Director John Carpenter and producer-writer Debra Hill's 1978 film "Halloween" is widely credited with reshaping the horror genre by bringing terror into the setting of contemporary suburbia. The low-budget slasher movie features Jamie Lee Curtis in her breakout role as a teenage babysitter targeted by the escaped murderer Michael Myers. Donald Pleasence stars as Dr. Loomis, the psychiatrist pursuing Myers, a role originally offered to Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee but ultimately declined by both actors.

While "Halloween" is often cited as a defining work of the slasher film subgenre, Carpenter himself has acknowledged that the movie drew inspiration from Alfred Hitchcock’s "Psycho," which he regards as a blueprint rather than an invention of the genre. The film’s succinct 87-minute runtime and effective use of suspense helped establish many of the conventions that would become staples in subsequent horror films.