Halloween Was Almost Named Something Completely Different
Since "Halloween" takes place on Halloween, it seems like the title would be an obvious choice. But a lot of changes come in the editing process of a film, and the film didn't always have such a succinct name. The "Halloween" franchise not only introduced the world to immortal killer Michael Myers but also to the original scream queen, Jamie Lee Curtis.
Since its release in 1978, the "Halloween" franchise has developed eleven other films. A flurry of writers and directors have taken the reins of the franchise since John Carpenter. The latest includes the 2007 remake and 2009 sequel written and directed by "3 From Hell" director Rob Zombie. In 2018, Danny McBride also co-wrote two installments for the franchise.
While not all the renditions feature Laurie Strode, or for that matter, Michael Myers (See "Halloween III: Season of the Witch"), All of them have stuck to the original "Halloween" title in one way or another, making it even harder to believe that it could have been anything else. Executive producer Irwin Yablas, who pitched the film to Carpenter, had a different title in mind.
Halloween rolls off the tongue better
"I dreamed up 'Halloween' on an airplane," Yablas told The Times. He phoned up his friend and then-unknown director John Carpenter and pitched the idea. Carpenter agreed to write and direct, and he brought on girlfriend and co-writer Debra Hill. Together they penned "The Babysitter Murders" in less than two weeks, according to Vulture. The title was nothing if not fitting, given how Michael stalks the babysitters and kills one of them in the film.
Yablas suggested that the title "Halloween" would have more of an impact. Once they set to work, the production worked backward from a 1978 Halloween release date to increase the film's shock factor.
"The thing that baffled me – to this day, I'm amazed – is that in 75 years of moviemaking, nobody had ever used the title 'Halloween' for a picture," Tablas told the outlet. The title is now synonymous with slasher films, so Yablas made a good call on that one.