Hallloween (1978) Review

Written by: alex1176   

The original "Halloween" is the definitve Halloween movie. John Carpenter's ultimate boogeyman flick is as creepy as they come, and while there are plenty of homages to Alfred Hitchcock's horror masterpiece "Psycho", "Halloween" is very much its own work. But it's also in the tradition of Hitch's best movies, a classic exercise of cinematic suspense.  

Jaime Lee Curtis stars as a high school student who is stalked on Halloween by Michael Meyers, a psychotic murderer since childhood, that has escaped his asylum. Myers' pyschiatrist, Dr. Sam Loomis (well-played by Donald Pleasence), follows him to the small town of Haddonfield, where plenty of murders will occur. However, one of the scariest moments in the movie has nothing to do with murder. It's the scene in which Loomis describes his inability to read Michael's mind, it's very spooky, and it's only a dialogue reading! "Halloween" also laid out a formula that many 80's slasher films followed; the vicious killings of horny teenagers who stumble upon the dark alone. Of course, none of the film's imitators (Friday the 13th, Silent Night, Deadly Night, etc.) carried any of its suspenseful weight or craftsmanship. Carpenter also composed the memorable main theme that is about as creepy as "The Exorcist"s.

The best thing about "Halloween" is how it doesn't rely on gore to deliver thrills. It relies on a spooky atmosphere and effective performances from the leads. The movie also has one of the creepiest endings in cinematic history: after Michael's body has been shot several times, his murdered corpse has revived and left the scene. I like the inclination; that Michael Meyers was indeed Evil Incarnate, an unstoppable force, Death itself. Very cool. And creepy. I think that "Halloween" is perhaps the greatest slasher film of all time.