Halloween - Film Review

I've been treating myself to quite a few horror movies during October, but felt it was important to go back to a true classic. Part of me worried that this film wouldn't be able to stand the tests of time, but it continues to hold up as the psychotic granddaddy of what we now know as the slasher sub-genre. I checked this out on Amazon Video where it is available to rent or purchase. 

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General Information 
Halloween is a slasher-horror film that was first released on 25 October 1978. It was written, directed, and scored by John Carpenter with Compass International Pictures and Falcon International Productions distributing. The film is considered one of the very first films in the slasher-horror genre with only Psycho and Black Christmas coming before it. It was Jamie Lee Curtis' first major motion picture and is arguably John Carpenter's most famous film (although he's made several incredible films in his lifetime). The film was a hit with audiences as it accrued around $70 million at the box office with less than $350,000 as the budget. The film retains a Metascore of 87 and spawned a film franchise that has been rebooted and remade on more than one occasion. Thus far, eleven films have been made in the franchise with two more slated for release in the next three years.

The Story
On Halloween of 1963, young Michael Myers murdered his older sister with a knife for seemingly no reason. Sixteen years later, another Halloween is being celebrated, but Michael escapes from the insane asylum that he is kept at so he can return home. No one seems all that interested in stopping Michael, except his psychiatrist, Dr. Loomis (played by the eponymous Donald Pleasance), who knows a great evil resides in Michael's black heart. Meanwhile, teenaged babysitter Laurie Strode (played by the legendary Jamie Lee Curtis) just wants to get through another night of babysitting, but has no idea she is being hunted.

The story of this film is full of what would later become clichés, but it's fascinating to see where most of the slasher-horror tropes originally come from. I like that this film is very basic in its design, and it treats its story no differently. Despite that, there's at least one plot issue to be had. There's never any explanation as to why Michael does the things that he does (this is explained in sequels but not here). It's clear that Michael wants to return home to the old Myer Residence, but that doesn't explain why he wants to kill teenagers in the neighborhood. This isn't necessarily a bad thing though. There's plenty of violent acts committed across the US that seemingly have no explanation either.

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When trick-or-treaters keep ringing your doorbell but you're out of candy

From a character perspective, I really like nearly everyone in this. Dr. Loomis is the guy that knows what he's dealing with but can't find anyone to take him seriously. Laurie is your typical teenage girl that spends more time worried about going to the dance and biology homework than psycho killers. Even Michael is fascinating as he's constantly framed as this seemingly unstoppable force of nature. It isn't until the very end of the movie that we are reminded that Michael is human (he's even referred to as "The Shape" in the credits instead of by name).

Special Effects/Atmosphere

Looking back on this film, it's pretty incredible what Carpenter was able to do with the incredibly limited budget he had. Over forty years after its release, the Halloween Theme is still widely recognized if it's played. Beyond that theme, Carpenter's talent with music and sound effects in this movie is amazing. There are plenty of moments where Carpenter's score magnifies the tension of what's happening in a scene with it being most noticeable in sections where Michael is chasing someone.

Beyond sound-work, I'd say that the special effects are decent, but only really noticeably lacking if you strain yourself. I love hearing the story about how the crew hand-painted leaves to simulate autumn as the movie was actually filmed during the spring. The only times I noticed something out of sorts was the film's lack of blood (especially when you think about how some of the folks in this film are dying). I think that this slight issue is easily overlooked though and it never pulled me out of the film's atmosphere.

The Acting
There's a reason why Jamie Lee Curtis is still heralded as the "Scream Queen" and this film established her bona fides with aplomb. Curtis does a fantastic job of playing this girl-next-door archetype, and it's really impressive seeing her pushed to her limits as she fights back against Michael. I didn't go to high school back in the 1970s, but I went to school with plenty of girls just like Curtis' Laurie Strode. 

Despite being the top star, Donald Pleasance is arguably the only detractor to this film as he struggles to hide his British accent, however I thought he was fine as a whole. The majority of supporting actors/actresses all do a considerably good job, which is frankly surprising since most of them made their debut on this film. Even the child-actors are great as I found Tommy Doyle (played by Brian Andrews) and Lindsey Wallace (played by Kyle Richards) to be quite endearing throughout the film. It just goes to show that more money doesn't necessarily mean better acting.

The Best of the Best: When Michael arrives at the Doyle Residence, shit gets real.

The Worst of the Worst: Dr. Loomis scaring children, while hiding in bushes, when other children are being murdered nearby.

Would I Recommend?

***

This film is required viewing for anyone that enjoys movies. Those that don't like horror may not enjoy this, but I would argue that everyone should check this out at least once. I can't recommend this one enough.

-------------------------------------------------Spoiler Comments-----------------------------------------------------

• Considering the film's budget, I still wonder if they somehow snuck in Blue Oyster Cult's "Don't Fear the Reaper" without paying for licensing fees. It is heard playing on the radio when Annie is driving Laurie around.
• The ambivalence Dr. Loomis and the nurse show to seeing their patients roaming outside at night while it's raining cracks me up.
• Jamie Lee Curtis is a fantastic actress, but even at the age of 19, she comes off as though she's already 40. I don't know if it's her mannerisms or how she talks, but I've always felt she was stuck at the age of 40 for the past 60 years.
• The end scene is fantastic. Michael is still out there somewhere...mouth-breathing no less.
• Did anyone else notice that Laurie and Tommy Doyle are watching The Thing? I wonder if Carpenter knew he was going to remake it already at that point.

----------------------------------------------------References--------------------------------------------------

*Amazon. (n.d.). Halloween film cover image. Retrieved from: https://www.amazon.com/Movie-Poster-Halloween-Theatre-Horror/dp/B07CPBYKCZ.

**Compass International Pictures. (2018, October 17). Laurie and Michael image. New York Times. Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/17/movies/halloween-1978-review.html.

***Maudit. (n.d.). Creepy Michael gif. Giphy. Retrieved from: https://giphy.com/gifs/maudit-halloween-michael-myers-movie-txfFVFg1LFpDy.