13 Days of Horror: Five Fun and Freaky Facts About "Halloween"

We've covered everything from "Psycho" to "Saw," "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" to "Dawn of the Dead." Today we reach the pinnacle, with none other than John Carpenter's 1978 horror classic "Halloween." Apropos, no?

1. The now-iconic mask worn by killer Michael Myers is actually William Shatner! Production purchased a Captain Kirk mask for $1.98, then widened the eye holes and spray-painted it that ghastly bluish-white color. Live long and...oh wait, no living.

2. The movie -- which was originally to be titled "The Babysitter Murders" -- takes place in Illinois but was actually shot in Pasadena, Calif. in the spring. To portray the feeling of fall, the crew bought and painted paper leaves, then scattered them on the ground. To save money, the leaves were collected and reused for other scenes.

3. Writer/director/producer John Carpenter idolized Alfred Hitchcock and his classic "Psycho," naming Michael's psychiatrist Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasence) after Sam Loomis (John Gavin) of "Psycho."

In the 1960 flick, Loomis was the boyfriend of Marion Crane ... who was played by Janet Leigh ... who is Jamie Lee Curtis' mother! Carpenter felt that hiring Curtis as the lead in this movie was the ultimate tribute to the Master of Suspense.

4. The film was made on a tight budget of just over $300,000. Jamie Lee was paid $8,000 for her work, while Nick Castle -- who was the man behind the Michael Myers mask -- earned just $25 dollars a day!

5. There's a housewife in the house! That's right, Kyle Richards -- now best known as one of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" -- appears in the flick as a little girl that Jamie Lee's character is babysitting when Michael comes to attack her. (See her in the trailer below at the 2:15 mark.)

We've seen those catfights, and we can only imagine Kyle would like to channel her inner Michael Myers at times...

Happy Halloween!! For more fun/freaky facts check out these flicks as well!