Halloween (1978) Review

Written by: Moviemaven   

What is it about masked killers that walk around really slow? Halloween is the film that began the craving for watching defenseless teenagers get the ax. It broke onto the scene (or screen) in 1978 and has never looked back. It is the quintessential Halloween film. No horror fan should claim to be so without having viewed this classic.

The amount of on-screen gore is light compared to today's standards, but Carpenter's homegrown score keeps the adrenaline flowing and the shiver factor set to high. Viewers had no clue they were watching what would one day end up being such a huge part of film history; the day that an unknown director and some unknown actors changed the face of horror films forever.

Michael Myers was just a wee lad when he slaughtered his sister in cold blood. Even then he wore a mask. After that incident, he spent the next fifteen years of his life in a mental institution where his doctor hoped he would stay. But madness makes its way home to Haddonfield on Halloween. Laurie Strode and friends have plans to spend the night babysitting and getting it on. Well, Laurie won't be getting it on. She is the heroine after all. And everyone knows you have to be good to survive. They have no idea that death awaits them at the hand of the killer in the William Shatner mask. Meanwhile, Michael is stalking the streets waiting for his chance...which he gets to our satisfaction.

Until Carpenter's not-yet staple of horror fan collections hit the big screen, we had not been privy to such a scene as this. Who knew that watching a butcher-knife wielding, mask wearing, slow-walking madman could be so much fun?

Who knew that the careers of both John Carpenter and Jaime Lee Curtis would take off like they did?

And who knew that Carpenter's simple yet memorable theme would find its way to being my ringtone? Okay, so no one COULD have known that, and most of you don't care. I am telling you that part to make a point. It's like I have said so many times before. It's not about how much you spend to make a film or how many CGI shots you have (the less the better as far as I'm concerned...unless it LOTR). It's about simplicity. Keep it simple and it can be great.

Or in the case of Halloween, it can be simply great.