Although a producer/director of films in his own right, usually with a religious theme, the Syrian born Moustapha Akkad was best known as the producer who made possible the series of 8 Halloween films.
Moustapha Akkad and his daughter, Rima Akkad Monla, were in attendance at a wedding reception in Jordan when the hotel in which they were staying was bombed by a suicide bomber. Rima was killed immediately. Moustapha died from his injuries on Friday, November 11.
The movie Halloween launched the career of Jamie Lee Curtis, provided a new direction for the career of Donald Pleasence, and certainly paved the way for what would follow from John Carpenter. Moustapha Akkad made it possible by backing the films and a sub-genre and many careers were launched.
Moustapha Akkad 1930-2005
Read about this over at SciFilm.org. RIP
Menard, Menard hope you're doing okay man and glad to see you back. You need to get a pic up over at the Frappr site, so that we may get a gander at your hideous visage.
I turned out to be less frightening than most here expected.
Post Edited (11-15-05 10:36)
Menard,
Thanks for the post about Akkad. I too had read this a few days ago. It's pretty sad.
What is even worse is that he is a supporter of Islam and the two films he direected were about Islam if I am not mistaken.
RIP Moustapha
I just found out yesterday, and was very shocked. I didn't know much about Akkad aside from the movies that he produced (including the religious ones), but any man that could produce both serious Islamic-related films and horror-slasher films had to have had a pretty bold personality.
Saw THE MESSAGE (1976) directed by Moustapha Akkad. It wasn't very good. Rented it from Netflix because the the good reviews on Netfix off this movie starring Anthony Quinn. Didn't like it so I didn't bother to rent his other film LION OF THE DESERT (1981).
Strange how he ended up in that bombing. Guess he must have had some talent or insight to be able to be in a position to produce all those Halloween films.