The best compliment I got was standing outside a theatre and hearing the audience scream, that was just delightful. John Carpenter

Back in 1978, with a budget of only $300,000, armed with only a steadicam and a small crew, John Carpenter began filming what is considered one of the best horror films ever made. One of the things we discuss a lot at IFA is the difference between being a film fan, and truly understanding the technique that goes into the filmmaking process. In the following video series, Carpenter breaks down some of the most famous scenes in Halloween and discusses what his process was during many of the iconic scenes.

Once you establish the suspense, then you can do your shocks along the way and that will scare the hell out of people. They’ll go completely crazy. They know something is going to happen…The question is when.

What scares me is what scares you. We’re all afraid of the same things. That’s why horror is such a powerful genre. All you have to do is ask yourself what frightens you and you’ll know what frightens me. John Carpenter

In Halloween, I viewed the characters as simply normal teenagers. Laurie, Jamie Lee’s character, was shy and somewhat repressed. And Michael Myers, the killer, is definitely repressed. They have certain similarities. John Carpenter

Evil hiding among us is an ancient theme. John Carpenter

One could make money and get a career going with a low-budget horror film about killers attacking on holidays. It is always flattering to have somebody copy you. John Carpenter





