Sitter Murders,’ but producer Irwin Yablans suggested that the story would be better if it was set around a specific holiday so it was changed to ‘Halloween.’
The film was shot in California during the spring so artificial autumn leaves were used to give the impression that it was indeed autumn.
For the role of the psychiatrist Dr Sam Loomis Carpenter originally wanted horror legends Christopher Lee or Peter Cushing but both passed on the role. Lee has since admitted that it was the biggest mistake of his career. Donald Pleasence got the role and would appear in four sequels.
To keep costs down the main cast provided their own wardrobe and Curtis bought her costumes at JC Penney for under $100.
The Myers house looking abandoned and dilapidated was not made to look like this. In fact the house was empty and the film crew found it like that. It wasn’t until the last shot on the final day of production that the entire crew got their paint brushes out and fitted it with furniture to make the house look lived in. This final shot of the house would become the first shot in the finished movie.
Jason Duck 2025.
Part 3 next week will be Alien.
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