When Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing turned down John Carpenter: “They didn’t want to do it”
Horror movies have found dedicated fans for decades, whether that be people with a love of classic scary movies from the golden age of the genre, or those who prefer specific niches, like supernatural movies or folk horror. The genre has transformed significantly since its inception, with women gaining more agency, more blood and gore becoming the norm, and better special effects being utilised.
There have been many legendary directors who have emerged throughout cinema history and changed the genre, from Alfred Hitchcock with his seminal proto-slasher Psycho to William Friedkin, who made one of the only horror movies to ever receive an Oscar nomination: The Exorcist. Then there’s John Carpenter, who created one of the most influential slasher movies of all time: Halloween. The movie was released in 1978, subsequently changing the face of horror with its low budget, which was reflected in the film’s grimy aesthetic, proving that truly scary movies could be made independently.
The film follows Laurie Strode, a high-schooler who Michael Myers sets his sights on killing after escaping from a mental institution. Wearing a jumpsuit and a mask, he stalks the seemingly quaint neighbourhood before targeting Laurie and her friends. The movie terrified viewers because, for the first time, a horror movie demonstrated how quiet suburbia can be so easily disturbed for no real reason. Asking viewers if they’re truly as safe as they think they are behind their white picket fences, Halloween communicated a darker side of the so-called American Dream and the country’s love of freedom.
The movie’s climax sees Laurie attempting to fight Michael Myers, resulting in her stabbing him in the eye with a nearby coat hanger. Dr Samuel Loomis (his name is a nod to Sam Loomis in Psycho) happens to be outside the house by this point, leading him to shoot Myers. The psychiatrist was played by Donald Pleasance, but he wasn’t the original choice for the role. Carpenter was more interested in having a horror icon play the part, like Peter Cushing or Christoper Lee.
Talking to Review Graveyard, Carpenter revealed, “Halloween came along, and I had in mind the girl who was in Jaws 2, I can’t remember her name now… very talented actress and she didn’t want anything to do with it. There were a lot of people I wanted to be in Halloween. I wanted Christopher Lee or Peter Cushing to play in it and they didn’t want to do it.”
The actors were legends of the genre, with both the English actors frequently appearing in Hammer Productions films, often together. They starred in movies alongside each other, like Horror of Dracula, The Mummy, and The Curse of Frankenstein. The latter is one of Carpenter’s favourite sci-fi movies, so it makes sense that he wanted actors from one of his most beloved movies to appear in one of his own.
Lee was also in the horror classic The Wicker Man and went on to star in many iconic franchises, such as Star Wars, while Cushing could also be seen in films like Dr Phibes Rises Again, The Vampire Lovers and Madhouse. It’s uncertain why the pair turned down Halloween, but if they knew how successful the movie would become, maybe the close friends would have been fighting over the part.
