The Man Who Created Halloween [Kindle Edition]

Although I knew before reading it that this book would be more of an autobiography of Mr. Yablans early life and career leading up to his invaluable contributions to the creation of the classic film and beyond, but I am a bit disappointed that only a small fraction of the book lends its time to discussing many of the day to day, behind the scenes goings on during the actual filming process. These little anecdotes are what most fans of the series, myself included, can't seem to get enough of! Giving Yablans the benefit of the doubt, however, as a producer and distributer he must have been in full work mode back then with scant time to focus on trivial banalities. However, the book works well as a biographical piece about a rags to riches young man who took a chance in playing the Hollywood game and, for a while, managed to spin the Old Hollywood system round in its heels!

We enter the childhood imagination of Irwin Yablans, on page one: "Cockroaches, crawling everywhere, covering one kitchen wall as completely as a section of wallpaper. That image remains my first conscious memory." Indeed, this book begins with, and is essentially a memory of, childhood. It is also a story about the origins of the independent film busines before one officially existed or was even talked about, much less thought of as an "artistic haven". Yablans shares his rags-to-riches story honestly, including the haphazard, map-less journey he had to take, often in fear and desperation, with all the snares, traps, back-stabbings and betrayals, both in his own life and family and within the Hollywood studio system, which are intertwined. With imagery like this, I was immediately drawn in and sympathetic to the life of one who lived in the tenements of Brooklyn, after WWII. I wanted to know more about a boy with no money, little belief in the education system, and a lack of nurturing from his often absent father. I wanted to know, too, how such a child embarked on a career in the movie business, without any guidance at all! This is a sometimes disarmingly honest story, sometimes hilarious, yet poignant with often painful impressions and experiences of the world and of betrayals and treachery Yablans endured, even by those closest to him. Yablans' trek from Brooklyn to Hollywood was a journey every person with artistic ambitions fears having to make yet needs to know about if s/he wants a career in the movie business. His style is a cross between Henry Miller's and Paul Auster's, though the voice and narrative are original, clear, and concise. I recommend this for anyone interested in memoir, stories of childhood, horror, and the "movie business". This is not one to miss, if you need both business savvy and artistic inspiration!

It is a sub-mediocre work with some of the most je june storytelling of pedantic situations in the life of a producer. Of course, I bought this book with the hopes of learning more about the beginnings of Halloween and on set antics. Once those twenty pages were completed, the rest of the tale read like a spoiled brat's exploits and incorrigible attitude in reflecting on a storied career.

Also, because this novel is a print on demand, the editing is absolutely horrendous and leaves the work full of grammatical errors that will frustrate many readers.

I wanted to love the hell out of this book, but it was a clear thievery of devout Halloween fans (title and cover).