Debra Hill (November 10, 1950 – March 7, 2005) was an Americanfilm producer andscreenwriter, best known for her professional partnership withJohn Carpenter.

Hill and Carpenter wrote four films together:Halloween,The Fog,Halloween II, andEscape from L.A. Independently and as part of Hill/Obst Productions, she produced works for television and film, includingThe Fisher King, which was nominated for fiveAcademy Awards.

Debra Hill was born on November 10, 1950, inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania^[1] to Jilda, a nurse, and Frank Hill, a salesman who had previously been an art director on the Hope/CrosbyRoad to films.^[2] She was raised Catholic and moved repeatedly with her parents and younger brother, including toDetroit, Michigan, before settling inHaddonfield, New Jersey.^[3][4] In an interview with theCourier-Post, Hill said she knew at an early age that she wanted to make films, using aSuper 8 film camera to shoot home movies.^[5] She attendedHaddonfield Memorial High School, graduating in 1968.^[6] Hill next graduated fromTemple University with a degree in sociology and moved to New York, where she found work editing documentaries. She briefly worked as a flight attendant and did press for Evel Knievel's attempt tojump the Snake River Canyon, before moving to California.^[1][5]

In 1975, Hill started as aproduction assistant on adventure documentaries and progressed through jobs as ascript supervisor,assistant director andsecond unit director. Hill first worked withJohn Carpenter in 1975, as the script supervisor and assistant editor ofAssault on Precinct 13. This led not only to further professional collaborations between Hill and Carpenter, but also marked the beginning of their personal relationship.^[7]

In 1978, Hill and Carpenter co-wrote the horror movieHalloween. The movie's fictional setting of Haddonfield was named after her home town ofHaddonfield, New Jersey.^[4] Hill primarily wrote the plot about Laurie Strode while Carpenter wrote the Sam Loomis arc; the two storylines were then blended.^[8] She also castJamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode, which became the beginning of a lifelong friendship.^[4][9] During production, Hill served as producer, second unit coordinator and had a brief cameo early in the film—the first person perspective shots of a young Michael Myers’ hands are actually Hill's.^[10][11][12]Halloween was a commercial and critical success, earning the duo a two-picture deal withAvco Embassy Pictures.^[13]

FollowingHalloween's success, Hill and Carpenter co-wroteThe Fog (1980), again starring Jamie Lee Curtis, as well asJanet Leigh,John Houseman,Hal Holbrook, and Carpenter's then wife,Adrienne Barbeau. Hill produced the film and did some second unit shooting while Carpenter again directed.^[14] Hill and Carpenter next worked together to co-write and produceHalloween II (1981) and producedHalloween III: Season of the Witch (1982). Their other credits together include:Escape from New York (1981), its sequel,Escape from L.A. (1996), and the 1990HBO film,El Diablo.^[2]

Independently, Hill producedThe Dead Zone (1983),Head Office (1985), andClue (1985). In 1986, she formed an independent production company with her friendLynda Obst. Together, they producedAdventures in Babysitting,Heartbreak Hotel, andThe Fisher King. In 1988, she entered a contract withWalt Disney Pictures under which she producedGross Anatomy, short films for the Walt Disney theme park, and anNBC special for Disneyland's 35th anniversary.^[15]

Hill recalled the transition over the course of her career from being called "sweetheart" and "darling" in her early years as a producer to the respectful "ma'am" many years later on the DVD commentary forEscape From New York with production designerJoe Alves.^[16] In 2003, she was honored byWomen in Film with theCrystal Award.^[17] In her acceptance speech, Hill said, “I want every producer, studio executive, and agent in this room to include me in their directors list, along with the women who have come before me and the women directors who will come after me.”^[12]

Hill was noted for supporting emerging talent in the film industry, and a number of Hill's associates went on to later success in film. For example,James Cameron, the filmmaker, once worked for Hill in the visual effects department.Jeffrey Chernov was Hill's second assistant director and went on to become an executive producer ofBlack Panther.^[1] As a producer, Hill produced the directorial debut works ofChristopher Columbus,Antonio Banderas, andJonathan Lynn. ProducersStacey Sher,Gale Anne Hurd, andKNB EFX Group have all credited Hill with helping to establish their careers.^[18]

Additional contributions to the film industry included serving on the jury at the Sundance Film Festival and on the executive producer committee for the Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences.^[15] Friends and colleagues commented that Hill became frustrated with the film industry in that the industry did not welcome more women as directors.^[1]

Hill was diagnosed withcolon cancer in February 2004.^[19] Despite her diagnosis and eventual amputation of her legs, Hill continued to work on several projects.^[20] She worked with John Carpenter and actorKurt Russell on a comic adaptation of theSnake Plissken character, as well as a proposed Snake Plisskenvideo game.^[21]

In 2005, Hill reunited with Carpenter to producethe remake ofThe Fog and was working on theOliver Stone filmWorld Trade Center^[22] when she died of cancer on March 7, 2005.^[7] After her death, Carpenter told theAssociated Press that working with Hill was "one of the greatest experiences of my life – she had a passion for not just movies about women or women's ideas but films for everybody".^[23]

The Producers Guild of America established the Debra Hill Fellowship in 2005 to support emerging producers in recognition of Hill's contributions.^[24] In 2023, production began on a documentary about Hill's life and career, titledHollywood Trailblazer: The Debra Hill Story.^[25]

• Debra Hill atIMDb
• Overlooked No More: Debra Hill, Producer Who Parlayed ʻHalloweenʼ Into a Cult Classic retrospective obituary fromThe New York Times.

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