Halloween (1978)

Director: John Carpenter

Starring: Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis

More Info: IMDB

Tagline: The Night HE Came Home!

Plot: A psychotic murderer institutionalized since childhood escapes on a mindless rampage while his doctor chases him through the streets.






My Rating: 7/10

Would I watch it again? I suppose

What can I say that hasn’t been said before? Not much except even though I liked it I just can’t hold it up to the “masterpiece” status so many others do. Slasher movies had been around for a few years by this point. A GREAT example is BLACK CHRISTMAS (1974). HALLOWEEN has more in common with that than anything else I can think of. BC pretty much gave us the blueprint so many 80s horror movies followed VERY closely.



HALLOWEEN gives us a great performance by Pleasence and newcomer Jamie Lee Curtis. I’m sure it didn’t hurt that her mother is Janet Leigh, super star of PSYCHO (1960). Nevertheless, I’m glad she was cast because she’s done some fine work over the years. And, of course, it doesn’t hurt that she’s a looker. (insert drool here).



It’s also got some great kills and a fair amount of suspense even though we’ve been desensitized to it in so many subsequent pictures. It still offers a lot of fun and a nostalgic look back when things “seemed” much simpler. Carpenter's score remains most effective and that theme goes down as one of the all-time best. No question about that.

By the way, I couldn’t help but be distracted by the fact this takes place at the end of October in Illinois and even though there are giant brown leaves on the ground (shipped in from out of state I predict) the trees and grass are COMPLETELY green. It’s really stupid, I know, but it distracts me and because it’s so glaringly obvious I have trouble overlooking it. I have the same trouble overlooking how hideous Angelina Jolie looks but that’s another movie.


Even though I haven’t seen any of the sequels but 2 & 3 (a looooong time ago) I sorta wouldn’t mind seeing them but I’m sure I will soon retract this statement after starting that marathon. I expect I’ll be writing that in October when I tackle all of the sequels plus the latest remake by Rob Zombie which I hear is pure rubbish. I have a feeling that I’ll have a much deeper appreciation for the original after watching all of the sequels. Maybe once you've sat through all of the sequels the original looks closer and closer to the CITIZEN KANE of horror after all. Wait...NOW I get it…