Hinting at the horror to be found on "the night he came home", the poster for John Carpenter's Halloween is practically synonymous with the holiday itself, and Robert Gleason's original painting for the poster is now up for auction, giving fans the chance to own the iconic work of art.
Proxy bidding for Gleason's 27" x 39.75" acrylic Halloween painting runs for the next four days, and the live auction (online, over the phone, and in person) takes place on Saturday, March 26th at 1:00pm CST. The poster is currently set to sell for $18,000+. We have official details on the painting below, as well as a look at the artwork. To learn more, visit:
From Heritage Auctions: "Heritage is proud to offer what can only be classified as a truly unique, important, and historically significant piece of movie artwork, Robert Gleason's original movie poster painting for the film, Halloween. In 1978, the horror landscape forever changed with the release of the film, which is not only recognized universally as one of the most frightening slasher features of all time, but also an undeniable masterpiece of the genre. Equally as chilling (if not more so) is the instantly recognizable work of art gracing the original one sheet, brought to haunting life by artist/illustrator Robert Gleason. Prior to his work on Halloween, Gleason utilized his artistic talents for the creation of album covers for the likes of Stevie Wonder and Gladys Knight and the Pips, as well as the poster artwork for the Bruce Lee film, Game of Death.
When approached by his agent regarding the creation of a poster for Halloween, Gleason took a stab at a concept, utilizing a hand, knife, and pumpkin. Surprisingly, Gleason's idea was not to the liking of the design firm, as they felt the mask of villain Michael Myers should be the primary image. A few days later, however, the firm would come to their senses and ask Gleason to return with his concept. The result of which is nothing less than one of the most iconic images in horror history. While the shocking nature of a knife-wielding pumpkin on a black background is not lost on viewers, what is often missed is the ominous wailing face with worms hidden within the knuckles and veins of the hand. Somewhere during the 37 year period between the creation of the artwork and its arrival at Heritage, the back of the hand was painted over. Upon verifying the piece was indeed his, Gleason utilized an acrylic solvent to remove the overpainting, restoring his work to its eerie original glory.
Included is a letter by Gleason, detailing the history of the painting creation, as well as his process for restoration. Not to be missed by collectors of horror and/or fine art, this framed original painting shows only minor lifts and glue residue at the edges of the illustration board from when it was previously framed, none of which interferes with Gleason's stunning work. Very Fine."
Raised on a steady diet of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Derek has been fascinated with fear since he first saw ForeverWare being used on an episode of Eerie, Indiana.
When he’s not writing about horror as the Senior News Reporter for Daily Dead, Derek can be found daydreaming about the Santa Carla Boardwalk from The Lost Boys or reading Stephen King and Brian Keene novels.
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