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Halloween: The Changing Shape of an Iconic Series
October 25th, 1978. John Carpenter’s Halloween is unleashed upon an unsuspecting public and, in no time, becomes a horror movie phenomenon. Made for only $320,000.00, the expertly crafted and terrifying film would eventually gross $70 million worldwide, and would not only create a solid formula that has been imitated endlessly since 1978, but would also spawn no less than nine sequels with a tenth due out this October. In his book The Changing Shape of an Iconic Series, author Ernie Magnotta meticulously details exactly what made this entertaining and terrifying film the enduring classic that it is today. He then goes on to discuss how the sequels strayed further and further away from writer/director/composer John Carpenter’s original vision until they became something almost entirely different.The author goes into detail about all aspects of the series including story, characters, acting, suspense/scares, cinematography, direction/composition, music, Michael Myers’ ever-changing mask and much, much more!Packed with loads of information as well as almost 200 full-color photos, The Changing Shape of an Iconic Series is a must have for fans of the classic franchise.“A totally great read!” —P.J. Soles (“Lynda” 1978’s Halloween)"Ernie definitely knows the Halloween series. This October 31st, I'll let him live." —Dick Warlock (“Michael Myers” 1981’s Halloween II)"Ernie Magnotta has meticulously detailed the nuances of the Halloween franchise characters...I found his observations of Rachel Carruthers and Jamie Lloyd in H4 and H5 to be spot on." —Ellie Cornell ("Rachel Carruthers" Halloween 4 and 5)
380 pages, Paperback
Published October 20, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 17, 2022
Ernie Magnotta has delivered an opus. This immensely detailed volume on the Halloween series, published in October of 2018, gives an in-depth look at each film in the series, minus Halloween III and the most recent David Gordon Green films, to see how they compare and live up to the vision and intent behind the original film. There are also hundreds of great color photos that serve as a companion to the text—shots taken direct from the films themselves, as well as publicity stills and posters.
The book is not a making-of or history of the franchise, though a little of that does find its way in when relevant. Instead, Magnotta takes a microscope to each entry in the series to examine what works and what doesn’t, the original Halloween naturally being the measuring rod for all the sequels. How did the suspense and scares work in this one? The mask, the music, the cinematography? All of these and more are covered.
Even when you may disagree with an interpretation of Magnotta’s here or an opinion of his there, the insights are incredibly thoughtful. The man did his homework. There’s a lot to learn for even the most weary and seasoned fan like myself who have seen all of these movies dozens of times. Things I never even noticed or realized Magnotta expounds upon here. Of particular note are the psychological/“creature of the Id” examinations of Michael and the characters he stalks and/or kills, as well as the differing uses of Michael’s POV, the benefits and drawbacks of how certain visual fields are used, and how all of these relate to or ignore the themes in the original film.
At times the book can drag, as some of the criticisms can get redundant in their detail, and as fun as Magnotta's exploration can be, at times it delves into somewhat of an academic thesis feel. But that just goes to show the exhaustive scope of his vision, and how serious he takes the material. These are not slasher films to be tossed aside as campy fodder, but cinematic works a student of film should very much respect and consider.
I also really like that, while the sequels are indeed compared to the original here, Magnotta does not insist that because the original did something this way and a sequel did it another way, it makes the sequel a worse movie. In his discussion of Rob Zombie’s Halloween remake, for example, Magnotta makes it a point to mention several times that though certain things are a far cry from John Carpenter’s classic, they work exceedingly well for Zombie’s vision.
The book should be required reading for any future cast and crew working on a Halloween film. You don’t have to agree with what works and what doesn’t, but you will strongly appreciate how the use of this or that (or lack thereof) can go a long way in capturing tone, mood, suspense, in developing richly (and correctly) drawn characters, and ultimately, how engaged the viewer is in your film.
This is definitely a book for the hardcore Halloween and horror fans. But I would also strongly encourage filmmakers to give it a close look, as it really shows just how important things like cinematography, direction, and composition are to telling the story, as much as the words in a script. God, and the devil, are in the details, and both little and glaring errors can disrupt the continuity of a continuing series. And as diluted and convoluted and wonderfully screwed up as the Halloween franchise is, attention to detail is very much appreciated.
The book is not a making-of or history of the franchise, though a little of that does find its way in when relevant. Instead, Magnotta takes a microscope to each entry in the series to examine what works and what doesn’t, the original Halloween naturally being the measuring rod for all the sequels. How did the suspense and scares work in this one? The mask, the music, the cinematography? All of these and more are covered.
Even when you may disagree with an interpretation of Magnotta’s here or an opinion of his there, the insights are incredibly thoughtful. The man did his homework. There’s a lot to learn for even the most weary and seasoned fan like myself who have seen all of these movies dozens of times. Things I never even noticed or realized Magnotta expounds upon here. Of particular note are the psychological/“creature of the Id” examinations of Michael and the characters he stalks and/or kills, as well as the differing uses of Michael’s POV, the benefits and drawbacks of how certain visual fields are used, and how all of these relate to or ignore the themes in the original film.
At times the book can drag, as some of the criticisms can get redundant in their detail, and as fun as Magnotta's exploration can be, at times it delves into somewhat of an academic thesis feel. But that just goes to show the exhaustive scope of his vision, and how serious he takes the material. These are not slasher films to be tossed aside as campy fodder, but cinematic works a student of film should very much respect and consider.
I also really like that, while the sequels are indeed compared to the original here, Magnotta does not insist that because the original did something this way and a sequel did it another way, it makes the sequel a worse movie. In his discussion of Rob Zombie’s Halloween remake, for example, Magnotta makes it a point to mention several times that though certain things are a far cry from John Carpenter’s classic, they work exceedingly well for Zombie’s vision.
The book should be required reading for any future cast and crew working on a Halloween film. You don’t have to agree with what works and what doesn’t, but you will strongly appreciate how the use of this or that (or lack thereof) can go a long way in capturing tone, mood, suspense, in developing richly (and correctly) drawn characters, and ultimately, how engaged the viewer is in your film.
This is definitely a book for the hardcore Halloween and horror fans. But I would also strongly encourage filmmakers to give it a close look, as it really shows just how important things like cinematography, direction, and composition are to telling the story, as much as the words in a script. God, and the devil, are in the details, and both little and glaring errors can disrupt the continuity of a continuing series. And as diluted and convoluted and wonderfully screwed up as the Halloween franchise is, attention to detail is very much appreciated.
February 18, 2019
There's no doubt Magnotta loves the series, warts and all. For the most part he keeps it fun; pointing out flaws without spending too much time in them. He also for the most part doesn't just rehash the same things fans of the series already know. The only minor flaw is the book does get repetative and it becomes even more obvious when he calls out that he knows he's done it (the line like I mentioned before comes up a distracting number of times). That being said it's still a must read.
November 7, 2024
This is a fun read, especially for fans of the Halloween franchise. The author introduces a central "Theme" and factors that are born out of the 1978 film and then analyses how well (or poor) the sequels follow that formula. There's some interesting points made and you can tell the author cares deeply about this franchise, I just wish this had come after after Halloween 2018 (instead of just before)!
January 3, 2021
A very fun & informative read over a series of Horror film that has become synonymous with “Slasher that started it all” when in reality it wasn’t the first but damn well deserves its place in Horror. You can tell the author has a true love for the movies even when they’re bad. Not for casual Horror fans only die hard nerdy Halloween fans will want to read this one. 🖤🎃
October 28, 2019
Everything you ever wanted to know about the Boogeyman and more!
July 5, 2022
I was annoyed at first with the thesis apporach but thoroughly enioyed it by the time he startes on the sequels.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews