<P> The film was shot in the spring of 1978 in Southern California, and was released on October 25 by Compass International Pictures . It grossed $47 million at the box office in the United States and $23 million internationally for a total of $70 million worldwide, equivalent with roughly over $277 million as of 2018, selling almost 30 million tickets in 1978 and becoming one of the most profitable independent films . Primarily praised for Carpenter's direction and score, many credit the film as the first in a long line of slasher films inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960). Some critics have suggested that Halloween may encourage sadism and misogyny by audiences identifying with its villain . Others have suggested the film is a social critique of the immorality of youth and teenagers in 1970s America, with many of Myers' victims being sexually promiscuous substance abusers, while the lone heroine is depicted as innocent and pure, hence her survival . Nonetheless, Carpenter dismisses such analyses . </P> <P> The film was succeeded by the direct sequel, Halloween II . Halloween also spawned a film franchise comprising seven successful films which helped construct an extensive backstory for its antagonist Michael Myers, sometimes narratively diverging entirely from previous installments . A remake was released in 2007, which itself was followed by a sequel in 2009 . An eleventh installment, which serves as a direct sequel to the original film that ignores the existing sequels, was released in October 2018 with Curtis reprising her role for the fifth time in the series, the direct sequel also proved to be not only a critical success but a box office success, grossing over $170 Million, the most financially successful film within the franchise yet . Additionally, a novelization, video game, and comic book series have been based on the film . In 2006, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant ." </P> <P> On Halloween night 1963, in the town of Haddonfield, Illinois, six - year - old Michael Myers, dressed in a clown costume, stabs his older sister Judith to death with a knife in their home . Fifteen years later on October 30, 1978, Michael's psychiatrist, Dr. Samuel Loomis, and his colleague, Marion Chambers, arrive at Smith's Grove Sanitarium to escort Michael to court . Noticing that the patients are wandering about, Loomis gets out of the car to investigate, allowing Michael, who has escaped, to steal Loomis's car . Returning home to Haddonfield, Michael kills a mechanic for his uniform and steals a mask, some knives, and some rope from a local hardware store . </P> <P> The following day, on Halloween, Michael stalks Laurie Strode . Throughout the day, Laurie notices Michael following her, but her friends Annie Brackett and Lynda Van der Klok dismiss her concerns . Loomis arrives in Haddonfield in search of Michael . After discovering that Judith Myers' headstone has been stolen from the local cemetery, he meets with Annie's father, Sheriff Leigh Brackett . The two begin their search at Michael's former home, where Loomis tries to warn the skeptical sheriff about the danger Michael poses, explaining that Michael is pure evil and capable of further violence, despite years of catatonia . Sheriff Brackett patrols the streets while Loomis waits and watches the house, expecting Michael to return there . </P>

How old was michael myers when he killed his older sister