Halloween Co-Creator Debra Hill Getting Documentary Produced by Jamie Lee Curtis

Virtually every horror fan knows John Carpenter and is at least somewhat familiar with his contributions to genre cinema, but a key component in the success of many of his films was collaborator Debra Hill, who co-wrote both Halloween and Halloween II alongside Carpenter. In honor of Hill’s numerous contributions to dozens of genre films over the years, the new documentary Hollywood Trailblazer: The Debra Hill Story is on the way from directors Jim McMorrow and Margaret McGoldrick, with Halloween star Jamie Lee Curtis serving as one of the executive producers, per Deadline. Hill passed away in 2005 and her many credits include Escape from New York, Clue, The Dead Zone, and The Fog.

Interviews in the film include Jamie Lee Curtis, John Carpenter, Stacey Sher, David Gordon Green, Terry Gilliam, Lynda Obst, Kim Gottlieb-Walker, Andrea Berloff, Alan Jones, Kim Newman, and more. The filmmakers also worked closely with Debra’s brother, Bob Hill, with Hollywood Trailblazer aiming to “shine a light on the prolific filmmaker, often dubbed ‘the godmother of indie filmmaking,’ who was responsible for giving many in Hollywood today their first break.”

“The story of Debra Hill is a multi-faceted one. She was, and still is, an inspiration to filmmakers across the globe, and her legacy as a formidable, creative producer, mentor, trailblazer, and pioneer in cinema and environmental activism is an eternally relevant story,” McMorrow shared of the project. “It is a privilege to bring this to the screen for all of us that she shaped through her life and work.”

McGoldrick added. “Jim and I have been blown away by the response to telling Debra’s story. Debra was an incredible filmmaker and storyteller who not only excelled at her job but did it with the love and respect of everyone around her. Her passion was infectious and when women weren’t getting the chance to lead the charge, Debra was paving paths. She’s an incredibly inspirational figure for anyone wanting to forge a career in the film industry and I’m very honored to be a part of the team getting to tell her story.”

Carpenter and Hill were hired to develop the original Halloween, which was reportedly known as “The Babysitter Murders” early on in its development, with Curtis often citing Hill’s script with the reason why the female characters felt so much more believable than teens in similar slashers. Back in 2002, Hill explained what she aimed to capture with the project.

“The idea was you couldn’t kill evil,” Hill shared with The Guardian. “We went back to the old idea of Samhain, that Halloween was the night when all the souls are let out to wreak havoc on the living, then came up with the story about the most evil kid who ever lived.” 

Stay tuned for details on Hollywood Trailblazer: The Debra Hill Story.

Are you looking forward to the project? Let us know in the comments or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!