Austin Hinderliter's poster for the re-release of the original “Halloween.â€Austin Hinderliter saw his first “Halloween†movie when he was just 6. “My parents didn't really crack down on that too much,†he observed.
Since that encounter (it was actually “Halloween 5″), Mr. Hinderliter, now 22, has become an obsessive fan of the franchise, which started with John Carpenter's 1976 original and ends - as of now - with “Halloween 2,†Rob Zombie's 2009 sequel to his 2007 reboot of the original. The first “Halloween†told the story of Michael Myers, who escapes from a sanitarium where he spent 15 years after killing his family as a child. Donning a mask, he heads home to Haddonfield, Ill., and goes after people from his past, including Laurie Strode, played by Jamie Lee Curtis in one of the horror genre's most famous female roles.
Starting Thursday a new HD transfer of the film will be shown in some 560 theaters across the country for a week, giving “Halloween†its widest release since it opened. Mr. Hinderliter, a graphic designer in St. Louis, was asked to design a poster for the run, which is being produced by Trancas International Films, in partnership with Compass International Pictures and Screenvision.
Mr. Hinderliter recently spoke with ArtsBeat about what inspired his design and how “Halloween†keeps its pop culture cachet. Below are edited excerpts from the conversation.
How did you get started with this project?
It came out of nowhere. I posted a link to my own fan art on the Halloween Movies Web site. I created a few fan posters from 2009 for Rob Zombie's “Halloween 2.†A few days went by and didn't think anything of it. But then I had an email from [Justin Beahm of Trancas International] asking me if I'd like to do the poster for the rerelease. I thought it was a joke when he said it.
Tell me about the look of the poster. It has a very old-school feeling.
Justin said they wanted to keep it simple, and to go back to the '70s look of the movie. They wanted Michael emerging from the color of the background. We could never touch the original poster. But we wanted to do something to complement it. We wanted to make it scary again.
We chose a white border on the edge around the poster and put the credits at the bottom over the white, which is a look of the '70s. Now posters don't have the white edging. That was lost in the '80s. Originally the poster was going to have an aged texture over it, like scratches, an authentic '70s thing. In the end we opted to keep that out.
Were there any other horror poster designs you looked to for inspiration?
The first day and a half of the project I spent researching. I love Saul Bass and other graphic artists from the '50, '60s and '70s, like the classic “Vertigo†and “Psycho†posters.
Were you paid?
I was not paid. Justin was an amazing guy to work with. But the first night we talked, he did say you won't get paid. But there's no way I could have said no to this. I heard a lot of my friends say, how could you do that? But the opportunity to be involved, even in the slightest bit, is such an honor that any money that came out of it would have been a bonus.
So it's safe to say you're a big “Halloween†fan.
Absolutely. Growing up I would rent the movies at the video store and watch them over and over. It was like an obsession.
What was it that attracted you to the films at such a young age?
I have no idea. There was something about Michael's mask that captured my attention. I guess that's where it started. I also think the simplicity of the score captured me.
Which film is your favorite?
I think the original is a masterpiece. I don't want to say anything is perfect, but I think that John Carpenter created a perfect movie. The cast, the music, the atmosphere, Michael and his back story: I think it's an amazing movie that's held up extremely well over the past 35 years. You watch it today and it has aged beautifully.
What do you think of horror posters today?
I'm on the fence. I think there are some really good ones. I think the new poster for “Texas Chainsaw 3D†was beautifully made. But then you have the “Silent Hill†poster, which wasn't so good. I'm not a fan of a lot of Photoshop. Sometimes I think simplicity is key.
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