Fifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween night, Michael Myers escapes from a mental hospital and returns to the small town of Haddonfield to kill again. A film by John Carpenter starring Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis, P.J. Soles and Nancy Loomis.

In the suburban town, Michael, a six-year-old boy Michael Myers (Will Sandin), brutally stabs his sister Judith to death with a kitchen knife on Halloween night in 1963. He is arrested and sent to Smith’s Grove Sanitarium, a mental health facility and detainment center for the criminally insane located 150 miles to the north of Haddonfield, where Michael will stay for the next fifteen years.

Nurse Marion Chambers (Nancy Stephens) drives Dr. Samuel Loomis (Donald Pleasence) to the sanitarium to escort Michael to a court hearing. As Dr. Samuel exits the car to unlock the main gate, Michael seizes the opportunity to attack Marion. Terrified, she flees, allowing Michael to steal the car and drive off.

As Michael makes his way back to his hometown, he murders a mechanic for his coveralls and steals a white mask from a local hardware store. Upon returning to his abandoned childhood home, he notices Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and Tommy (Brian Andrews) dropping off a key for her father, who is trying to sell the house. Michael stealthily follows Laurie.

Laurie senses that someone has been watching and following her all day, but her friends Lynda (P.J. Soles) and Annie (Nancy Loomis), also part-time babysitters, dismiss her concerns, believing it is just her wild imagination to think that a man would stalk her.

Upon arriving in Haddonfield, Dr. Samuel discovers that Michael has stolen Judith’s tombstone from the cemetery. Dr. Samuel and Sheriff Brackett (Charles Cyphers) search for Michael at his childhood home, where Dr. Samuel reveals that Michael is the embodiment of evil.

On Halloween night, Michael stalks the town, hunting teenage babysitters in a murderous spree like a boogeyman no one can catch. He attempts to kill Laurie, but Dr. Samuel intervenes and shoots him. However, Michael’s body vanishes, revealing that he is still on the loose.

John Carpenter’s HALLOWEEN is a masterclass in suspense and atmosphere, defining the slasher genre and popularizing tropes such as the masked killer and small-town Halloween night setting. Michael Myers has become one of horror cinema’s most iconic villains.

HALLOWEEN premiered at the AMC Empire theatre in Kansas City on 24 October 1978. It was theatrically released in the United States on 25 October. The film grossed over $70 million worldwide, with $47 million domestically, against its $300,000 production budget, making it one of the most successful independent films of all time.

The success of HALLOWEEN has spawned a sprawling film franchise that has fleshed out the backstory of its antagonist, Michael Myers, and sometimes deviated entirely from the narratives of previous installments. Additionally, the franchise has expanded to include novelizations, video games, and comic books.

Lionsgate Home Entertainment released the film in 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray for the film’s 40th anniversary on 25 September 2018, which includes 4K presentation of the film, Dolby Vision / HDR10, with Dolby TrueHD 7.1 and Dolby Digital Mono English audio.

In October 2021, Shout! Factory also released the the film in 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray as a 3-Disc Collector’s Edition, which includes 4K scan from the original camera negative, Dolby Atmos audio track, audio commentary with co-writer/director John Carpenter and actress Jamie Lee Curtis, audio commentary with director of photography Dean Cundey, editor Tommy Lee Wallace, and actor Nick Castle, Newspaper ad still gallery by Drive-In Asylum, the broadcast television cut, and all previously released featurettes.

Witness Laurie Strode’s final confrontation with Michael Myers, the masked figure who has haunted her since she escaped his killing spree on Halloween night four decades ago. A film by David Gordon Green, starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, Andi Matichak, Will Patton, and James Jude Courtney.

Michael Myers, the infamous serial killer, has been institutionalized at Smith’s Grove Psychiatric Hospital for four decades following his massacre in Haddonfield. True crime podcasters Aaron Korey (Jefferson Hall)) and Dana Haines (Rhian Rees) seek permission for an interview with Michael through Dr. Ranbir Sartain (Haluk Bilginer), his current psychiatrist after Dr. Samuel Loomis. However, Michael remains unresponsive, even when Aaron shows him the mask he wore during the killings.

Unsatisfied with their lack of material from Michael, Aaron and Dana travel to Haddonfield to interview Laurie Strode, the survivor of the 1978 massacre. Initially declining their interview request, Laurie relents after they offer her $3,000. However, Laurie becomes enraged and banishes them when they ask her to visit Michael at Smith’s Grove Psychiatric Hospital prior to his transfer to a maximum-security prison.

Laurie still lives in fear of Michael’s return to finish her off. She has fortified her house and built an underground bunker filled with a vast arsenal of weapons. She has trained in firearms and trained her daughter Karen (Sophia Miller), in military-grade combat skills until the state took Karen away when she was 12 years old, straining their relationship ever since.

Karen (Judy Greer), now happily married to Ray (Toby Huss) and the mother of Allyson (Andi Matichak), does not want her daughter to associate with her grandmother Laurie. Despite her mother’s wishes, Allyson attempts to maintain a relationship with her grandmother.

During his transfer, Michael Myers escapes from the bus crash and returns to Haddonfield, where he stalks Aaron and Dana after they visit his sister Judith’s grave. He kills them both and recovers his mask. Michael also murders a mechanic for his coveralls, preparing to hunt down babysitters on Halloween night once again.

2018 HALLOWEEN, the eleventh installment in the Halloween film series and a direct sequel to the 1978 film, is another attempt to revive the franchise. It evokes memories of the original film, such as the scene where Allyson knocks on several doors for help but no one answers. While Karen appears to be more violent than Laurie, the film still contains unexplained plot holes, despite its unexpected twist.

2018 HALLOWEEN, a direct sequel to the 1978 classic, endures as a testament to its timeless appeal, incorporating elements of the modern horror slasher genre. It features graphic violence, jump scares, and suspenseful atmosphere, while paying homage to the original film with its iconic villain, Michael Myers.

HALLOWEEN premiered at Toronto International Film Festival on 8 September 2018. The film was theatrically released in the United States on 19 October, by Universal Pictures.