The Halloween Movie House From 1978: Then And Now

Table Of Content

• Halloween House: The Home of Michael Myers
• It's October in Haddonfield, also known as South Pasadena, the home of ‘Halloween'
• South Pasadena, Hallowed Ground
• The Halloween Movie House From 1978: Then And Now
• The hedge is located in South Pasadena on Montrose Avenue.
• Films that take place in the Myers house

When now-serial killer Michael Myers appeared on Halloween of that year, all the Strode family members, save Laurie's paternal adoptive cousin Kara, were murdered. Since the house never sold, Pamela Strode, after Morgan passed away in May 2001, took over the operations of Strode Realty and allowed the Dangertainment live-video Internet company full use of the property. After the Dangertainment murders of Thursday October 31, 2002, Pamela had the residence torn completely down and the land completely leveled within weeks. The lot sold in the Spring of 2003, including newly available neighboring lots, and the property was rebuilt with large condominiums. Pamela Strode still maintains the blueprints for the original house that was built in the late 1880's.

Halloween House: The Home of Michael Myers

The fictional town in the Halloween movies took its name from Haddonfield, New Jersey, where producer and screenwriter Debra Hill was born. On the eve of the release of Halloween Ends, the 13th and final installment in the iconic franchise, we take a walk down memory lane to visit Michael Myers’ childhood home. Some would even argue this is the true Halloween movie house, as it is where the finale occurs. Those who have watched the original Halloween movie will know that the Michael Myers house is not the only Halloween movie house worth mentioning. So, the next time you watch "Halloween," remember that house is actually out there — but probably not to truly haunt your dreams.

It's October in Haddonfield, also known as South Pasadena, the home of ‘Halloween'

If you’re a die-hard scary movie fan, you might recognize that line from one of the greatest and most influential slasher films of all time, the original Halloween, released in October 1978. As part of his deal when buying the house, it had to be immediately removed so redevelopment of the area could take place. David had the house moved from 709 Meridian Avenue to where it is now, 1000 Mission Street, just 160 yards down the road. The property now sits next to a railway track opposite some commercial buildings. They began fixing up the inside and outside of the property, as both the interior and exterior were to be used in the movie. This included floorboards, lighting, and all the typical stuff a fixer-upper would require.

South Pasadena, Hallowed Ground

The nearby South Pasadena High School, easily recognizable for its Art Deco architecture, was used as the stand-in for Haddonfield High. Sitting innocently in the quiet neighborhood of South Pasadena you’ll find one of the most notorious houses in cinematic history — the filmic home of murderer Michael Myers. In total, there are four bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms plus an detached guest house that provides additional space. Modern chandeliers accent the 3,600 square feet of living space, which includes a center-island kitchen and an office with vaulted ceilings and built-ins. Sadly, you can only check out Michael Myers’ home from the outside, as the property currently houses a chiropractor’s office. Also, please remember that this is a private property and that — even though there’s no slasher Michael Myers around to get you — it’s important to respect the owners’ privacy and not tresspass.

The Halloween Movie House From 1978: Then And Now

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The first challenges Kenny encountered was not having any blueprints for the original house, not owning any land, and not having any real idea how much a project like this would cost. The house lacked bathrooms and a kitchen - the kitchen you see in HALLOWEEN was added for the film. The upstairs of the original house has four small bedrooms (2 on each side), with each room including a tiny closet. The NC iteration of the Myers House was designed to look as close as possible to the original house from the exterior front and side views, but the interior and back of the house were intentionally altered to be livable by his vision and by modern standards. Fans wanting to visit the original house will have no problem seeing the famous landmark from the outside - all you have to do is get off of the train at "Mission Station" and you are a stone's throw away from the original Spookhouse. Exploring the interior of Michael's old haunts proves a bit more difficult, as the businesses inside the house are not crazy about HALLOWEEN fans randomly dropping by to pay homage.

The hedge is located in South Pasadena on Montrose Avenue.

It would have been extremely hard, if not impossible, to recreate the suburban Midwest feel of Haddonfield, simply because of stringent building codes and neighborhood restrictions now in place. As far as the interior décor, there was no way Kenny was going to replicate the rundown and outdated 70s look with the run-down flooring, appliances, and furniture made famous in the movie! The film is set in Haddonfield, Illinois, a fictional Midwestern town that is actually an ode to co-wroter, Debra Hill’s hometown of Haddonfield, NJ. In reality the original location of Michael Myers home was in a residential area of South Pasadena, California at 707 Meridian Avenue. You see the production was extremely low budget and the entire film was shot for $300,000 so the director, John Carpenter, stayed as close to home as possible to save on costs.

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Other Houses From The Halloween Movie

The house was originally located at 707 Meridian (some reports say 709 Meridian), literally down the block (less than 500 feet) from where it stands today. In South Pasadena, an unassuming powder blue house, sitting adjacent to the Gold Line (though we’re supposed to call it the L Line now), is a notorious film history location. This October, the 13th — and sadly, the final — installment in the classic Halloween franchise will be released, and we’re hoping to revisit the Myers home one last time. If you cannot travel all the way to California just to see the Halloween house from the outside, you can always head to Hillsborough, North Carolina, and visit a life-size replica of the infamous Myers home.

In 2002, it was the setting of a live-feed internet reality program run by entrepreneur Freddie Harris. After Myers murdered almost all of the participants, the house was left abandoned again. Donald, Edith and Cynthia continued to live in the house after Judith's death and after Michael was sentenced to Smith's Grove Sanitarium. Edith and Donald would later move to Indiana due to the media frenzy and the rude stares they received. It wasn't until 1965 when Donald and Edith died in a car accident that the house was then put on the market while Cynthia was placed up for adoption and was eventually adopted by the Strodes. However, the house remained on the housing market for many years and fell into disrepair.

The building is now home to Westland Financial Services (so there’s still some bloodletting happening here), but they don’t seem to appreciate the building’s horror pedigree — a small sign on the front door explicitly forbids trespassing. After being used in the Halloween film, the house remained vacant and became increasingly dilapidated until it was eventually was slated to be bulldozed in 1987 — only to be saved from destruction at the last moment. When Halloween was filmed in the late 1970s, the house had already long been abandoned. The rumors say the building was in such bad shape that the film crew had to do a little work to make the facade presentable — even as a spooky house.

After filming at the property ended in 1978, the house at 709 Meridian Avenue was abandoned again. It was then set to be demolished in 1987, along with many other nearby properties. However, it was saved by a South Pasadena council member, David Margrave, who purchased the property for next to nothing. Lifelong horror fans like Jonathan Wiseman make the pilgrimage just to see something so fantastically scary in real life. Coincidentally, Nichol’s Hardware Store, where Michael Myers shoplifted the iconic mask and other tools of his grim trade, can be found across the street (at 966 Mission) from the Century House.

The Century House (as the iconic Halloween filming location has also been known), is now South Pasadena Cultural Landmark No. 34. Luckily, fans and historians rallied against this decision and the home was simply moved to a new location at 1000 Mission Street, where it still stands today. The house was originally located at 709 Meridian Avenue, and it was set to be bulldozed in 1987 to make way for a hospital.