I guess a point could be how Halloween as a holiday is perceived, historically in particular.
It's always been something of a childrens thing, with dressing up and trick or treating. It's not a big serious holiday like Christmas or New Years Eve/Day which are big celebrations for adults.
I do know that here in the UK some view trick or treating and the modern style celebration of Halloween as a whole to be imported American nonsense.
How was Halloween (the holiday) viewed back in the 1970s and prior?
Another thing to remember is that horror as a genre was firstly gothic monsters in the 30s & 40s (Universals monster movies typify this best). Then the 50s brought the sci-fi horror era. It was only in the 60s with Psycho, Rosemary's Baby, Night of the Living Dead and co' where the genre trappings became looser and you had deranged killers, serious drama horror and increasing gore. Herschell Gordon Lewis introduced 'splatter' movies in the 60s. It was the early 1970s when slashers and holiday themed horror started cropping up. Silent Night, Bloody Night (1972) being a very early example of a holiday themed proto-slasher.
I guess someone could have made a Halloween type monster movie at some point but as you'll see the monsters take precedent and control the title...
There is a wikipedia page compromised of films that take place on Halloween.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_set_around_Halloween
A few animated Disney films are early examples. For actual horror films though;
- I Was a Teenage Werewolf (1957)
- The Return of Dracula (1958)
Two early Halloween horror examples, both films feature Halloween parties. Worth noting this was during the latter stage of the monster phase of horror cinema and they opted to utilize the holiday in a werewolf and dracula film. Thus the title and main selling point was the monsters, the Halloween holiday was a minor footnote.
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[deleted]
2 years ago
Halloween featuring a new villain, simply a man, needed a title. It not being a monster movie meant you couldn't title it after a known monster.
The Babysitter Murders is a typical 1970s madman on the loose title, not too dissimilar to The Toolbox Murders (1978), The Driller Killer (1979) or The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974).
Opting for the simple, easily marketable and digestable Halloween was a wise decision.
Had it been called The Babysitter Murders would it have become such a big hit?
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christomacin (4660)
a year ago
Prior to more recent times, Halloween was mostly a holiday were teenagers went around doing destructive acts of vandalism. It was hardly celebrated as a "major holiday" with stores carrying Halloween merchandise as early as August 1st as it is today.
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