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About This Quiz
This low-budget horror film shocked everyone with its box-office performance, and it's been cited as an influence by more than one filmmaker. How much do you know about this classic? Find out now with our quiz!
Who is the villain in "Halloween"?
Freddy
Jason
Michael Myers
Freddy, Jason and Michael Myers are the Unholy Trinity of slasher movies. But only Michael Myers is commonly identified by both his first and last name.
Vlad Tepes
Who directed "Halloween"?
Mario Bava
John Carpenter
Carpenter was coming off a successful action movie, "Assault on Precinct 13." Still, he had a remarkably low budget for "Halloween," just $300,000.
Christopher Lee
Charles Beaumont
What simple image dominates the film's opening credits?
a full moon
a jack-o-lantern
The opening credits were simple because the film had a very low budget overall. In them, the camera pushes in on a crudely-carved pumpkin, until finally the candle inside goes out.
a knife
the Myers house
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In which state is "Halloween" set?
California
Illinois
The town is the fictitious "Haddonfield, Illinois." There really is a Haddonfield in New Jersey -- it's where co-writer and producer Debra Hill grew up.
Maine
New York
Whom did Michael kill first?
his father
his mother
his older sister
Judith "Judy" Myers was Michael's first victim. He killed her on Halloween night, 1963.
the family dog
Where is the asylum where Michael lives as an adult?
Chicago
DeKalb
Rockford
Smith's Grove
Dr. Loomis and a nurse are going to Smith's Grove to take Michael to a judicial hearing on his continued incarceration. It's Dr. Loomis's intent that Michael never be released, however, the hearings are a legal necessity.
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Who played the psychiatrist, Dr. Loomis?
Donald Pleasence
Kiefer Sutherland would have been about twelve at the time! His father could have played the role, but it went to former Bond villain, Pleasence.
Donald Sutherland
Kiefer Sutherland
Ian McKellen
What lounge is advertised on the matchbook seen twice in the film?
the Desert Room
the Blue Door
the Rabbit in Red
The nurse who was accompanying Loomis to the asylum was smoking, and her matches were from the "Rabbit in Red." Loomis later finds the matchbook at a crime scene, and thus knows Michael is responsible for the killing.
the Your Place Lounge
When Michael escapes, Dr. Loomis says, "The ____ is gone!"
boogey man
evil
Dr. Loomis has an unusual mindset for a psychiatrist. He refers to Michael as the "the evil" and seems solely interested in keeping him locked up, not in treating him.
killer
monster
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Why were Dr. Loomis and the nurse picking Michael up at night?
Michael is photosensitive and can't deal with daylight
they have a long overnight drive to an early-morning hearing
they're taking him to night court
this is never explained
The cynical explanation is that Michael's escape is just scarier on a dark, rainy night. But "Halloween" leaves a lot unexplained -- from how Michael can drive a car, to why there are other patients roaming the grounds at night in the rain, and so on.
What was the name of the character played by Jamie Lee Curtis?
Lucy Westenra
Kirsty James
Arabella Figg
Laurie Strode
Curtis was relatively unknown when she was cast. But Debra Hill recognized the publicity to be gained from casting Janet Leigh's daughter in a horror film. Leigh, of course, was in "Psycho."
What line of work is Laurie's father in?
he's a cemetery caretaker
he's the high school principal
he's in real estate
This would be a minor detail except that, early on, he asks Laurie to drop off a key at the "Myers place." This allows the little boy Laurie walks to school tell us all about how the old Myers place is supposed to be haunted.
he's the town sheriff
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What are Laurie's friends named?
Annie and Katy
Annie and Lynda
Both of Laurie's friends are depicted as fun-loving and sexually active. Laurie is depicted as serious and responsible, though not humorless -- she says disparagingly of a boy who calls the Myers place haunted, "He'll probably never get past the sixth grade."
Lynda and Lucy
Lucy and Leigh
What does Annie's father do for a living?
high school teacher
football coach
town sheriff
Annie's father, the sheriff, is named Leigh Brackett. This was a homage to a famous pulp-fiction writer turned screenwriter, a woman whose last credited work was co-writing "The Empire Strikes Back."
he's unemployed
Who is Ben Tramer?
a boy Laurie likes
Laurie has admitted to liking Ben. But, in classic high-school fashion, when she learns that Annie has spilled her secret to Ben, she begs Annie to take it back. (You'll never get a date that way, Laurie!)
a town deputy
Michael's half-brother
another Smith Grove asylum inmate
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What popular song can be heard in "Halloween"?
"Don't Fear the Reaper"
The song plays while Annie and Laurie are driving in Annie's car. Michael is following them in a stolen car at the time.
"Live and Let Die"
"Monster Mash"
"Season of the Witch"
What is the name of the little boy Laurie babysits?
Brian
Kevin
Leonard
Tommy
Laurie takes care of Tommy Doyle. Her friend, Annie, meanwhile, looks after a little girl, Lindsey.
What does Tommy think he sees outside the house?
the Boogey Man
Tommy has been warned about "the Boogey Man" by bullies at school. So when he sees Michael through the window, that's what Tommy calls him.
Dracula
Krampus
Michael Myers
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What kind of mask does Michael wear?
a Nixon mask
a tragedy mask
a Marilyn Monroe mask
a plain white mask
The crew found a cheap "Captain Kirk" mask in a store and painted it white. The plainness of the mask underscored Michael Myers being an emotionless killing machine.
Which of these lines is said by Michael?
"Hasta la vista, baby."
"Kill her, Mommy."
"I hate a guy with a car and no sense of humor."
Michael never speaks
The "a guy with a car" line is actually in the movie -- Laurie's friend, Annie, says it after Michael stops his car at a distance and watches them for some time before driving off. The line doesn't make a lot of sense, but it's what passes for comic relief in "Halloween."
How many dogs does Michael kill?
one
two
Michael kills a dog at the old Myers place, then one at the home where Annie is babysitting. The first killing seems to be simple malice; the second is to silence a dog that is barking at his presence.
three
he doesn't kill any dogs
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Where does Annie die?
in a car
Annie is at first strangled, then her throat is cut. Despite this, we don't see any blood -- "Halloween" was virtually a bloodless film.
in a garage, outside the car
in an upstairs bedroom
in a backyard
What is stolen from a cemetery in Haddonfield?
a body
several bodies
a headstone
Michael must be unusually strong. A headstone the size of his sister's -- that's the marker he stole -- is very heavy!
the caretaker's truck
Who does Michael kill after Annie?
Lindsay's dog
Lindsay
Tommy Doyle
Lynda's boyfriend, Bob
Though there are horror movies in which children die, "Halloween" wasn't that daring. Tommy and Lindsay both make it through the film.
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Why doesn't Lynda run from Michael when he appears in the doorway?
he's dressed as Bob
he's dressed in a crude ghost costume and she thinks he's Bob
Michael puts a sheet over his head, then Bob's glasses on over that. Lynda thinks it's Bob, clowning around. (She does call Laurie just before she dies, but that's not the reason she isn't scared of Michael).
she's talking to Laurie and doesn't notice
he's holding that beer she wanted
Where does Judith Myers's headstone reappear?
in the Strodes' front yard
at the head of the bed where Lynda's body lies
Michael obviously had some kind of serious issue with his older sister. Not only is she his first victim, but he re-creates her death, in a sense, by putting her grave marker at the head of Lynda's body.
in front of the old Myers house
it doesn't
Who repeatedly shoots Michael?
Laurie
Dr. Loomis
Loomis really came prepared! Most psychiatrists would just be armed with high-dose valium.
Sheriff Brackett
Mr. Strode
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When Laurie says, "It was the boogey man," what is Loomis's response?
"No, he's only a man."
"As a matter of fact, it was."
Dr. Loomis is really, really not in the rational-explanations business.
"He used to be a human boy."
"Michael. His name was Michael."
Where is Michael buried?
Haddonfield cemetery
the Smith's Grove asylum cemetery
he is cremated
he apparently doesn't die
When Dr. Loomis looks down from the second-story window through which Michael fell, the body is gone. This is the beginning of a very popular trope in horror movies: the unkillable villain.
What is Michael's total body count (human) in the film?
four
five
Michael kills his older sister, a tow-truck driver, Annie, Bob and Lynda. This is a fairly low total for a slasher film. He would double it in "Halloween II."
six
seven
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Why does Michael kill?
he is possessed by a demon
he has a genetic condition causing psychopathy
he is the reincarnation of a mass murderer
this is never explained
Well, it isn't explained unless you read the many academic articles written about the "slasher movie" in general or "Halloween" specifically. Most of the theories have to do with "psychosexual rage," "rage against the mother," or similar.
Who scored the film and was credited as the "Bowling Green Symphony Orchestra"?
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
Blue Oyster Cult
a band made up of crew members
John Carpenter himself
Carpenter is musically inclined, and came up with the chillingly simple piano theme for "Halloween." He's from Bowling Green, Kentucky, hence the comic "symphony orchestra" credit.
What future "Real Housewife" had a small role in the movie?
Taylor Armstrong
Kim Richards
Kyle Richards
Kyle Richards was Lindsey, the little girl who Annie babysits. That is, until Annie dumps her in Laurie's lap, so she can meet up with her boyfriend, Paul.
Camille Grammer
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Which of these horror villains preceded Michael onto the big screen?
Freddy
Jason
Leatherface
"Halloween" premiered in 1978. "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" was in 1974 (and yes, "Chain Saw" actually was two words in the title -- it was the typical spelling for that time).
none of them
Level-headed survivor Laurie Strode is an early example of a popular trope in horror movies. What is it called?
the "Laurie"
the Final Girl
John Carpenter has denied that he was making a connection between the other girls' sexual activity and their grisly deaths. But many films followed "Halloween's" example in killing off its sexually active teens and making an apparently chaste girl the sole survivor.
the Loveless Loner
the Sexless Survivor
How many sequels has "Halloween" inspired?
five
six
seven
it depends on how you count
OK, here's the explanation. Ten films carry the "Halloween" name, but the third one had nothing to do with Michael Myers, so some people don't include that one. Other fans wouldn't include the 2007 "reboot" and the sequel to that film. So, yes -- it does depend how you count.
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