10 Low Budget Horror Movies That Dominated The Box Office

Halloween kicks off with a child called Michael Myers murdering his sister without any warning. After spending 15 years in a mental institution, Michael breaks out and goes on a killing spree.

The premise of Halloween is so simple, it's no surprise it had a small budget. However, you'd be surprised by just how far the director, John Carpenter, went to cut costs. There was no money for costumes so the majority of the actors wore their own clothes. The lead actress, Jamie Lee Curtis, only got paid $8,000 and if you think that's low, Nick Castle, who plays the main villain, earned a measly $25 per day! Not only that, Michael's iconic mask cost less than two bucks!

Carpenter spent as little as he could on the film since he doubted it could turn a profit. Fortunately, Halloween racked up $47 million, which was nearly 150 times its budget. Even though Halloween earned Carpenter a reputation as a respected director, all of his other iconic movies like They Live, The Thing, and Big Trouble in Little China tanked. Despite directing movies since the 1970s, Halloween is still Carpenter's most lucrative film.