Halloween 1978 is the horror film directed by John Carpenter that opened in the United States on October 25, 1978, and it began the Halloween series. It follows Michael Myers, who escapes a sanitarium and returns to Haddonfield, Illinois, where high schooler Laurie Strode, played by Jamie Lee Curtis, spends Halloween night babysitting. Made for $325,000, it grossed about $70 million worldwide, and the 2018 sequel follows it directly.
Halloween (1978) begins in Haddonfield, Illinois, in 1963, when a young Michael Myers kills his teenage sister on Halloween night. The film then jumps forward fifteen years to the day he walks out of the sanitarium that has held him ever since. His psychiatrist, Dr. Loomis, is certain he knows where Michael is going, and he drives to Haddonfield to get there first.
The story follows two tracks at once. Laurie Strode, a high schooler, spends her day on ordinary errands and keeps catching sight of a silent figure watching her. Her friends Annie and Lynda are lining up their own plans for the night, while Laurie agrees to babysit. John Carpenter sets the quiet street against a pursuer the audience already knows is close, and that tension is all you need before pressing play.
AnnieNancy Kyes
LyndaP. J. Soles
BrackettCharles Cyphers
LindseyKyle Richards
TommyBrian Andrews
BobJohn Michael Graham
MarionNancy Stephens
Graveyard KeeperArthur MaletMore of the cast: Nick Castle (The Shape), John Carpenter (Paul (voice) / Michael Myers (uncredited)).
| Market | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|
| US | October 25, 1978confirmed | boxofficemojo.com |
| UK | January 25, 1979reported | themoviedb.org |
| AU | June 1, 1979reported | themoviedb.org |
| Market | Subscription | Rent or buy |
|---|---|---|
| US | fuboTV, Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+, Shudder, Shudder Amazon Channel, Shudder Apple TV channel, Chilling, Fawesome, Plex Channel, Mometu (Free, Free with ads) | Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home |
| UK | Shudder, Shudder Amazon Channel, BBC iPlayer, Pluto TV (Free, Free with ads) | Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, Sky Store |
| AU | Shudder, Shudder Amazon Channel, AMC+, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, Shudder Apple TV channel | None listed |
Streaming availability data from JustWatch, checked 2026-11-03.
| Director | John Carpenter |
|---|---|
| Writers | Debra Hill, John Carpenter |
| Producers | Debra Hill, Moustapha Akkad, John Carpenter |
| Music | John Carpenter |
| Cinematography | Dean Cundey |
| Budget | $0 million |
|---|---|
| Domestic (US and Canada) | $47 million |
| International | $23 million |
| Worldwide | $70 million |
| Worldwide, in September 2026 dollars | $363 million |
Halloween box office for every film.
John Carpenter composed the score for Halloween (1978), and the score album, "Halloween", was released in August 1979 with 11 tracks. The album is Carpenter's own score, and in my view it is the core of the film's sound, because the tension in the stalking scenes comes from the music as much as from the images.
One song has a known scene in the film: "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" by Blue Öyster Cult. It plays on the car radio while Annie drives Laurie through Haddonfield, and Michael Myers silently follows them. The contrast between the rock track and the silent figure behind the car is what gives the drive its unease.
If you remember the song from that drive, search for its exact title with the artist name, then start with the score album for the rest of the music. For the music of the whole series, including other composers and songs, see the Halloween soundtrack page.
The song plays on the car radio while Annie drives Laurie through Haddonfield as Michael Myers silently follows them.
Sources: musicbrainz.org, themoviedb.org, en.wikipedia.org
Halloween (1978) covers one night in Haddonfield, from the moment Michael Myers gets loose to the moment he vanishes again after Laurie Strode survives him. In 1963, at six years old, Michael stabs his older sister to death on Halloween night and is locked away. Fifteen years later, his doctor Sam Loomis goes to move him, but Michael steals a car and escapes.
Loomis follows him to Haddonfield, where Michael has already taken a mask and begun trailing Laurie. She is babysitting young Tommy, while her friend Annie looks after Lindsey down the street, and Lynda plans to meet her boyfriend, Bob. Loomis warns the local sheriff, Brackett, and searches the town.
Michael kills Annie, then Lynda and Bob, and arranges the bodies to frighten Laurie. Laurie goes to check on her friends, finds the bodies and is attacked. She fights back and wounds Michael several times, but he keeps getting up. She gets Tommy and Lindsey to safety and calls for help.
Loomis arrives and shoots Michael, who falls from a balcony. When Loomis looks down, the body is gone, and the film closes on shots of the houses Michael has been through.
Halloween 1978 premiered on October 25, 1978, at the Empire Theatre (AMC Empire) in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. Box Office Mojo lists the same date as the US release. The film then opened in Chicago and New York.
Outside the United States the dates came later. The UK release is reported as January 25, 1979, and the Australian release as June 1, 1979, both according to TMDB. The film is rated R in the United States and R 18+ in Australia, so it is a poor pick for younger viewers.
If you want to watch it, availability changes often. As checked on November 3, 2026 through JustWatch data on TMDB, US subscription options include Shudder, AMC+, Philo and fuboTV, Australian options include Shudder and AMC+, and the UK has Shudder plus free viewing on BBC iPlayer. The where to watch Halloween guide keeps the full list, and the Halloween movies in order page shows where this film sits before the rest.
The ending of Halloween (1978) answers one question and refuses another: Laurie Strode survives the night, and Michael Myers is not there when Dr. Loomis looks for him. Laurie stabs Michael and gets Tommy and Lindsey out of the house. Loomis shoots him several times and he falls off a balcony. Laurie is left in tears while Loomis looks over the edge and finds that Michael has vanished.
Why does that matter? In my opinion, the closing shots of empty rooms and streets do the job a last jump scare does in other horror films, because they tell the audience that Michael is still somewhere in the town. The film does not show how he got up, and perhaps that is the point: the mystery is the scare, and it travels home with you.
The build up matters as much as the exit. Earlier, Michael arranges the bodies of Annie, Lynda and Bob to frighten Laurie, and when she wounds him he keeps getting up. By the time Loomis fires, the film has already taught us that one fall will not settle it. It could be argued that the final shots are the only honest answer the story can give. Compare that with the practical, low budget approach behind it: a film made for $325,000 in roughly 20 days, with a plain white modified William Shatner (Captain Kirk) mask as its monster, according to Fox News. With so little to spend, Carpenter ends on absence, which costs nothing and lasts longer than any effect.
The sequels took that open door in different directions. Halloween II (1981) starts on the same night with Michael missing after being shot. Halloween H20 has Laurie Strode faking her death and living in California as Keri Tate, while Halloween (2018) is a direct sequel to the 1978 film that sets aside the sequels in between, and Halloween Kills picks up on that same Halloween night. It could be argued that this flexibility exists because the original ending never closed the door. If the branching timelines confuse you, start with Halloween timelines explained and then the Halloween timeline.
Halloween 1978 is set in Illinois but was shot in Southern California, in about 20 days.
The main locations were:
The small budget shaped how the film looks as well as where it was shot. At $325,000, with hair, makeup and wardrobe sharing one Winnebago, the production leaned on ordinary houses and streets, and in my opinion that plain suburban backdrop is why the fear feels close to home.
These production details cover the budget, the mask, the score and the casting behind Halloween 1978.
For how the film performed against the rest of the series, see the Halloween box office page, and for the whole run of films, the Halloween movies hub or how many Halloween movies there are.
Halloween (1978), directed by John Carpenter, opened in the United States on October 25, 1978. It is the first film in the series and should not be confused with Halloween (2007), directed by Rob Zombie, or Halloween (2018), the direct sequel to the 1978 film.
Halloween 1978 is famous for what it achieved on very little. It was budgeted at about $325,000, shot in roughly 20 days, scored by its own director, and grossed about $70 million worldwide. It also launched a series that runs through Halloween Ends (2022), and its final shots set up the sequels.
No. Halloween 1978 is rated R in the United States and R 18+ in Australia. The story follows a babysitter hunted by Michael Myers while two young children are in her care, and it contains killings, so it is not suited to children.
Halloween 1978 was shot in roughly 20 days in Southern California, standing in for Illinois. Locations included South Pasadena for the Myers house, Alhambra for Garfield Elementary School, Sierra Madre for the cemetery and Spaulding Square in Hollywood for the climax. Hair, makeup and wardrobe shared one Winnebago.
The film does not give a clear reason. It shows young Michael Myers killing his teenage sister on Halloween night in 1963 in Haddonfield, then jumps fifteen years ahead to his escape. Dr. Loomis is certain Michael is heading home, but the story treats the cause as a mystery rather than something to be explained.
No studio or trade source gives Curtis's age during the shoot, so any figure would be a guess. She is billed second as Laurie Strode, a high schooler, and she said she was given $200 to buy the character's wardrobe at JC Penney.
