BROADCASTS.com

b'For our yearly Halloween pairing, this time we\'re looking at two films that started very long-lived horror franchises! First up, from the mind of John Carpenter, who directed, co-write, and scored this independent film, it\'s the debut cinematic performance from Jamie Lee Curtis, 1978\'s "Halloween!" Co-written with Carpenter\'s then-girlfriend Debra Hill, this film introduced us to the unstoppable evil that is serial killer Michael Myers. Top billing is given to veteran actor Donald Pleasence who portrays Dr. Sam Loomis, Michael\'s long-time psychiatrist and the only person in the film who, at least initially, knows just how dangerous Michael is! Upon his escape from the sanitariam where he\'s been a patient for 15 years after he killed his sister on Halloween in 1963, Dr. Loomis heads back to Haddenfield, Illinois, Michael\'s hometown, where he tries to raise the alarm. Meanwhile, Michael has returned and has fixed on Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) who, with her friends Annie (Nancy Kyles) and Lynda (P.J. Soles) are getting ready to celebrate Halloween while babysitting. Needless to say, thanks to Michael, their evenings do not go as planned. The film features a score written by Carpenter (in four days, no less), and the film is now seen as one of the most successful independent features of all time!'