Halloween (1978) Review

Written by: AgingHorrorFan   

John Carpenter's tour de force is perhaps the most widely imitated film of all time. Without it there would be no Jason, Freddy or the many slasher icons of the 1980s. Nor would we have the slasher film as it exists today.

But what people forget is that Halloween is easily one of the best films ever made. John Carpenter deserves a lifetime achievement award for his effective build-up of suspense, his knack for casting and his creation of the nightmare-inducing Michael Myers! No other film has so brilliantly used its widescreen frame and filled it with a lot of hand-held camerawork and scary foreground and background action.

The end result is a visceral nightmare that no other director has quite matched. This is genuinely creepy stuff! As a boy, I had nightmares about this film for weeks (and still do, even at the youngish age of 37!)Even after repeated viewings, Carpenter’s masterpiece holds up. After 31 years, Halloween remains untouched. It is a modern classic of the most horrific kind.