The film that started it all...

Rating: 8/10 (11 March 2009)

The fun part of watching the original "Halloween" is seeing how many clichÃ©s were repeated in other slasher films. The heavy breathing, the POV camera, peek-a-boo nudity, etc.
"Halloween" is a classic because it pretty much introduced the slasher genre. There were other films before it that had similar plots ("Black Christmas"), however "Halloween" was far more successful.
One of the good things about "Halloween" that was different from other slasher films was its pace. Some may complain the film is slow - the body count is low and the action doesn't start until halfway through the film. That's what I liked about it: the film took time to develop atmosphere, introduce characters, and creep us out with subtle scenes of Michael stalking his prey.
However, now that I have seen it a few times, there are some large plot holes and inconsistencies that I never noticed before. For example: - in the beginning, the POV camera is at the height of an adult, not a 5 year old child. - Michael's sister's boyfriend must have severe premature ejaculation issues. Their off-screen love scene was what - 30 seconds? - who taught Michael how to drive so well as an adult, when he just stared blankly at a wall in the mental institution? - when Laurie and Annie are driving to the babysitters, Haddonfield suddenly goes from broad daylight to pitch black. How big is Haddonfield, and why would they babysit so far from home?