Summary
- Halloween expertly blended picturesque small-town aesthetics with intense horror, creating a chilling contrast.
- The fictional Haddonfield, inspired by a real town in New Jersey, was actually filmed in California.
- The original house used as Michael Myers' home still stands in South Pasadena, but it's not open to the public.
One of the scariest aspects of John Carpenter’s Halloween is the suggestion that the film's horrific events could happen in any typical American suburban town. In the 1978 horror classic, that town is the fictional Haddonfield, Illinois located in Livingston County. While some may make the assumption that Haddonfield is a real town, the film's crew creatively blended several locations together to create the vision that Carpenter had in mind for his ideal horror setting.
Haddonfield, Illinois is the perfect backdrop for Michael Myers and his silent reign of terror, being a picturesque and presumably safe autumnal town. Large Victorian homes line the streets along with impressive lawns and plenty of trees, making it an ideal Midwestern town before Michael shows up. Halloween was so effective because it introduced intense threats and elements of fear in an idyllic location. Finding such a perfect town to shoot in might have been difficult if it weren't for the fact that Haddonfield, as Halloween fans know it, isn't a real place.
Los Angeles Was Used As Haddonfield For 1978's Halloween
Haddonfield, Illinois may not be real, but it is based on a real town named Haddonfield. The actual Haddonfield is in southern New Jersey, not too far from Philadelphia. Debra Hill, who co-wrote and produced Halloween with John Carpenter, was from Haddonfield which inspired the town's name in the movie. Because of this detail, there has been a common misconception that Halloween was shot in Haddonfield, New Jersey. Interestingly, the towns do look quite similar considering both have plenty of trees and large single-family homes, including some in a similar Victorian style.
The actual filming locations for Halloween were entirely shot in Los Angeles, California, and South Pasadena. Shooting for Halloween was done over the course of 20 days mostly in South Pasadena, California with some additional filming in Alhambra, Sierra Madre, and Hollywood in May 1978. Considering that Halloween is supposed to take place in the fall, set designers had difficulties filming in California in the spring. The crew used artificial leaves to cover the ground and were forced to work around consistent sun exposure by finding rare wooded areas. Viewers who pay close attention will notice palm trees in the background of shots at certain points of the movie.
What Happened To The Real Michael Myers House Used In Halloween
The real house of Michael Myers used in Halloween is located at 1000 Mission Street, South Pasadena, California, USA. The house is still standing today and is privately owned by a massage therapist, meaning that it does not operate as a tourist attraction for Halloween fans. The house resides next to a railroad and is only accessible by one main road. It does not have any other filming credits to its name. There is a fictional replica of Michael Myers' house that is located in North Carolina where fans can visit and take pictures without entering the property. While Haddonfield may not be a real place, Halloween successfully created the perfect small town for a new horror franchise to be born that continues to this day.
