139. 'Halloween' (1978)

Joined by frequent guest Frazer Rice (links to previous eps below), this week I dive into the fascinating backstory of the making-of John Carpenter's 1978 horror flick 'Halloween', a genre-busting/genre-defining/genre-expanding piece of forever in the movie business and in the popular imagination. From its roots in Carpenter's 'Dark Star' to 'Assault on Precinct 13' to the happenstance on-set decisions that resulted in the bizarre mashup of 'Star Trek' into the 'Halloween' cinematic universe and beyond, this unassuming little inexpensive (300K) film has become an iconic bit of film history. In this episode we talk about 'Assault on Precinct 13', Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasance, Deborah Hill, Joe Wolf, Carpenter's soundtracks, P.J. Soles, the role the Hamburger Hamlet played in the history of 'Halloween', the differences between 'artistic horror' films like 'The Shining' and 'Carrie' versus more genre-normal films like 'Halloween', recount the role of the William Shatner Star Trek mask in the film, and MORE. Frazer's appearance on the pod to talk about 'No Time To Die' and Bond futures is here. Frazer and I talked 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service' here. Watch 'Halloween' here. Watch Donald Pleasance chew scenery on 'Columbo', as referenced in the episode, here.