Directed by:
John CarpenterCinematography:
Dean CundeyComposer:
John CarpenterCast:
Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis, Nancy Kyes, P. J. Soles, Charles Cyphers, Kyle Richards, Brian Andrews, John Michael Graham, Nancy Stephens, Arthur Malet (more)Plots(1)
John Carpenter's highly influential modern horror/suspense film set the trend for two decades of re-makes and sequels. Six-year-old Michael Myers is confined to an insane asylum after stabbing his sexually active teenage sister to death on Halloween night 1963. Exactly fifteen years later Michael escapes, returning to his home town of Haddonfield with psychiatrist Doctor Loomis (Donald Pleasence) in hot pursuit. Bookish babysitter Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), all alone in the house on Halloween night, soon discovers that she is Michael's next target. (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
(more)Videos (3)
Reviews (11)
Great horror movie. It's not as scary as it once was, but it still leaves most of its followers biting the dust thanks to its atmosphere. They say that you are most afraid of what you can't see, but when you see a killer whose emotions are unrecognizable due to his masked face, it may have an even greater effect. And you'll be whistling the musical theme long after you've finished the film...
()
At the beginning, Carpenter dives headlong into it, without much hesitation, immersing himself in a suspenseful theater with murderous interludes. However, as he initially steps on the gas in all directions, unfortunately, halfway through, he takes his foot off the pedal, and with a slowed pace comes an undeniable feeling that what was originally supposed to be suspenseful (and it really could have been) starts becoming boring. While the absence of a plot may be forgivable, especially in the case of masterful formal execution, Carpenter failed to handle it here. If only the scenes had a slightly better flow, giving it a perfect review wouldn't be a problem. In this way, Carpenter's attempt at a perfect slasher film with one of the most mysterious and psychopathic killers in cinema remains slightly unfinished. However, considering the relative perversity of the audience and the acting skills of some of the performers, it is possible to become a fan of the film.
()
The moment you hear that iconic melody, you know peace is out the window. This is the pinnacle of 70s horror. The tension is so thick you could cut it with a katana. John Carpenter had an uncanny knack for orchestrating cinematic murders — taking just long enough to make you want to tear your hair out in suspense.
()
John Carpenter's most important and successful film, which strongly influenced the 80s wave of slasher movies with masked killers. But while subsequent slashers focused primarily on gory effects, Halloween dispenses with almost all the gore and instead revels in the moments that precede the killing. Carpenter deliberately delays the attacks of psychopath Michael Myers as much as possible. He has the characters take long walks through various locations and keeps the audience guessing as to when and where the expected attack will occur. In doing so, he makes brilliant use of his typical wide-angle compositions, which force the audience to keep a close eye on the spaces around the characters, noting every place where Myers might be hiding (whether behind a bush or a fence in broad daylight, or in dark corners at night). As the film progresses, the scenes take place in smaller and smaller spaces, where the possibilities of escape from Myers diminish. Halloween also makes memorable use of long, voyeuristic steadicam shots. Most notably in the famous opening scene, shot from Myers' point of view, which has gone down in horror film history and has been imitated many times. Myers is completely devoid of personality and character, unlike the subsequent installments which robbed him of mystery by needlessly revealing his motivations. Here he is purely the embodiment of inexplicable evil. There are no close-ups of his reactions, and most often we see him only in outline, blending in with his surroundings (either from behind in a blurred foreground at the edge of the picture, or in the distance in the background). As a result, we cannot empathise with him for a moment. This is also what makes Halloween different from most slasher films that followed, whose central killers gradually became the main stars that audiences cheered for more than their victims.
()
A few years later, I have to add that fifth star, because Halloween is a unique film. The unsettling atmosphere escalates to a heart attack ending, John Carpenter does not take it easy on the characters or the viewer, uses edgy long shots from Myers's point of view and shows him as sheer evil, which you have no problem believing. That there is strength in simplicity is 100% true here. And Jamie Lee Curtis is amazing.
()
Ads