Click Here to Read about Halloween in the After Dark section
I was working on a TV Show in South Pasadena when suddenly the neighborhood looked very familiar. It was the main neighborhood where Halloween was filmed. There’s the Strode House on Oxley Street and a short walk to the Myers House on Mission Street. One of those fun quirks of living in Los Angeles, which ties into this week’s theme of the potential to take work on a low-budget film that becomes the next cultural phenomenon.
It took four weeks to film Halloween, and the producer was worried about John Caroenter’s limited experience. You’ve probably all heard about the iconic mas being an inside out version of a Captain Kirk mask that cost $1.98. Most actors wore their own clothes, and Cast would often help move equipment to allow for more shooting time. The great technical achievement was the use of a Panaglide camera (a Stedicam knock-off), and a director who knew how to use it. Carpenter was a master of using the frame to create suspense or sometimes reveal a surprise. Above all that, Carpenter’s great contribution will forever be the score, including a main theme I still hear a few dozen times around October.
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