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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 ''Halloween'' See Also: 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 as Dr. Sam Loomis, and Jamie Lee Curtis made her motion picture debut in the film. ''Halloween'' was shot on a $320,000 budget and became one of the most successful Independent Films in history. The small, quiet town of Haddonfield, where most of the film takes place, is named after screenwriter Debra Hill's New Jersey hometown. ''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, Illinois 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'' See Also: Halloween II (film) ''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 DeLaurentis , though Akkad was still actively involved in production of any films that used those rights. Later that year, DeLaurentis 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 the caliber of its predecessor. Carpenter himself was extremely displeased with the end result, describing it as "about as scary as an episode of '' Quincy ''" and, reportedly reshot many scenes himself. In retrospect, it is now generally considered by far the best of the sequels. 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'' See Also: Halloween III: Season of the Witch The third film in the series, '''', 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. Many 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: John Carpenter was not involved in the making of these films. In ''. 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, '''', also released independently. Michael's target in both films is his niece, Laurie's daughter Jamie Lloyd ( Danielle Harris ). Dimension Films sequels Main articles: In '', 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, died before '''', ( 2002 ). Both ''Halloween H20'' and ''Halloween: Resurrection'' were produced in the same style as Dimension's previous 1990s horror films, such as '''', is tentatively scheduled for an August 2006 release. 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 AND SURVIVORS OF THE HALLOWEEN SAGA
THE FILM RIGHTS
Dimension Films also currently own rights to any further sequels in the ''Halloween'' series. COMIC BOOKS Between November of 2000 and November of 2001, '' (unreleased at the time) impossible. 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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