This is a TV behind-the-scene documentary of the classic horror. It has all the main contributors and most of the main points. The only one missing is the late Donald Pleasence. It doesn't have anything on the new one coming in 2018. It does have the ugly stepchild that is Rob Zombie. Mostly, it's about the original and not so much about the sequels. This is solid work about a horror which changed a genre and cinema and the audience.
4 Reviews
Halloween The Inside Story: One for the fans
Platypuschow30 October 2017
I don't like the Halloween franchise, I've always believed them to be criminally overrated but being that it's that time of year again I decided to watch all three Halloween documentaries.
Halloween: 25yrs Of Terror heavily focused on the entire franchise and the fans that kept it alive. Breaking down the history of each addition to the series.
This however focuses solely on the original movie and unlike the other documentaries actually features decent in depth interviews with all the stars not just the lil folk.
Curtis, Pleasance & the grumpier than usual Carpenter tell stories of the original 1978 classic and even impressed me a guy who thinks it was an average slasher at best.
Definitely one for the fans.
The Good:
Essential for fans of the series
Highly in depth
Great interview segments
The Bad:
I still don't like the Halloween films!
Things I Learnt From This Movie:
Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee turned down the role of Loomis!
Halloween: 25yrs Of Terror heavily focused on the entire franchise and the fans that kept it alive. Breaking down the history of each addition to the series.
This however focuses solely on the original movie and unlike the other documentaries actually features decent in depth interviews with all the stars not just the lil folk.
Curtis, Pleasance & the grumpier than usual Carpenter tell stories of the original 1978 classic and even impressed me a guy who thinks it was an average slasher at best.
Definitely one for the fans.
The Good:
Essential for fans of the series
Highly in depth
Great interview segments
The Bad:
I still don't like the Halloween films!
Things I Learnt From This Movie:
Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee turned down the role of Loomis!
Another Great Look at Carpenter's Classic
Michael_Elliott18 October 2011
Halloween: The Inside Story (2010)
*** 1/2 (out of 4)
Documentary about the making of John Carpenter's classic HALLOWEEN features the majority of the main cast and crew returning to discuss the production of this now legendary film. There's no doubt that HALLOWEEN: THE INSIDE STORY is a very well-made documentary but there's also no denying the fact that this one little, $300,000 film has been the center of countless other documentaries. If you're a fan of this series then it's probably going to be a fact that you've already seen countless other movies about the making of this film so it's doubtful that you're going to see or hear anything new here. If you're unfamiliar with the history of the Carpenter film or what all history it actually made then there's no doubt that this film does a good job at explaining the history and helps you understand what made the movie so special. Of course the making of the film is discussed as Carpenter talks about his influences, what he wanted out of this picture and we get to other items like the casting of Jamie Lee Curtis, the now legendary opening shot and the various influences it has had. The fact that the film got some pretty negative reviews at first is discussed and it's also talked about what turned the film and made it a box office hit. Carpenter, Curtis, PJ Soles, Nick Castle, Dean Cundey, Charles Cyphers, Nancy Kyes, Tommy Lee Wallace and just about everyone else is interviewed here and all of them share the sames stories as most fans have already heard. The notable missing people are Debra Hill and Moustapha Akkad who both died in 2005. Rob Zombie is also on hand to discuss why he felt the need to remake HALLOWEEN and he also shares the phone conversation he had with Carpenter when he called to let the director know he was remaking the film. If you new to the entire franchise then there's no question that this will tell you just about everything you need to know. If you're a die-hard fan such as myself then it's doubtful you'll learn anything new but then again, it's always fun hearing these stories.
*** 1/2 (out of 4)
Documentary about the making of John Carpenter's classic HALLOWEEN features the majority of the main cast and crew returning to discuss the production of this now legendary film. There's no doubt that HALLOWEEN: THE INSIDE STORY is a very well-made documentary but there's also no denying the fact that this one little, $300,000 film has been the center of countless other documentaries. If you're a fan of this series then it's probably going to be a fact that you've already seen countless other movies about the making of this film so it's doubtful that you're going to see or hear anything new here. If you're unfamiliar with the history of the Carpenter film or what all history it actually made then there's no doubt that this film does a good job at explaining the history and helps you understand what made the movie so special. Of course the making of the film is discussed as Carpenter talks about his influences, what he wanted out of this picture and we get to other items like the casting of Jamie Lee Curtis, the now legendary opening shot and the various influences it has had. The fact that the film got some pretty negative reviews at first is discussed and it's also talked about what turned the film and made it a box office hit. Carpenter, Curtis, PJ Soles, Nick Castle, Dean Cundey, Charles Cyphers, Nancy Kyes, Tommy Lee Wallace and just about everyone else is interviewed here and all of them share the sames stories as most fans have already heard. The notable missing people are Debra Hill and Moustapha Akkad who both died in 2005. Rob Zombie is also on hand to discuss why he felt the need to remake HALLOWEEN and he also shares the phone conversation he had with Carpenter when he called to let the director know he was remaking the film. If you new to the entire franchise then there's no question that this will tell you just about everything you need to know. If you're a die-hard fan such as myself then it's doubtful you'll learn anything new but then again, it's always fun hearing these stories.
Definitely worth watching for film fans
jellyneckr28 October 2012
Warning: Spoilers
I saw this for the first time today on the Biography Channel and although it may not be as deep or entertaining as some of the other documentaries on John Carpenter's horror classic, I still found it to be an engaging and worthwhile watch. Being a two-hour special (about 90 minutes without commercials), this is a relatively short look at the HALLOWEEN legacy, focusing almost exclusively on the making of the first movie back in 1978. Almost everyone from the original cast is interviewed and there is not a single boring speaker in the bunch. Jamie Lee Curtis is the best of all as she talks honestly about her insecurity starring in her first movie, her thoughts on the sequels, and her general dislike of horror movies. Director John Carpenter is equally as blunt, admitting that many of his creative decisions were made based on how little time there was to shoot the film and owning up to the fact he never had any real interest in the series after the first installment. While it's always good to hear Carpenter talk about his work, he makes it pretty obvious here how tired he is of talking about the series for over thirty years at this point. As the director who started it all, it's slightly sad that he comes across as the person with the least amount of enthusiasm for discussing it. Other than that, the only minor complaint I have is that this being a made-for-cable production, some of the film clips that are shown are obviously censored which begs the question as to why the clips were even chosen to be shown in the first place. Those small quibbles aside, this is well done documentary that both horror fans and fans of film history should definitely enjoy. 8/10
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
