Summary:
We take a trip back to the heart of classic horror, dissecting Halloween, Friday the 13th, and Nightmare on Elm Street. From Michael Myers' eerie silence to Freddy Krueger's quips, we revisit what made these slashers iconic and poke fun at their wild inconsistencies. It's scary how much we love these flawed gems.
By the Numbers:
Halloween (1978):
- Total budget spent: $300,000
- Gross revenue: $70 million
- Box office revenue: $47 million (domestic)
- Streaming revenue: Not publicly available
- Awards won: 1 (Saturn Award for Best Horror Film)
Friday the 13th (1980):
- Total budget spent: $550,000
- Gross revenue: $59.8 million
- Box office revenue: $39.7 million (domestic)
- Streaming revenue: Not publicly available
- Awards won: 0
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984):
- Total budget spent: $1.1 million
- Gross revenue: $57 million
- Box office revenue: $25.5 million (domestic)
- Streaming revenue: Not publicly available
- Awards won: 2 (Avoriaz Fantastic Film Festival, National Film Preservation Board)
Key Takeaways:
- Michael Myers appears for only 9 minutes in Halloween but still became an iconic figure in horror.
- Jamie Lee Curtis' casting in Halloween was partly due to her mother’s role in Psycho.
- Friday the 13th was almost titled Long Night at Camp Blood before settling on its iconic name.
- Kevin Bacon had his breakthrough role in Friday the 13th—and a memorable death scene.
- The mask used for Michael Myers was a $1.98 Captain Kirk mask, painted white.
- Halloween was filmed on a shoestring budget of $300,000, relying on suspense rather than gore.
- Freddy Krueger appears for just 7-10 minutes in Nightmare on Elm Street but leaves a lasting impression.
- Johnny Depp made his movie debut in Nightmare on Elm Street, cementing his future star status.
- Friday the 13th established the now-classic horror trope of setting killings in isolated camps.
- Nightmare on Elm Street was inspired by real-life stories of people dying in their sleep after experiencing horrific nightmares.
- Betsy Palmer, the killer in Friday the 13th, took the role only to pay for a new car.
- The breathing sound of Michael Myers in Halloween was created by John Carpenter, who did it himself using a mask.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.