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''Halloween'' is a Horror Film saga created by John Carpenter in 1978 , with the financially successful independent horror film '' Halloween '' (originally titled ''The Babysitter Murders''), released on October 25 , 1978 — became one of the most profitable independent films ever made and considered an icon and pop culture phenomenon in the horror genre, and spawned a long line of slasher films, well into the 1980s and 1990s. It spawned seven more feature films, as of 2007, A Remake and an extensive collection of Comic s, Books , Video Games and other merchandise. It has become one of the horror genre’s most successful entries. All films — with the exception of '' Halloween III '', feature Michael Myers as the villain. Myers has become one of the most iconic horror film villains, and is known for his silent gestures, slow-pace movement, motionless mask and the large kitchen knife he usually uses as his weapon of choice. THE SERIES Halloween See Also: Halloween (1978 film) First released in 1978, was produced on a budget of only $325,000 and grossed $56 million at the 2006 .Adam Rockoff, ''Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film, 1978-1986'' (Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, 2002), chap. 3, ISBN 0-7864-1227-5. Critics have suggested that ''Halloween'' and its slasher film successors may encourage Sadism and Misogyny . Others have suggested the film is a social critique of the immorality of young people in 1970s America, pointing out that many of Myers' victims are sexually Promiscuous and Substance Abuse rs, while the lone heroine is depicted as chaste and innocent. While Carpenter dismisses these analyses, the perceived parallel between the characters' moral strengths and their likelihood of surviving to the film's conclusion has nevertheless become a standard slasher movie Trope . An odd side note on the mask worn by the character of Michael Myer's is that it was cast from the likeness of the renown Canadian actor William Shatner. According to the Internet Movie Database "Due to its shoestring budget, the prop department had to use the cheapest mask that they could find in the costume store: a Captain Kirk (William Shatner) mask. They later spray-painted the face white, teased out the hair, and reshaped the eye holes." ''Halloween II'' See Also: Halloween II ''Halloween'''s major success led to a sequel. In 1981 , Moustapha Akkad , executive producer of the original film, sold the film rights to maverick producer Dino De Laurentiis , though Akkad was still actively involved in production of any films that used those rights. Later that year, De Laurentiis 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. The film's score was a variation of John Carpenter compositions from ''Halloween'', particularly the main theme's familiar piano melody played in a 5/4 time rhythm. The score was performed on a synthesizer organ rather than a piano. One reviewer for the BBC described the revised score as having "a more gothic feel." The reviewer asserts that it "doesn’t sound quite as good as the original piece," but "it still remains a classic piece of music." Carpenter performed the score with the assistance of Alan Howarth, who had previously been involved in '''' (1979) and would continue to work with Carpenter on projects such as '' Escape From New York '' (1981), '' The Thing '' (1982) and '' Christine (1983). The film featured the song " Mr. Sandman " performed by The Chordettes . Reviewers commented on the decision to include this song in the film, calling the selection "interesting" and "not a song you would associate with a film like this." The song worked well to "mimic Laurie’s situation (sleeping a lot), {Link without Title} the once innocent sounding lyrics seem threatening in a horror film." Nonetheless, another critic saw the inclusion of the song as "inappropriate" and asked, "What was that about?" The film, however, departs significantly from the original by incorporating more graphic violence and gore, making it imitate more closely other films in the emerging , 2006 . ''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 to the original story, ''Halloween III'' is an entirely unrelated film, with the characters in the film watching Carpenter's ''Halloween'' on television. The plot focuses on an investigation by Challis and Grimbridge into the activities of Cochran, the mysterious owner of the Silver Shamrock Novelties company, in the week approaching Halloween night. Besides wholly abandoning the Michael Myers plotline, ''Halloween III'' departs from the Slasher Film genre which the original '' Halloween '' spawned in 1978. The focus on a psychotic killer is replaced by a " Mad Scientist and Witchcraft " theme. Moreover, the frequency of graphic violence and gore is less than that of '' Halloween II '' (1981), although scenes that depict the deaths of characters remain intense. Produced on a budget of $2.5 million, ''Halloween III'' grossed $14.4 million at the s and American Consumerism . 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. '' ( 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 , 2007 .. On August 27, 2007, four days before its theatrical release, a DVD quality workprint of the movie was leaked online. This was a rare example of a movie being leaking via the Internet before it opened at the North American box office. 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
Minor characters
Halloween III characters
People who have played Michael Myers
THE FILM RIGHTS
Dimension Films also currently owns rights to any further films in the ''Halloween'' film franchise. COMIC BOOKS Between November 2000 and November 2001, '' (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 . Even Dr. Loomis has been 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 ''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 have been published by Anchor Bay Entertainment , Universal Studios , and Dimension Films . On October 2 2007 , the original '' Halloween '' will be sold on Blu-Ray for the first time by Anchor Bay Home 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. ALTERNATE CUTS Main articles: Each of the films in the ''Halloween'' series has one or more alternate cuts for either artistic or censorship-related changes.
SEE ALSO Halloween — the holiday the movie is named after, and around which the events of the films take place. SOURCES http://www.davisdvd.com/news/blu-ray.html EXTERNAL LINKS
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