Taking Shape Quotes

“The Los Angeles Times reported that one early contender to helm the sequel was none other than filmmaker David Lynch! This was years before he would perfect his surrealistic imagery with the likes of Twin Peaks. At this point in his career, Lynch was still a fresh commodity in Hollywood, having only helmed the bizarre midnight movie Eraserhead and unsettling biopic The Elephant Man. The degree to which Lynch was connected to Halloween II remains a mystery. Carpenter would ultimately choose Harvard grad Rick Rosenthal to direct the film. This was to be his first feature directing experience.”
― Dustin McNeill, Taking Shape: Developing Halloween From Script to Scream

“Unlike its countless imitators, there is no gore to be had in the 1978 film and almost no blood. Carpenter would instead prefer to leave those grisly details entirely to the viewer’s imagination. It’s all too easy to dismiss a mutilated body as being fake from the comfort of a theater seat. Of course, it’s fake. But when a filmmaker withholds those visuals, your mind may involuntarily fill in what you’re not seeing with something even more horrific. It’s much harder to dismiss what you see inside your mind’s eye. By avoiding such graphic violence, Carpenter is able focus on building tension through suspense. This is one of Halloween’s best qualities and yet also the one its own sequels tend to replicate the least. More than a few have”
― Dustin McNeill, Taking Shape: Developing Halloween From Script to Scream

“The producer soon approached Carpenter with the idea, who expressed interest in helming the production. Carpenter would agree to a modest salary of $10,000 to write, direct, and score the project. There were several conditions to his involvement, however. First, he would have complete creative control over the film. Second, he would receive above-the-title billing. Third, his then-girlfriend Debra Hill would be hired to co-write and produce. These were rather bold demands given Carpenter’s relative inexperience as a director and Hill’s complete inexperience as a producer. Even so, Yablans took a leap of faith and agreed to all conditions.”
― Dustin McNeill, Taking Shape: Developing Halloween From Script to Scream

“The audience loves that someone is standing up to Michael Myers. First off, they care so much about Busta’s character. They’re rooting for him. But when he brings back the kung fu that we saw him watching earlier, that seems to be a great payoff for the audience. They really like that.”
― Dustin McNeill, Taking Shape: Developing Halloween From Script to Scream