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HALLOWEEN (1978)

Trick or Treat Studios Unveils Officially Licensed Halloween ’78 Tombstone Prop

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With Halloween only 164 days away, Trick or Treat Studios has unveiled their Halloween 1978 Judith Myers Tombstone Prop, officially licensed from Compass International Pictures.

Sculpted by Darren Roberts from the actual screen-used patterns provided by Compass (from John Carpenter’s seminal classic 1978 film Halloween), this tombstone is a one-to-one replica of what you see on the screen. Measuring 40” high, 25” wide and 3” deep, the Halloween 1978 Judith Myers Tombstone Prop is made from top quality insulated foam board, giving it a realistic screen-used look and feel.

You can pre-order your own by clicking here, and celebrate “The Night He Came Home” this Halloween with a spooky addition to your haunted yard… or headboard, depending on how you care to decorate.

Excl: Sandy “Judith Myers” Johnson Talks Halloween

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Her famous, alarmed delivery in 1978 of a single word: “Michael!” introduced audiences worldwide to not only the evil which lurked in the fictional town of Haddonfield, Illinois, but also heralded the arrival of arguably the most famous villain in all of slasher cinema.

Forty-two years later, Sandy Johnson, the actress who emoted that line, and the woman who portrayed Michael Myers’ first victim in John Carpenter’s classic film Halloween, recently spoke with HalloweenMovies.com in regards to the role, its impact on her life, and in discovering so many years later a celebrity she didn’t know existed.

Sandy Johnson as “Judith Myers” in John Carpenter’s Halloween

Born in 1954 in San Antonio, Texas, Johnson demonstrated at an early age an interest in the arts, particularly in dance, and that interest would eventually lead her (as it has many) to the bright lights of Hollywood, CA, and eventually to John Carpenter, Debra Hill and to the world of Halloween.

“I loved modern dance, and I loved choreographing,” Johnson told us on the phone when we chatted with her last month, “and once I’d moved to LA I also started to take acting lessons at some of the (acting) studios, which led to some commercial bookings, and later to a few movies. So, it kind of developed from my passion for dance, really.”

Of her memories of the time period, one of the most divisive in American history (marked by the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War and subsequent antiwar protests, as well as the second wave of feminism), Johnson recalled, “Those were crazy times. They certainly affected me, as I was kind of a wild kid, and my mom was struggling, so she didn’t keep a really good watch on me. My best friend was kind of in the same boat, so we did our own thing. They were fun times. There were parties everywhere, the parks were filled with Love-ins, and there was impromptu music. That whole era was certainly set apart, and it was an interesting time in which to live. And Hollywood? That was certainly different than it is today.”

Sandy Johnson in the 70s

According to Johnson, there was more on her mind during her early days in Hollywood however than simply the nightlife. With her father soon ailing, Johnson spurred herself into the world of print modelling, and eventually in 1974 to Playboy, in order to assist him with the financial burden of his medications.

“My father was very sick with cancer,” she recalled, “and I was still going to school and working at chicken places and stuff, just trying to make ends meet. My dad needed money for medicine, and there was a drug called Laetrile available in Mexico, and he kind of wanted to try it. He wasn’t doing well at all, so I needed to make money to help him out. So, I just started doing any kind of modelling I could find, and that’s how my pictorial in Playboy came about. A friend of mine said, ‘You know you might try them; they pay well.’ So, that’s what I did, and they accepted me. So, all of it really initially was just in order to make money for my dad. Unfortunately, the drugs weren’t successful, and he didn’t last long. But by then of course, I was heavily involved in Hollywood and the entertainment industry, so I stayed with it.”

Playmate of the Month for Playboy’s June 1974 issue, Johnson said of her centerfold spread, her experience with Playboy and its impact on her burgeoning acting career, “At the time nudity wasn’t that big of a deal, and it had become acceptable. A lot of the big stars were doing it in their movies, and it kind of changed everything. So, I found that Playboy was actually helpful for my career, and as I was also being represented by their agency, if film productions were particularly looking for someone who didn’t have a problem with doing nude scenes, they’d reach out to the agency, and through them they’d find me.”

Sandy Johnson, Playmate of the Month, June 1974

As the 70s marched on, Johnson’s first two feature film bookings came via Al Silliman Jr.’s 1978 3-D film The Surfer Girls and the comedic Jokes My Folks Never Told Me, but it would be the third film in which she appeared that would forever etch her name in cinematic history: her role of “Judith Myers” in John Carpenter’s Halloween.

“There were several people there,” Johnson recalled of her audition for the film. “It may have taken place in one of the houses they used for the movie, and they had the living room set up as an office. I remember them telling me the story of the film, and of what parts they were looking to cast. They had me read some lines, and do some screaming, which I remember thinking was strange because we were in a residential neighborhood! And then it wasn’t very long after, maybe the next day, that I got a call from the agency informing me that I had been cast in the role of Judith.”

As a fan of genre, she was thrilled at the booking.

“I love horror films,” effused Johnson. “It’s what I’d do with my friends as a young person during sleep overs. Horror films are what we watched!”

With principal photography of Halloween taking place during the spring of 1978, Johnson recalled of her time on set, in what was the soon-to-become infamous Myers house (then located at 707 Meridian Avenue in South Pasadena, CA), “My scene was to be the last shot of production, even though it would be the first one in the finished film, and they needed to make the house look new, so the art department was busy fixing things up. Painting the walls and cleaning windows and those kinds of things. And I remember that after several rehearsals that we did that scene in maybe two or three takes. I also remember it being a really long shot, and that everyone was really excited about the new (Panaglide) camera which they were using.”

Of Carpenter’s direction of her and co-star David Kyle, who played her rather shall we say ‘premature’ boyfriend in what is perhaps one of the fastest off screen lovemaking session in all of film history (one minute and eleven seconds to be exact), Johnson offered, “John and (producer and co-writer) Debra (Hill) did some play acting in order to block the scenes for us, especially for the murder scene, in regards to how they wanted the angles. For the stuff downstairs I just remember John saying, “Make it playful, kind of teasing and carefree, like a 60s kind of vibe.”

As for Johnson’s interaction on set with young lead Jamie Lee Curtis, “I remember that she was very nice,” Johnson said. “Jamie was in the production trailer with me at some point, which was used for wardrobe and make-up and just about everything else, and I remember that whoever was scrubbing the (FX) blood off of me after my takes was pretty rough, and it was a sensitive area. So, I was not really thrilled with the pain involved, and Jamie must have noticed this because she said, ‘Would you like me to help with that?’ I said, ‘Yes,’ and I just remember that she was much gentler. It was a kind gesture.”

Premiering in October of 1978, Johnson remembered of first seeing the modestly budgeted Halloween, a film which took some time and word of mouth during its regional rollout to evolve into one of the most successful independent productions of all time, “It was at a theatre in LA. The whole cast was there, but it wasn’t what you’d consider a ‘premiere’ because it was way too small a movie for that of course. I doubt if there was any press or anything. But I remember it scared the hell out of me. It was a very scary movie. And to see it on the big screen! And I had not been in a horror film before, so that was scary to see yourself get murdered up there, but it was also cool.”

As with most things, Johnson moved on with her life, unaware of the juggernaut which the film would become, something which she wouldn’t truly be aware of until decades later.

“I was busy making other films, taking classes, and carrying on a romance,” said Johnson of her life on the direct heels of Halloween. “I had a lot going on! And you know, I just made the film and then went onto the next thing. Yeah, I had no idea. And then of course I became a teacher and got my PHD. I was just focused on other stuff. So, it wasn’t like I was Googling ‘Halloween’ or anything, although I am sure that if I had I would have been shocked!”

Her eventual realization of Halloween and its enduring popularity came via a text message in 2018, a full forty years after shooting her scene in the Carpenter classic.

“It was kind of late at night, and I was playing Words With Friends with my sister, and I got a text from someone that read, ‘Are you the Sandy Johnson from Halloween?” At the time I hadn’t thought of Halloween in decades, and I replied, ‘Yes, who is this?’ It turned out that it was Rick Henriques, who is now my representation and booking agent, and he had been apparently looking for me for nine or ten years! I guess so were several other agents, but he just happened to be the one that was relentless, and who finally found me. So, he started telling me how Halloween had become a big film, and that I had thousands of followers, and I was just sitting there thinking, ‘I am dreaming for sure. None of this is real.’ But it turned out that it was real, and it is awesome.”

Sandy Johnson and date attend the premiere of David Gordon Green’s Halloween

Johnson’s first appearance on the horror convention circuit took place that October at the Halloween-themed event H40: Forty Years of Terror, held at the Pasadena Convention Center, itself located merely miles from where she shot the now infamous opening of Halloween.

“I’d never been to any convention like that!” recalled Johnson. “I was totally unaware that there were horror conventions or anything like them, so I just like walked into that place as a newbie. They sat me down in front of a banner, told me what I’d need to do, and then the doors opened up, and it was like, ‘Oh, my god!’ The people! I mean there were thousands of them just pouring in, and the line went on for as far as I could see. I just couldn’t even believe it, and I loved meeting all of them. It was just really fun.”

Writer’s note: this interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

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Follow Sandy Johnson on her Instagram @unicornsandyj

Excl: FX Artist Christopher Nelson On Halloween 2018 & What You Didn’t See

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“I was at the first Slashback Video installation at Mystic Museum in Burbank, CA,” Oscar and Emmy award winning FX artist Christopher Allen Nelson told us of his journey into the Halloween film franchise, when we recently sat down with him to chat, “and I crossed paths there with Slashback co-creator and Blumhouse director of development Ryan Turek. He said, ‘It looks like we’ll be doing a new Halloween (film),’ and I of course lost my mind.”

Christopher Allen Nelson

A lifelong horror fan and creator of some of the most eye-popping (sometimes literally) special effects in more than one hundred films (from 1993’s splatterific Return of the Living Dead III to Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill series, in which he also appears), Nelson recalled of the meeting of jumping at the chance to ply his trade in the world of Haddonfield.

“I of course was overly excited,” effused Nelson of Turek’s admission, “and I said, ‘You have to consider me, because I’m one of the hugest Halloween fans in the world, and I have to do it!’ Ryan asked if I was serious, given that the film, within the Blumhouse model, was slated to have a modest budget, and I told him, ‘I’ll cut my rate to do it. Just please talk to the powers that be and just give me a shot.’ And sure enough, he stepped up, and set up some phone calls with (director) David Gordon Green and (series producer) Malek Akkad, kind of to get me vetted, so to speak.”

“David and I spoke on the phone,” Nelson continued. “He’s also a huge Halloween fan, and we got along very, very well. During that call, I was able to convince him that I was the one they needed to hire as their makeup effects designer, and the same with Malek. You know, Malek and David wanted to crew the film with people who really hold the franchise close to their hearts, and who respect the material and who are dedicated to it. So, after a few conversations I ended up getting the gig, and I was just absolutely elated.”

As for any pressure he felt in reimagining the visage of the cinema’s most iconic slasher, “It stemmed from doing the material justice, and in respecting it,” said Nelson of creating the Myers mask. “I didn’t really pay too much attention to that pressure though, only because I knew that I was the best guy for the job. I don’t mean that to sound arrogant. I knew only because I loved and respected that story, and have loved and respected those characters, ever since Carpenter’s original film scared the bejesus out of me when I was ten years old.” (Writer’s note: you can read more about that, and Nelson’s early years in the FX industry, in part 1 here).

“And I knew I couldn’t go wrong with that,” Nelson continued. “I work creatively from an emotional foundation. I may not be the best technically, but I have immense passion for the projects I do emotionally. I really just went into Halloween as a fan, and I went into it asking, ‘What do I want to see as a fan?’ And so that’s the way I approached it, and I think we did a pretty good job. Were there things I would do differently? Sure. But I think, all in all, I was very satisfied with it, and I just love it. I love the way it turned out and am very proud of it.”

Christopher Allen Nelson

Pertaining the process of sculpting the Myers mask, “I assumed that was going to be the hardest thing, and that it was going to be a really long process, and yet it turned out to not be,” recalled Nelson. “I wanted everything to be the best it could within the context of the story, and where we were forty years following the original. Also, I wanted to add some character, and to balance what we know of Michael Myers, both for the die-hard fans and to satisfy modern audiences.”

Of the original, itself a modified Don Post Studios mask of actor William Shatner which Carpenter and Co. had purchased for $1.98 at Bert Wheeler’s Magic Shop on Hollywood Boulevard in 1978, “I work a lot with Vincent Van Dyke Effects,” Nelson allowed, “and we decided that we’d try hiring (FX artist) Justin Mabry to sculpt a ‘78 version of the mask, because at the time there was a ‘78 flashback in the 2018 film. Justin’s a big Halloween fan too, and he has sculpted many iterations of the ‘78 mask in the past. He asked for a shot at it, so we started there. Justin came in and spent about two days sculpting a version of the ‘78. And then, that got nixed, very early on, before we even started shooting. The ‘78 part got written out of the script, so now we were left with the 2018 mask. For that mask, myself and Vincent Van Dyke designed and sculpted it based off of a lot of different things. Both what we thought it should be, and what we thought fans wanted to see, as well as all the notes from Trancas, Miramax, Blumhouse, Universal and David. And rightly so.”

“Ultimately, it came down to what we all wanted to see as fans, and what was going to work in the context of film’s story. We’ve had forty years to sit back and to digest the original movie and to analyze the mask and to stare at it, but we didn’t have the luxury of doing the same with the 2018 mask. So, we had to be really smart about it in the design, and to respect the history of it. So, what we came up with was what we came up with. Originally, we had one iteration (of the mask) that was much less worn and discolored, and there was a thought to go way more deteriorated, much like one of the original masks (from the ’78 film) in its current state, but I honestly didn’t think that would work on screen and in this story, as much as does make some sense. I wanted there to be an emotional response in seeing that mask and character, beyond just the iconic look. We also didn’t want to go into Rob Zombie territory and to mimic the great mask Wayne Toth did (for Rob’s films). So, I went with my gut, and the second version we created was the version you see in the 2018 film. That was the one. Everyone across the board was happy, and they accepted it and liked it and we all thought it could work. So, it took two (attempts). In my mind I explored so many other designs and versions. Some would have worked, some not. But in the end, you have to go with what is best for the film you are making. I don’t think people understand all that goes into why and what we do sometimes. You can’t explain it, you just have to do the best you can to make everyone, including yourself, happy. There is also the fine line between art and commerce one has to tread and keep in mind. I got lucky maybe, or maybe it was because we are huge fans, and I approached it as a fan. ‘What do I want to see?’ And that’s what I wanted to see. And I think it worked. Credit must also go out to director of photography Michael Simmonds. He really is insanely good at his craft. He knows how to shoot this world and The Shape. He tells mini stories with each shot. One of the main reasons The Shape looks so good in these films is because of him. And David of course.”

With the mask approved, Nelson then found himself not only overseeing the film’s makeup effects in Charleston, South Carolina in January of 2018, but also assuming the role of the ill-fated, Bahn Mi sandwich-loving “Officer Francis,” who meets a rather grisly demise in the film’s third act.

“Oh god, it was so surreal and so strange,” recalled Nelson of his casting in the film. “It came about during pre-production as we were designing and building the effects. I was on daily calls with David brainstorming and discussing approvals and makeup ideas, and one day he said, ‘I know you’ve dabbled in acting.’ I told him that I wasn’t doing that anymore, and that I’d given it up, but he said, ‘I want you to play a cop in this movie.’ I actually first turned it down, but he said, ‘Come on! It’ll be great! It’s a really quick thing, and I have this idea to carve your head into a jack o’ lantern.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, that sounds cool!’. So, I had to do it, just for that reason. And then cut to weeks later and I’m acting on set.”

Of that, “The whole thing was improvised,” Nelson recalled of his scene with actor Charlie Benton. “It wasn’t written. I think there was one bit, where we were talking about food of some sort, and that was all that was really written for it. So, David had me and Charlie make it all up on the day, just improvising. It was surreal. It was amazing. It was great. I mean, there I am with, you know, with Jamie Lee Curtis on set, and David Gordon Green directing. And James Jude Courtney! You know, I’ve already gone on about the elation and the dream-like state of putting the Myers mask on Michael Myers himself, who was standing before me with the jumpsuit and knife, and the ten-year old in me was thinking, ‘This is just a dream come true!’ And then to also be able to be in the film, and to be a victim in it in what turned out to be sort of visually iconic. That jack o’ lantern head has since become quite popular! I’ve seen it on tattoos, it’s an accessory in toys and it’s a prop that you can buy in stores. It’s really amazing. It’s still thrilling. It’s still super exciting to have had that happened.”

Christopher Allen Nelson on the set of Halloween (2018)

“Another thing a lot of people don’t know is that I got to play The Shape for two shots in the film!” Nelson revealed. “The shot where he is reaching through the window in the door, grabbing for Jaime and his hand is blown off? That’s me! I applied that make-up myself and my key Kevin Wasner executed the gag. Thank god you didn’t see my doughy visage in that jumpsuit. You’d have to play the Halloween scene through a tuba.”

As for the other shot?

“You’ll have to guess,” Nelson said.

Nelson’s Self Application of FX Prosthetic & Makeup
Left to right: Key Makeup Effects Artist Kevin Wasner & Nelson as The Shape on the set of Halloween (2018)

With David Gordon Green’s Halloween proving itself a box office hit upon its opening on October 19, 2018, Nelson recalled of the success, “It was a great feeling, because we all kind of became a family, and we learned how we worked and got to know each other. And then to be hired onto Halloween Kills was amazing! It’s even better than the first one. I didn’t think it could be, but it is.”

Of Halloween Kills, scheduled for release from Universal Pictures on October 16, 2020, “We all came in with really strong ideas, and a lot of excitement,” stated Nelson of the production’s approach. “We came in knowing we had to up the ante. I think there was even more pressure on Halloween Kills, because we’ve kind of set a precedent with Halloween (2018), and I just was thrilled to be asked back. When I first heard rumblings that they were going to do another one, I didn’t assume that I would be chosen. And when David called to formally ask me if I would do Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends, I was just so flattered. It really is a dream come true! I’m living it, and I approach it with respect, enthusiasm and love.”

Check out more photos below.

Coming soon, part three of our three-part series, in which Nelson discusses the twists and turns of Halloween Kills.

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Allen masks The Shape actor Nick Castle on the set of Halloween (2018)
Left to right: actor Nick Castle as The Shape & Christopher Allen Nelson on the set of Halloween (2018)
Left to right: Christopher Allen Nelson & The Shape actor James Jude Courtney on the set of Halloween (2018)
Left to right: James Jude Courtney & Christopher Allen Nelson during re-shoots of Halloween (2018)
Nelson & Castle on the set of Halloween (2018) / Nelson holds the slate from Halloween (1978)
Left to right: Nelson, James Jude Courtney, David Gordon Green on the set of Halloween (2018)

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Writer’s note: this interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

Excl: Halloween FX Artist Christopher Nelson Talks His Early Career

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“I spent a lot of time by myself watching loads of genre-based programming,” Halloween (2018) and Halloween Kills special make-up FX designer and department head Christopher Allen Nelson told us of his formative years when we recently sat down with him to discuss his prolific career, as well as his storied and interesting path to the Halloween film franchise. “Growing up in the late 1970s in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, movies and television were my parents and my church, for lack of a better description, and I was fascinated by Boris Karloff in Frankenstein, Lon Chaney in Phantom of the Opera, and the 1958 film Fiend Without a Face, among others, so I started dabbling in makeup at a very young age.”

Christopher Allen Nelson

“Back then it really wasn’t popular to like that kind of stuff among most kids,” continued the Oscar and Emmy award-winning Nelson of his early obsessions. “It was very underground, and you were considered a misfit if you liked things like that, but I was just fascinated and loved it so. Being in Pittsburgh, the work of George Romero was also a huge influence on me. I can recall that Chiller Theater and (WIIC/WPXI, Channel 11 horror host) Bill ‘Chilly Billy’ Cardille would show Night of the Living Dead every summer, and it was a highlight of my childhood existence. That and Dick Smith’s Monster Make-up and Tom Savini’s book Grande Illusions, which showed me that you could do make up for a living. That’s really what got me into it, and it just kept going from there.”

Christopher Allen Nelson

Of Halloween, and the series Nelson would many years be involved in (both as an FX artist and as an actor, having also portrayed “Officer Francis” in David Gordon Green’s 2018 direct sequel), he recalls of his introduction at an early age to Carpenter’s classic, “Halloween has always been a constant in my life. I saw it when it first came out in 1978. I was ten years old. I had walked to the movie theater to see it, and had a buddy whose older brother was a senior in high school and who also worked at the theater, so he let me in. I went in and I saw it by myself, and it scared the bejesus out of me, and it changed me forever. I remember that when the film was over, that I had to walk the two miles back home alone in the dark, and it was just horrifying. I saw Michael Myers behind every tree and every house and every bush.”

“It really for me was one of the scariest moments ever, and it made such an impression on me, that particular combination of Carpenter’s direction and Cundey’s cinematography and the mystery of it all: that character of Michael Myers,” Nelson reflected. “Growing up in a small town, I just related to it on so many levels. It didn’t come across to me as a slasher film. To me it was more of a psychological thriller, and that’s the way that I took it. So, it really made a huge, huge impression on me, to the point that afterwards I bought the Halloween novelization and did a book report on it, much to my schoolteacher’s chagrin.”

As for the pivotal point at which Nelson decided to take the plunge into professional FX work, “While I lived in Pittsburgh with my father, my mother lived in Los Angeles, so I would go there to visit every summer for a couple of months,” he said. “Visiting Universal Studios Hollywood and being surrounded by (recreations) of Dracula and the Mummy, and seeing Rick Baker win the very first Academy Award in 1982 on television for his makeup work on An American Werewolf in London made me realize that it was something that you can do. That you can work in the movies, and that you can actually have a career and make money, and that it was a real, tangible thing. So, at the very young age of fifteen, I knew that’s what I was going to do. There was no other option. I think it was all of those elements combined which solidified my fate.”

Vincent Price & Kim Hunter Present the Oscar to Rick Baker for An American Werewolf in London

As for Nelson’s early entrance into the colorful world of the Hollywood FX industry, it began with continued visits to special makeup effects supply shop Burman Industries, where he began to rub elbows with some of those responsible for the fantastical cinematic creations which had influenced him as a boy.

“While working odd jobs supporting myself, I spent most of my time practicing and learning from books and whatever tools and information I could get my hands on,” said Nelson of his early days in Los Angeles. “I realized I had found a community of movie, monster and make-up people just like me, and it was wonderful. I’d found my tribe so to speak. I did everything I could to meet and talk to artists working within the industry, and I networked and quickly made friends with people that I’m proud to say that I am still friends with to this day.”

Of those relationships, “Many of them started by going to Burman Industries in Van Nuys,” recalled the artist. “That was the place that had all the materials one would need to do what we do. There, I met so many people that introduced me to others. We hung out in each other’s garages and apartments, watched movies, sculpted, painted and had a blast.”

Working out of his own one-bedroom apartment sculpting, Nelson remembered, “I got Roma clay all over the carpet, and baked foam latex in the kitchen’s oven and stunk up the entire complex. Needless to say, I lost my renter’s deposit. But during that time, I had put together a decent portfolio, and I started hounding FX shops for interviews.”

“One of those shops was Tom Burman,” he offered. “Tom gave me my first shop gig, and I learned so much there working on commercials and test makeups, and for briefly on the ‘Superboy’ series.”

Following, Nelson worked at Optic Nerve (the shop founded by John Vulich and Everett Burrel, responsible for the makeup effects on display in the television series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) before interviewing at Rick Baker’s own Cinnovation Design Studio, where he worked for a short time.

“He gave me great advice,” recalled Nelson of the An American in Werewolf in London Oscar winner.

With his professional world expanding, Nelson recalled then meeting and making acquaintances with FX artist Bill Corso, who at the time was working at Steve Johnson’s XFX Inc.

FX artist Steve Johnson circa 1994

“Steve liked my portfolio, and he asked if I was willing to work for circus tickets in lieu of pay,” laughed Nelson. “Literally tickets to the circus. I said that I would. He then exploded laughing and said that he couldn’t believe that someone would work for circus tickets. Of course, he was joking, and he hired me. I ended up there for quite some time, bouncing back and forth a little between his shop and Rick Baker’s and learning as much as I could from so many great artists, like Bill Corso, Dave Dupuis, Joel Harlow, Norman Cabrera, Bill Bryan, and so many more.”

“I’m leaving so much out because it was a long time ago and quite a blur,” said Nelson. “Those were different times. Great times that will never return.”

With Nelson’s first credited feature coming in 1993 as a special makeup effects artist on Warlock: The Armageddon, and the early 90s proving itself to be a practical FX tour de force of splatter (just prior to the proliferation of computer generated imagery), we decided to take a trip down memory lane, and gave him some film feature titles on which he’d worked, querying, “What’s the first thing that first comes to mind?”

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The Return of the Living Dead III (1993)

“I watched that just the other night!” laughed Nelson. “That film was a huge, momentous break for me. I was working at a company called Alchemy Effects, which was run by Mike Deak, and we were predominantly doing Charlie Band movies at the time. I think I was working on Dollman vs. Demonic Toys, and I’d met effects coordinator Tom Rainone, who sadly has since passed away. He was serving at the time as an effects coordinator for director Brian Yuzna on a project called Return of the Living Dead III, and he was often in our shop. Tom was kind of looking for young talent who could work cheap and under pressure and who were hungry, and he took a liking to me. So, I went and met with Brian and put in a bid for the job and ended up getting a portion of that movie and building it myself, which was just huge to me. I mean, I was a big fan of the original Return of the Living Dead film, so to be able to work on Part III was simply amazing!”

“So, that’s how that came about, and they took a chance on me, and it was great fun,” Nelson further expounded. “Fully practical movies were coming to the end of an era at the time, and that movie had so many effects that the production employed four different makeup shops, and all of the artists had their own unique take on the material. So, there was both at once a sense of community and of healthy competition, with everyone coming to set to show off the cool shit we’d made. And filming with Yuzna, who was a legend, was so great. Like many independent films, we were still challenged by a tiny budget and a short shooting schedule, but it was a wonderful project to be involved in.”

As for what portion Return of the Living Dead III’s cinematic mayhem Nelson was responsible for, he offered, “I did the first zombie in the film! You know the very tall and thin zombie (actor Clarence Epperson) which they wheel into the lab? That was mine, and the entire opening sequence. (Hellraiser III) director Anthony Hickcox actually cameos in that scene, and I’d also designed the gags where his fingers are bitten off and his brains are bashed out. So those were my main contributions to the film, with a few more little things sprinkled throughout.”

Left-to-right: Tom Rainone (FX Coordinator), Charles Rivera, Clarence Epperson, Chris Nelson, and Earl Ellis.

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Night of the Demons 2 (1994)

“I was working for Steve Johnson at the time,” recalled Nelson of his contributions to the Brian Trenchard-Smith film, which serves as a direct sequel to Kevin Tenney’s 1988 classic originator Night of the Demons. “I’d worked for Steve on and off and then had a steady gig with him for about six or seven years, and that was one of the movies that we did, and I was able to help build some really cool effects in there with a bunch of great guys: Johnson, Bill Corso, Dave Dupuis, Eric Fiedler, Bill Brian, Joel Harlow. We also did The Stand and The Shinning TV films with Mick Garris around that time. There were a lot of legendary artists there, all working under the tutelage of Johnson, and we were encouraged to be free and open and to think outside the box as far as the effects, and Steve’s was a great place for that. We did some cool gags in that film, I think. Angela’s evolution into the snake demon and the decapitated head dribbling scene come to mind!”

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Bordello of Blood (1996)

“Oh god!” Nelson exclaimed at the mention of the generally poorly regarded Gilbert Adler-directed, Corey Feldman-starring vampire film, which served as a follow-up to the 1995 cult hit Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight. “Bordello of Blood is one I don’t talk about much. That was a hellish, nightmarish shoot. We shot that in Vancouver. Again, no money and it was just plagued with problems. It was just hard to do, and we were working out of Canada. The talent pool in Vancouver was very small at the time, and we couldn’t get certain supplies, and we couldn’t get enough people to do what we needed to do, so it was really a tough shoot pulling all of that together. I look back on it now and I can laugh, but at the time it was quite stressful and taxing, and not some of my best work. For myriad reasons. But I guess it’s got its own cult following now, this many years later.”

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With the 90s nearing a close and a string of films now under his belt (including the werewolf flick Bad Moon, Berry Levinson’s Sphere and the horror/sci film Species II, among others), Nelson’s first professional confluence with the world of Halloween, although indirectly, would come in 1999 on the set of the feature film Virus, starring none other than the grande dame of scream queens herself, Jamie Lee Curtis.

Left-to-right: Chris Nelson & Scott Patton on Bad Moon

“I was again working with Steve Johnson, who masterminded all of the amazing creations in that film,” recalled Nelson of the John Bruno horror-sci fi thriller, which revolves around the discovery of an abandoned Russian research vessel, and the alien life form within. “We really pushed the envelope at the time of technology with those giant, bio-mech robots in that film.”

“I remember it being really a peak of a creative time, especially with Steve Johnson,” reflected Nelson of the decade. “Unfortunately a lot of those movies that we did at Steve’s, they were so subversive and strange, and the effects were so monumental and weird that I think they didn’t go over well, and only over time did they find an audience that appreciates that stuff.”

“But Virus was absolutely the film where I first met Jamie, during some reshoots on the Paramount lot,” he recalled. “It was in the big water tank, I believe, and she was fun and lovely and of course so nice. I didn’t have a whole lot of involvement with her at the time, but that changed later with Halloween and Halloween Kills, and every time she sees me now, she goes, ‘Virus!’ And I say, ‘I know!’”

Coming soon, part two of our three-part series, in which Nelson discusses his attachment to Halloween (2018) and the development process behind Myers’ mask and approach to the film’s practical effects, as well as his experience in playing “Officer Francis.” And in part three: Halloween Kills.

Chris Nelson & Jamie Lee Curtis on the set of Halloween (2018)

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Writer’s note: this interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

For the Shelf: Michael’s Stabby Snow Globe

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In 1998 The Shape stalked not only the big screen in Steve Miner’s box office success Halloween H20: 20 Years Later, but also the shelves of now defunct retailers Sam Goody, Blockbuster Video and Wherehouse Music stores (among others) in the form of a now highly sought after collectible: Anchor Bay’s 20th Anniversary Snow Globe Set VHS re-release of Halloween.

In addition to the 1978 classic film, presented in widescreen format and with the theatrical trailer included (in a clam shell VHS tape case, which seems utterly nostalgic today), was a limited-edition commemorative snow globe depicting Myers’ third act living room attack on Laurie Strode. At the time the only Halloween collectible which depicted the film’s final girl, the globe’s gimmick was simple: shake it up and it “snowed” with glitter blood. Individually numbered and licensed by Compass International Pictures, Inc., the set originally retailed for $29.99, although it now fetches prices many times that in collector circles.

Do you have one? We’d love to see how you display it!

Fright-Rags’ Latest Halloween Tee Goes International

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Shipping the week of March 20th, 2020, pre-orders are currently available for one of Fright-Rags’ latest Officially Licensed Halloween tees, this one featuring artwork by Kyle Crawford.

Bearing a celebratory collage of international marketing from John Carpenter’s 1978 classic Halloween, the long sleeve tee is made of 100% pre-shrunk ringspun cotton.

To grab yours, head on over to Fright Rags here, and follow them on their Instagram account @FrightRags for more Myers related apparel.

 

Trick or Treat Studios Unveils Officially Licensed Michael Myers 1:6 Figures

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With the 2020 Toy Fair currently in full swing at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Manhattan, New York, Trick or Treat Studios has unveiled their brand new officially licensed Michael Myers 1:6 scale figure line from Halloween, and we’ve got an early look!

Priced to retail for $119.99 each (with pre-orders set to go live in the coming weeks, specific dates to be determined), the first releases in the 12” articulated figure line are faithful recreations of cinema’s most iconic slasher Michael Myers from the films Halloween (1978), 1988’s Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers and 1989’s Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers, as well The Shape from 2018’s Halloween (coming late 2020), with  portrait sculpture for all by Justin Mabry, additional sculpting by Alex Ray and clothing design by Tinela Ayres.

For all things Trick or Treat Studios related, visit their official website here, and follow them on Instagram at @trick_or_treat_studios

‘REWIND’ to ’78: Halloween Art From Around the World

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Back before the days of the Internet, people had to get their news and information from… dare I say it… a newspaper! *GASP* Yep, things sure were different back then. How did we ever survive? But despite the lack of technology it was an incredible time. There was something so very cool about opening a newspaper, flipping to the “Arts and Entertainment” section and devouring all of that delicious horror themed eye-candy: poster promises of scary films to come.

One of those posters was by artist and illustrator Robert Gleason, who’d been hired to deliver artwork at the guidance of producer Irwin Yablans for John Carpenter’s 1978 classic, Halloween, and it just pushed all of our genre lovin’ happy buttons! The instantly iconic image, which immediately goosed our collected imagination, and its attached tag-line of “The Night He Came Home” served to entice prospective viewers even more: who was “He” and what happened on “The Night He Came Home?” One thing we knew for sure: we had to find out, and so off to the theater we went!

In October of 1978, the world was poised to experience an all new kind of evil, and its ties to the spookiest day of the calendar year made it all the more exciting! Let’s take a look back at some Halloween posters from around the world.

Theatrical Posters

Newspaper Ads

But wait! There’s more! In 1981 Halloween premiered on television, and below you’ll find some scans of vintage TV ads, and even a commercial announcing the films NBC premiere! Ah, the good old days!

Writer’s note: my thanks to Dinosaur Dracula retro archives, which proved helpful in compiling this art gallery.

The Official HalloweenMovies Discussion Group is Live!

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We know that you’re a vocal, passionate, opinionated and ardent fan community (so are we!), and thusly we thought, “Why not just create a specific destination where we can not only discuss the Halloween series overall, but also what things we’d all like to see in the future?” The result? The Official HalloweenMovies Discussion Group, which is now live on Facebook.

From Halloween ‘78 to Halloween Ends and everything in between, we wanted to create a space that’ll not only allow your voices to be heard, but one in which we may interact as well, as a supportive community of people who love all things Haddonfield, as moderated by former Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of Dread Central, Steve “Uncle Creepy” Barton.

Join the conversation here. We’ll be listening (and from time to time giving away some cool stuff too)!

Happy 72nd Birthday to The Master!

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From his 1978 groundbreaking masterpiece Halloween, a film which single-handedly introduced the slasher genre to general audiences worldwide (while simultaneously going on to become one of the most successful independent films of all time), to his early classic features The Fog, Escape From New York, The Thing and Christine (and many more), John Carpenter’s unique and subversive work as a filmmaker has been instrumental in defining genre cinema as we know it.

As for his efforts as a musician and composer, he’s further created some of the most iconic melodies ever written for the screen (you’re humming the “Halloween Theme” right now, aren’t you?) and he continues to do so to this day, as evidenced by his recent “Lost Themes” albums and live performances, and his score for Halloween (2018), among others.

In celebration of the man and his incredible and still growing body of work, everyone here at HalloweenMovies.com would like to wish Mr. Carpenter a very happy 72nd birthday!

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Halloween (1978)

The Fog (1980)

Escape From New York (1981)

The Thing (1982)

Christine (1983)

John Carpenter 2018 Tour Promo