Halloween

Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasence, Nancy Kyes, P.J. Soles, Tony Moran
Directed by: John Carpenter
Rating: R
Genre: Horror
1978

Times Seen:
Tim: 3

Summary: On a scary Halloween night, a babysitter (Jamie Lee Curtis) tries to survive the wrath of psychotic murderer Michael Myers, who recently escaped from a mental hospital, years after murdering his sister.

Review:

Tim: Halloween is certainly one of the most classic, best horror movies of all time. It features one of the creepiest musical numbers of all time, composed by John Carpenter. Even today, the first few notes strike us with recognition and dread. I absolutely love this aspect of the movie, and it still gives me the shivers when I hear it.

This fim is also noteworthy as the movie that introduced Jamie Lee Curtis to the big screen- what a way to make an entrance. She is a terrific horror film heroine and perhaps the greatest of all time. She has a quality of innocence, but also an inner strength that allows her to be a survivor against so much terror.

This film is definitely an independent movie. The production quality isn't fantastic, and the lighting is sometimes inadequate (even with the purposeful dark feel of the film). However, none of that matters when you watch because the movie is downright frightening. The film works because of the long, unmoving shots that make you feel as if you are getting a first-person view of the events of the film. This is oftentimes unnerving.

Halloween was a very low-budget film and it shows, but in many ways that only adds to the creepiness factor. You believe that this could realy happen in your neighborhood or town. It has a certain aspect of reality that helps the film immensely.

Most of the scenes in the film are slow and often with long dialogue-less stretches with only scary music to keep us company. That simply adds to the creepiness. After this film came out, there were so, so many undeserving copycats. None of them come close to this film. Michael Myers makes for a perfect murderer- someone of whom we can truly be afraid. I like that his motives are never really explained- he is just an evil force that has no conscience. Halloween is one of the all time classic horror films and a must see for any movie fan.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 8



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Halloween III, Scream 1-3, Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street