Good, But Overrated.

Rating: 9/10 (28 August 2006)

I love Halloween and all of it's sequels, but I am tired of everyone acting like this is the end all be all of the horror genre, because it's just not true. Everything in this film that is supposed to be so original had been done before and in most cases much better. Look at Black Christmas were the dolly shot was first pioneered, Blood Feast and Psycho, where some of the first slashers came out to play. See also the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Last House on the Left, and The Hills Have Eyes, for all of you people who say that Halloween was the first to be instrumental in bringing the modern wave of horror to America. I also hate it when John Carpenter acts like no one else can possible make a movie as great as him. You know what Rick Rosanthal's Halloween II, it's a better movie and it should be the one that is praised. Yeah I said it Halloween II is the better movie, and John Carpenter needs to get off his high horse and stop bad mouthing his legacy. Halloween is just a very, very slow paced independent movie that was lucky because it had a soulless producer named Moustpha Akkad who in later years would destroy every thing he worked so hard to build with Halloween H-2-0. To add to that he also never admitted it. I can say never because he's dead now (Which I am sorry for, when he died it felt like the Joker died, he was my enemy, and I miss him.)
Now don't get me wrong. Just because I went on this rant does not mean that I do not have an affection for this little film. I just wish people would stop acting like it's the Beetles and maybe see that it's a little more like the Rolling Stones (It will never die.) I also in fact do love John Carpenter I just feel that he tries excessively to go out of his way and put down this series, and toot his own horn. I feel that his films Dark Star, Assualt on Precinct 13, Escape From New York, The Thing, and They Live are all better indications of his style. Why can he not be known for those films, and not for this film that is it's self a knock off, however a decent knock off. If you want to see real horror watch Halloween II (which Carpenter wrote but did not direct) and stay away from this dull first installment unless you just want to see where Michael started.
It should also not go without mentioning that Donald Plesance rules in this just like everything else he does and he is the true spirit of the Halloween series (Not Carpenter, Curtis, or even Micheal Myeres can take that title away from him!!!)