Halloween - Halloween

John Carpenter's iconic masterpiece Halloween was released in October 1978, earning a huge payday that cemented the film as a catalyst not only for its own successful franchise, still thriving nearly 50 years later, but also the slasher sub-genre of horror media. Oddly, Bantam proposed the idea of a novelization of the film one year after the film's release. In fact, Bantam's novelization appeared as the film was re-released to theaters in 1979. The publisher hired author Richard Curtis, who had penned the novelization of Squirm in 1976, to write the book, but allowed him plenty of flexibility to pad the novel out with additional ideas and scenes. Curtis, weary of being pigeon-holed as a novelization writer, used the pseudonym Curtis Richards.

Halloween's novelization is a quirky, collectible oddity that is generally criticized by film fans. There are scenes that blemish Michael Myers' mysterious, autonomous stature in an effort to humanize him. However, some fans respect the author's initiative to build a dynamic origin story, introduce Myers' family lineage, and inject concepts that would later be used in the film franchise's future installments. Love it or hate it, Richards was on to something. Whether his storytelling is up to par is in the eye of the beholder. 

The book begins in the era of the Iron Age. That alone should be enough evidence that this novel offers much more than the film. In this prologue, it is explained that it's the eve of Samhain in Ireland. A young deformed boy named Enda murders a dancing couple with a butcher knife. The village puts Enda to death, and his remains are scattered on a nearby hill. A prophecy is declared that the god Muck Olla will curse the remains and force the soul to roam the Earth until the end of time, reliving the tragedy. 

This six-page opener introduces elements that were used throughout the film franchise. The concept of Muck Olla is that a Lair Bhan (white mare) is the gatherer of gifts for the ancient god. Rob Zombie used a white mare to show viewers what Michael sees in the sequel to his Halloween re-imagining (2009). In theory, Michael's mother is the robed figure with the white mare, suggesting Michael sees his mother as a god. Additionally, a “spirit” of Samhain is mentioned in the original Halloween II (1981), and Halloween 4-8 (1988-2002) dominantly preaches that Michael is possessed by an ancient Celtic rune of Thorn, which would suggest the idea was at least sparked by Curtis's prologue. The spirit, or demon, that controls Michael is then passed down to his niece, Jamie Lloyd. 

The connection here is that the Myers family may date back to Enda's family. Additionally, the last Halloween film franchise installment, Halloween Ends (2022), features a character named Corey assuming the character of Michael Myers and embarking on a homicidal rampage. How he fits into this grand mythology is that he is dating Michael's great niece. Either the exchange of Michael's “demon” occurred when Corey wore Myers' mask, or possibly having sexual relations with a Myers family member. It is a short-lived concept, dismissed in the film's ending as Myers continues killing (not passing the proverbial torch). 

Beyond this opening, the author also suggests that Michael's great-grandfather may have been plagued by homicidal thoughts or rage. It isn't elaborated on whether he was a killer, only that he suffered nightmares and visions. In Chapter One, young Michael is talking with his mother and grandmother about bad dreams he is experiencing. In these dreams, he sees Enda murdering the dancing couple. In the original Halloween, these characters aren't in the film, and Michael isn't seen talking to anyone.

Curtis injects a ton of sex into the novel, beginning with explicit scenes as Judith makes love to her boyfriend as Michael watches from outside. Later, as the novel shifts into the present day, Doctor Loomis explains to Marion (and others) that Michael was socially engaging at Smith's Grove, perhaps being a de facto leader. There are mentions of Michael possibly killing other patients, and his ability to learn to drive (something Curtis wanted to explain) and perform other adult-oriented activities. These things are expanded on in Chaos Comics Halloween comic book (2000). 

I'm not going to dig too much further into the differences between the paperback and novelization. Obviously, Curtis needed to expand the 90-minute film into 200 pages, and he does this through more character dialogue, sex, and the above-mentioned items. He takes some liberties with the kill scenes and chase, adding more gore (Annie's guts hanging out) and a different take on the final fight between Laurie and Michael (from the sofa to the upstairs is different). The ending remains ambiguous as Loomis sees Michael's body gone from the front lawn. 

Halloween experienced ten printings, and over the years, it has experienced high demand on the used paperback market. Dennis Etchinson, who also wrote the novelization for Carpenter's The Fog (1980), wrote the Halloween II and III novelizations as Jack Martin. More paperback novelizations would appear with Halloween IV (Nicolas Grabowsky) and the most recent trilogy (John Pasarrella, Tim Waggoner). A limited edition run of Curtis's novelization appeared in an illustrated edition by Printed in Blood. 

If you have a couple of hundred to spend, get the novelization HERE. You can watch my detailed review of this book and how it compares to the film franchise HERE.