Halloween (1978)

Halloween was released into theaters on October 25th, 1978. Filming locations include Alhambra, Altadena, Los Angeles, Pasadena, Sierra Madre and Walnut, Ca. It was shot over twenty days in the spring of 1978. It was directed by John Carpenter and written by Carpenter and Debra Hill. Carpenter also made a voice cameo as the voice of Paul, during the scenes where Lindsey and later Annie talk to him on the phone. John Carpenter's horror/suspense masterpiece single-handedly ushered in the dawn of the slasher film. It also introduced the world to Michael Audrey Myers. A reported seven people portrayed Michael Myers in some Shape or form, throughout the film. Will Sandin as six year old Michael Myers, Debra Hill's hands during the prologue, Tommy Lee Wallace during the "speed kills" and breaking into the closest scenes, Nick Castle as twenty-one year old Michael Myers for the majority of the film, Tony Moran when Laurie unmasks him, stuntman James Wilburn during the getting shot and falling over the balcony scene and a key grip during the hedge scene. This was Jamie Lee Curtis' first feature length film and she was reportedly paid $8,000. She played the character of Laurie Strode in Halloween films released in six different decades. Halloween (1978), Halloween II (1981), Halloween H20 (1998), Halloween Resurrection (2002), Halloween (2018) and Halloween Kills (2021).

In October of 1981, the film appeared on national television for the first time, airing on NBC. In order to fill the two hour time-slot, John Carpenter filmed an additional twelve minutes of footage which included four new scenes. The films iconic theatrical poster which features an image of a hand wielding a butcher knife that evolves into a Jack-o-lantern, also has a hidden image. If you look closely at the hand, you can see a man's screaming face. The sex scene between Judith and her boyfriend at the beginning lasts approximately one minute and six seconds. When Annie and Laurie are driving in the car, Don't Fear the Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult is playing on the radio. Interestingly enough, this is while Michael Myers is following behind them. The film was made with a budget of $325,000 and went on to gross $47 million at the US box office and an additional $23 million internationally, making it the highest grossing independent movie ever made up to that point. Shockingly, both Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, who were known to despise most horror movies, praised the film and gave it very positive reviews. It was added to the National Film Registry in 2006. The films memorable score was done by John Carpenter, in only three days. The films first DVD release was in 1997 by Anchor Bay.


Myers house - 1000 Mission St. S Pasadena, Ca. 91030

The house was built in 1885. During the time of filming, the house was vacant and in pretty bad shape physically. How you see it on film was how it really looked. Production didn't even have to do any set dressing to the house until they shot the 1953 prologue, which required the house to appear as if it was in much better shape than it really was, and that was the last thing they shot at the house. The house laid dormant until 1987. That's when every house on the block was cleared out, one at a time. The Myers house was the very last one scheduled for demolition. It was on this day that David Margrave was on his fateful morning stroll past the house, when he noticed a bulldozer starting to plow into it. He ran over to the driver and asked him to stop and the driver obliged. Margrave then paid the owner of the house (who he knew) a visit and struck up a deal to buy the house for one silver dollar. After that, he had one week to have the house removed off the property or it would too be demolished. The only problem was, he had nowhere to put the house. So one night, out of desperation, he had the house moved roughly one block south onto railroad property, which he did not own, near the intersection of Mission St. and Meridian Ave. The history and significance of the house was taken into consideration and it was allowed to remain in that spot, and that's where it's sat ever since. It's currently used for commercial office space. The house can also be seen in a brief scene in the movie The Lawnmower Man. 



All "Now" pictures taken in 2019.

All pictures taken in 2023.

Original location of the Myers house - 709 Meridian Ave. S Pasadena, Ca. 91030

After the house was removed in 1987, the entire lot remained empty until an apartment complex was erected on the property in 2004.



2019

Dr. Loomis & Nurse Chambers drive to Smith's Grove Sanitarium - 1100 Mission St. S. Pasadena, Ca. 91030

(Larry's Union Service)

This sequence was shot inside of an automotive garage, using poor man's process. The crew shook the car in order to make it appear like it was driving and the rain water was created via hoses. The garage is located less than a quarter mile east of the Myers house.

2023

Smith's Grove Sanitarium gate - Lake Hollywood Dr. and Montlake Dr. Los Angeles, Ca. 90068

This is the gate to the portion of Lake Hollywood Dr. that wraps around the lake. It's located at the northern tip of Upper Hollywood Reservoir.



2018

Establishing shot of Haddonfield - Oxley St. and Montrose Ave. S Pasadena, Ca. 91030

The camera is looking west down Oxley St. The famous hedge as well as Annie and Lynda's houses are about a block north of this location.



2019

Strode house - 1115 Oxley St. S Pasadena, Ca. 91030

The house actually has two addresses for two separate entrances. One being the entrance that Laurie uses when she leaves for school as well as when she exits the house later on carrying the pumpkin, located on Oxley St. (above address). The other is the entrance she uses when she returns home from school, which is 1103 Fairview Ave. One of the additional scenes filmed for the television release involved Lynda visiting Laurie in order to borrow an outfit, which took place in Laurie's living room. That scene was actually shot in the living room of the house located at 1428 Genesee Avenue, Nancy's house from A Nightmare on Elm Street.



All "Now"pictures taken in 2019.

Annie and Tommy walk to the Myers house - Meridian Ave. and Magnolia St. S Pasadena, Ca. 91030

Annie starts out walking from Magnolia St. onto Meridian Ave. and turns south. She then crosses the street and runs into Tommy Doyle at the corner of Meridian Ave. and Magnolia St. (Magnolia resumes on the other side of Meridian) and they continue south to the Myers house. The spot where Annie and Tommy meet up at is the same spot Ben Tramer was ran into and killed by the police car in Halloween II.



All "Now" pictures taken in 2019.

Smith's Grove Sanitarium - Millard Canyon Rd. Altadena, Ca. 91001

The scene where Dr. Loomis and Dr. Wynn exit the Smith's Grove Sanitarium was filmed at the old La Vina Respiratory Hospital in Altadena, Ca. In 1982, it was determined that it was too costly to continue operating as a free standing hospital and La Vina merged with Huntington Memorial Hospital. By 1984, all of the hospital's patients had been transferred and the hospital closed for good in 1986. The building was demolished at some point during the 90's and it's been an empty lot ever since. It's on the grounds of the gated La Vina community. The structure can also be seen in The Blob (1988) and Ice Cream Man.

2021

Laurie's classroom/elementary school - 110 W. Mclean St. Alhambra, Ca. 91801
(Garfield Elementary School)

The school opened on September 15th, 1886. One of the school's classrooms was used as Laurie's high school classroom. When she looks out the window and see's Michael Myers, he's standing in front of 109 Mclean St. When Richie runs into Michael Myers, he does so next to 2nd St.



2009

All "Now" pictures taken in 2019.

Dr. Loomis finds abandoned Phelps Garage truck - S. Brea Canyon Rd. and Old Ranch Rd. Walnut, Ca. 91789

At the time of filming, the area was quite rural. However, it's been built up considerably since then. It's easily the furthest location from any of the others. 



2019

High school (exterior) - 1401 Fremont Ave. S Pasadena, Ca. 91030
(South Pasadena High School)

The School was established in 1906. Sections of the school have been renovated since filming took place there, but the hallway Laurie and Lynda emerge from is still recognizable.



All "Now" pictures taken in 2019.

"Speed kills" - Highland St. and Fairview Ave. S Pasadena, Ca. 91030

Laurie and Lynda start out walking north along Fairview Ave. and quickly turn left onto Highland St. Annie then catches up with them and they cross to the other side of Highland Street, while continuing to head west. This is where Michael Myers drives by and slams on his brakes after Annie yells at him. In 2019, the large tree on the corner next to the stone wall was cut down.



2018

2019

2018

2019

Lynda van der Klok's house - 1027 Montrose Ave. S Pasadena, Ca. 91030

The three girls were walking north along Montrose Ave. The 2,314 square foot house was built in 1910. It was also used as the exterior of Thelma Harper's house from the television show Mama's Family.  

All "Now" pictures taken in 2019.

Hedge Michael Myers disappears behind - Between* 1019 and 1025 Montrose Ave. S Pasadena, Ca. 91030

All "Now" pictures taken in 2019.

2023

Annie Brackett's house - 1017 Montrose Ave. S Pasadena, Ca. 91030

The 987 square foot house was built in 1915.



2019

2023

Pedestal Laurie sits on - Fairview Ave. and Oxley St. S Pasadena, Ca. 91030

The pedestal is right next to Laurie's house. When I visited this location in 2018, the occupants of 1103 Fairview Avenue left pumpkins out on their porch for any Halloween fans that may have wanted to reenact the scene, to borrow. When I visited the location in 2019, the setup had changed and there was now a pumpkin in a bucket right next to the pedestal, rather than on the porch of the house. While Laurie is sitting with the pumpkin, she turns and looks to her right at some trick-or'-treaters, and what the camera shows is the actual location she's at. However, when she turns and looks at some trick-or'-treaters to her left, she's actually looking at the house at 1380 Genesee Avenue, fourteen miles away. The house shown is the same one used as Dennis Guilder's house in Christine.



2018

All "Now" pictures taken in 2019.

2018

Cemetery - 553 E. Sierra Madre Blvd. Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024
(Sierra Madre Pioneer Cemetery)

The cemetery was established in 1881. On July 3rd, 1882 Civil War veteran John Richardson was the very first person buried in the cemetery. Of the first seventeen families that lived in Sierra Madre, when it was founded in 1881, twelve of them are buried there. Pioneer Cemetery is Sierra Madre Historic Landmark #45. When Dr. Loomis and the caretaker are driving through the cemetery they're actually driving the wrong way on the cemeteries one-way road. The large Sinclair Gravestone can be seen directly behind them when they stop to look at Judith Myers' Missing gravestone. The cemetery can also be seen in Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2.

2019

2022

Michael Myers pulls behind Annie & Laurie - Cynthia St. and N. Almansor Ave. Alhambra, Ca. 91801

They're driving southwest on Cynthia St. when Michael Myers pulls off of N. Almansor Ave. and starts to follow. 



2019

Nichols Hardware - 966 Mission St. S Pasadena, Ca. 91030

It's been directly across the street from the Myers house since 1987. At the time of my visit, it was Radhika, an Indian restaurant. The building can also be seen in the background of a scene from the movie Stepbrothers, when Dale and Brennan are walking along the sidewalk while wearing tuxedos.



All "Now" pictures taken in 2019.

Annie & Laurie driving to the babysitter houses - Parkside Ave. and S. Lamer St. Burbank, Ca. 91506

They drive west along Parkside Ave. and then turn right onto Keystone St.



All "Now" pictures taken in 2019.

Wallace house (exterior) - 1537 N. Orange Grove Ave. Los Angeles, Ca. 90046

The 2,604 square foot house was built in 1962. It was heavily remodeled in the early 2000's, when a garage with additional rooms above it were added. The interiors, backyard and laundry room however, were filmed across the street at 1542 N. Orange Grove Ave.



All "Now" pictures taken in 2019.

2021

Doyle house (exterior) - 1530 N. Orange Grove Ave. Los Angeles, Ca. 90046

The 2,370 square foot house was built in 1920. The interiors however, were filmed directly across the street at 1533 N. Orange Grove Ave. This is the same house that turns Laurie away, when she bangs on their front door for help.



2019

The house was being heavily renovated during a 2023 re-visit.

Dr. Loomis spots the station wagon - 1380 Genesee Ave. Los Angeles, Ca. 90046

This was filmed at the same spot where Laurie turned to look left while she was sitting on the pedestal, earlier in the film.



2019