Epilogue – Painted Movie Poster Art Series – Feature #8: “Halloween” 40th Anniversary

Series Overview:
– Epilogue Art Series is a mixed-media series by artist Damon Kardon honouring classic horror/sci-fi films and the creative promotional art that was presented to the public at the time of their premiere dates. All films represented in this art series celebrate a milestone anniversary of the films’ release and the impact they have made on pop culture history.

Kardon has chosen specific films that influenced him over the years through their distinct tone, cinematography and direction. He is expressing his emotions felt from viewing each film through his art process, painting key images and colors that also represent the story of each film. Each poster design starts as a painting and then is manipulated in Photoshop.

As a kid who loved going to the movies (and also enjoyed the classic painted poster designs of Drew Struzan ), Damon has dreamed of bringing his art style into the world of interpretive movie posters. The term “Epilogue”, in film, represents the final scenes in which a recap or narrative of what happens to the characters is given. It can be represented in a montage, which is how Damon interprets these works he is creating.

Sneak Preview:
– Be sure to enhance your viewing/reading experience by watching the original movie trailer for Halloween, released on October 25th, 1978, via Compass International Pictures.

About the Painting:
– Did John Carpenter direct everything I love in this world? This one might be the greatest horror movie of all time (sorry Exorcist). I definitely believe it changed the game for horror movies when it came out in 1978. Sure, there were plenty of slasher flicks that predated Halloween, but never before had a movie taken a beloved holiday and then created an enduring mythology from thin air that now resonates so strongly with our idea of Halloween.

I think of Halloween every year and immediately the image of Michael Myers pops into my head. I also think the imagery of horror movies that came out in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s always stalks my dreams. It is the fact that the creativity of the director/cinematographer/writer coupled with the lack of CGI made for some indelible movie magic back in the day. I tip my hat to Donald Pleasance and Jaime Lee Curtis for amazing performances in these roles that have since become iconic.

It was a must that I feature the images of their characters along with specific images from the original Halloween that has stayed with me since my first viewing. This is such a classic and I’m glad to be sharing this within the Epilogue series, especially on Halloween! -Damon Kardon

Feature #8: “Halloween”:
– Check out Damon’s creative process by scrolling through the photos below.

“Halloween” – Original Poster Art from 1978:

The Series & Future Artwork:

– Coming up in Feature #9… “Blade”
– Feature #7… “They Live” 30th Anniversary
– Feature #6… “Return of the Jedi” 35th Anniversary
– Feature #5… “Vertigo” 60th Anniversary
– Feature #4… “The Dark Knight” 10th Anniversary
– Feature #3… “2001: A Space Odyssey” 50th Anniversary
– Feature #2… “Rosemary’s Baby” 50th Anniversary
– Feature #1… “Christine” 35th Anniversary