If the music didn't get horror fans, then the random art of jump scares had Halloween scaring the pants off of horror fanatics in the late 70s. With more than ten movies to its name, this series is still ongoing, with the next film - also starring original lead Jamie Lee Curtis - due to be out in 2021. Despite its incredible legacy of becoming one of the first slasher films to set the industry standard for decades, the movie was low-budget and filmed with many DIY aspects, including a limited film set that most certainly was not set in Illinois. In fact, Haddonfield, Illinois doesn't even exist - rather, the setting was none other than sunny California.

With so many features in play behind the scenes, we're taking a look back at the horror movie that started a new reign of terror among horror movie fans, including where it was filmed and how it was all done.

Updated by Alexandra Madaj, November 8th, 2021: With the October 2021 release of the latest installment, Halloween Kills, and the exciting announcement of Halloween Ends due in 2022, it was time to take another frightening look at Michael Myer's reign of terror! We've added some new (spoiler-free) facts about the latest films and a couple we left out last time.

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While previous films focus on the seemingly supernatural evil encompassed within Michael Myers, the newer installments probe viewers to take a look in the mirror. Fear has an alarming way of creating monsters out of the best humans, and there's no better person to bring out the worst in people than a man who has terrorized a town for over 40 years. Some of the scariest parts in Halloween Kills don't even have Michael Myers in them, and actress Judy Greer remembers being fearful during one particular scene surrounded by actors playing townspeople.

Rumor has it that the upcoming Halloween Ends will draw the franchise to its close, meaning viewers are in for a rollercoaster of emotions as they anxiously await answers to some big questions- Will Laurie Strode survive another encounter with Michael? Will Myers utter a single word? Will the villain be demystified with a complete unmasking? Only time will tell.

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The Setting Was Nowhere Near Illinois And It Wasn't Actually Fall

For many who are familiar with the film, by about the third time watching it, this question may have been raised: Where are all of the fall-colored leaves, and why is every tree still green while the leaves on the ground are red and orange? The explanation for this is simple: The film was actually shot in the spring, and it wasn't shot in a state that experiences an intense autumn change.

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With a filming location in Pasadena, California, it became challenging to make the scenery (since so much of the film does take place outside and around town) seem fall-themed. Therefore, due to the relatively low budget of the film - $300,000 - people were hired to create fake 'leaves' and paint them in order to make it appear as though fall was well underway. There was nothing that could be done about the still-green trees, although if viewers look closely enough, some palm trees can be seen in the background of certain scenes. It was up to the crew to collect all of these leaves as well, since they had to be used throughout every outdoor scene, which made for a tedious, yet necessary, process. The crew also struggled to find actual pumpkins for many of the scenes since they were not in season at the time, which isn't all too surprising.

Michael Myers' abandoned childhood home, however, was a real-life abandoned house. This only adds to the creep factor that is Halloween, especially since the low budget didn't allow the crew to create a set nearly as convincing as an actual run-down house. The house is in South Pasadena and is still standing to this day, although it looks just a little bit different now... and there's certainly no Michel Myers stalking it.

Real-Life Experiences Inspired The Fictional Villain

John Carpenter dreamt up Michael Myers after being inspired by an experience he had in college. Carpenter visited a psychiatric institute that cared for severely ill patients. He was particularly affected by the unsettling stare of a young teenage boy in the facility. This is an especially interesting fact considering the deep dive Rob Zombie took into Michael's childhood to help viewers understand what could have happened to him at an early age to have him become the "monster" he's known as today. Michael Myers was named after a film distributor who helped get Carpenter's previous film out overseas as a way to say thank you. However, it might sound a little strange to express gratitude by naming a notorious serial killer after a friend.

Other Random Oddities That Made The Film What It Is

In the script, Michael Myers is simply referred to as 'The Shape.' While this obviously wasn't used in the movie, the notation in the script was a nod to the Salem Witch Trials. During the Trials, the judges would refer to the spirits who harmed others as 'shapes,' thus giving an appropriate nod to Michael Myers via a 1600s history lesson. Speaking of which, the mask he wears is also quite interesting - considering it was actually a mask of Captain Kirk from Star Trek, but with the eyebrows and sideburns removed, and painted completely white after being stretched to an unrecognizable limit, according to Halloween Unmasked.

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Nick Castle was the man behind the mask of Michael Myers and according to Cafe Mom, he was given little direction in terms of how to act like a serial killer. Rather, John Carpenter would only give him specific cues and hints, so much of it is done as a natural reaction or as a minor cue from Carpenter, making the film that much more authentic. Additionally, Jamie Lee Curtis was given a 'fear rating' for each scene since they were filmed out of order, and also bore a striking resemblance to her mother, Janet Leigh, during her acting in Psycho.

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This alone grabbed the interest of many, helping to make the film a nearly overnight hit after it made its way to theaters. The original script was written in less than two weeks, and the film itself was shot in about 20 days. Carpenter also composed the original score on his own in only a few days, highlighting how truly inspired the horror legend was about bringing Michael Myers to life.

While it was originally going to be called 'The Babysitter Murders,' the low budget and time restraints meant it needed to take place over the course of one night, ergo, Halloween. The budget constraints also meant that most actors provided their own wardrobes, which luckily only entailed everyday clothing. Entertainment Weekly called Halloween the fifth scariest movie of all time, a title that the film wholly deserves for such an incredible impact and innovation behind the scenes.

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