Rated:  R

Run Time:  90 Minutes 

• Filming Location(s):  1,000 Mission Street, South Pasadena, California, 1115 Oxley Street, South Pasadena, California, 1530 Orange Grove Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, 1537 Orange Grove Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, Alhambra, California, North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, Pasadena, California, Rosemead, California, Sierra Madre, California, South Pasadena High School: South Pasadena, California.
• Alternate Tagline(s):  HE came home for HALLOWEEN, Everyone is entitled to one good scare, Trick or treat...or die, Let's celebrate the horror, Happy Halloween, The trick is to stay alive.
• Michael Myers' mask is no more than a Captain Kirk (William Shatner) mask spray-painted white, with the hair teased and the eyes reshaped.
• This film was shot in 21 days in 1978.
• The film was shot for around $300,000, and became the highest-grossing independent film ever, at that time.
• The character Laurie Strode is apparently named after John Carpenter's first girlfriend.
• Tommy Doyle's name comes from Rear Window and Sam Loomis' name is from Psycho.
• The performance of Halloween's musical score is accredited to "The Bowling Green Philharmonic."  One problem.  There is no Philharmonic in Bowling Green.  The "orchestra" is actually John Carpenter and assorted musical friends.
• Tommy's Halloween costume is an Alpha uniform from Space: 1999.
• Anne Lockhart was John Carpenter's first choice for the role of Laurie Strode. 
• The original mask idea was that of a clown.
• This film was originally conceived by Bob Clark as a sequel to his film Black Christmas.  John Carpenter, friend to Bob Clark, asked if he could write the script for him.  Clark handed the idea over and was quite happy with the outcome, even though it had nothing to do with his film.
• This was voted fifth scariest film of all time by Entertainment Weekly.
• Of all the female leads, who are supposedly high school students, Jamie Lee Curtis was the only teenager at the time of shooting.
• In the script Dr. Loomis was supposed to act surprised when Michael wasn't on the ground at the end of the film.  Pleasence thought the reaction should be more serious, a "I knew this would happen" sort of look.  They filmed it both ways and ended up using Pleasence's idea. 

Goofs

• When Laurie and Tommy are walking to school palm trees are visible in the background (Film set in Illinois).
• Again, film is set in Illinois, but all the cars have California license plates.
• When Laurie sees Michael by the bushes, cigarette smoke from director John Carpenter can be seen floating into view.
• The windows on either side of the front door of the Wallace house are not the same pattern inside as they are out.
• When Annie takes off her clothes to wash them her panties are solid, later in the laundry room her panties are flower-print.

Personal History

• Michael is my second favorite "Slasher" Icon.
• Favorite film in the series.
• Bought from the local Rite Aid for $5.95.
• Holding out for the Limited Edition DVD with the additional footage.