<span>Even though John Carpenter's 1978 horror flick </span><span><em>Halloween </em></span><span>was shot in</span><span> only 20 days with a budget of about $300,000 (Dh1.1 million), its success has endured for decades. Yet, when it was released on October 25 that year, critics were quick to dismiss it as a "well-made but empty morbid thriller" (that burn appeared in the </span><span><em>Los Angeles Times</em></span><span>). Pauline Kael wrote in </span><span><em>The New Yorker</em></span><span> that "</span><span>maybe when a horror film is stripped of everything but dumb scariness … it satisfies part of the audience in a more basic, childish way than sophisticated horror pictures do".</span><span> </span> <span>Even so, </span><span>the </span><span><em>Halloween</em></span><span> franchise became a firm favourite among gore-loving film fans. It popularised the slasher flick, </span><span>spawning seven sequels and also introduc</span><span>ing the world to a 20-year-old Jamie Lee</span><span> Curtis, who made her big-screen debut as protagonist Laurie Strode.</span> <span>Before then, the Californian actress, daughter of actors Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis, had only dabbled in</span><span> TV roles, having starred in episodes of series such as </span><span><em>Columbo</em></span><span>, </span><span><em>Operation Petticoat</em></span><span> and </span><span><em>Charlie's Angels</em></span><span>.</span> <span>After that first Hollywood appearance, </span><span>Curtis went back to the small screen for a couple of years before her cinematic career truly took off. In 1980, she starred in three movies, all horror flicks (</span><span><em>The Fog</em></span><span>, </span><span><em>Prom Night </em></span><span>and </span><span><em>Terror Train</em></span><span>), then in 1981 she was cast in five.</span><span> </span> <span>While she later spread her wings beyond horrors </span><span>– she's now well</span><span>-known for </span><span>her roles in </span><span><em>True Lies</em></span><span>, </span><span><em>My Girl</em></span><span><em> </em></span><span>and </span><span><em>Freaky Friday</em></span><span> – </span><span>Curtis </span><span>returned to the silver screen as Strode in the </span><span><em>Halloween</em></span><span> reboot, which was released in the UAE on </span><span>October 25</span><span> last year. On opening weekend, it brought in more than Dh1.5 million at the box office across the</span><span> country.</span> <span>It's not over</span><span> either, </span><span>as there are two more films in the franchise, both starring </span><span>Curtis, yet to come. </span><span><em>Halloween Kills</em></span><span> is set for an October </span><span>release next year, with </span><span><em>Halloween Ends</em></span><span> to </span><span>come one year later.</span>