45 years ago next month, movies were changed forever by a man in a white William Shatner mask. John Carpenter’s Halloween was released in October 1978 and shifted independent film and horror forever, introducing the world to Michael Myers and setting the stage for decades of similarly supernatural killers like Freddy, Jason, and Chucky.
To celebrate, “Halloween: 45 Years of Terror” will be taking place in Pasadena, CA this weekend (get info and tickets here), with all manner of Michael Myers goodness. Among those attending is artist Jason Edmiston who has become so prolific with art in the Halloween franchise, that he made an entire pinball machine based on it. Edmiston will have art from that, and so much more at the convention, that we wanted to showcase some of it. And what better way than a few exclusives?
Among the offerings will be brand new letterpress prints based on the poster that started it all, Edmiston’s Halloween poster for Mondo back in 2015. “These are the first letterpress prints that I have ever offered,” he told io9 via email. “The image is based on, what is probably my most well-known piece of art, the Michael Myers ‘Closet’ screen print, a Halloween poster initially created for Mondo back in 2015. Working closely with master printer Travis Smith of Alamo Drafthouse’s The Press Room, I modified the original black and white acrylic painting for production as an embossed, monotone engraving-inspired image.”
Available on both white and pumpkin-colored paper, these 18 x 24-inch pieces were “hand-cranked on an original 1940 Vandercool press to create a unique and distinctive look and feel.” Check them out, as well as a bunch of Edmiston’s other awesome Halloween art that’ll be at the convention, in the slideshow. (And see more exclusives here.)
