Halloween (1978)
Cost $325,000 – B.O. 70 Million
After the moderate critical success of his first few low budget films, director John Carpenter was offered the chance to direct a horror movie. Combining the main stream success of horror films such The Exorcist and Rosemary’s Baby with the cult appeal of the proto-slasher The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, carpenter brought the horror out of the country and into the suburbs. Originally, called The Babysitter Murders, the title was changed when the producers suggested that the film be set on the night of Halloween. A creepy score (composed and performed by Carpenter himself), multiple first-person shots and the casting of future star Jamie Lee Curtis (whose performance would coin the term “Scream Queen”) all lead to a box office hit that would pave the way for Jason, Freddy, Jigsaw, etc…
