A Horror Classic

Rating: 9/10 (5 December 2008)

A babysitter minding a strange house is suddenly attacked by a monster. It's possibly one of the oldest horror movie clichés there is. The type of legend you can imagine being passed along for centuries in one form or another, and the basis for what could well be the finest slasher movie ever made.
John Carpenter's Halloween is a stunning film, one that stands as a genuine masterpiece 30 years on. A claustrophobic setting, a fine script and wonderful direction make this a film which has lost little down the years.
From the very first scene it's easy to be sucked in as we see the world through the eyes of the young Micheal Myers as he brutally murders his sister while still a small child. From there he spends the next several years in a mental institute before breaking out and looking for his only living relative, his sister Laurie Strode. Dr Loomis, his psychiatrist at the mental hospital chases after Myers attempting to stop him in his quest.
But this is no normal rampage, Halloween allows us to get to know the characters before they are brutally put away by Myers. While in the case of PJ Soles character, an annoying bimbo, this may lead to cheers, on the whole we empathize with those who are murdered.
But most importantly we feel what Loomis feels, his desperation and despair so poignantly depicted by brilliant British actor Donald Pleasance. And Jamie Lee Curtis does a nice job of playing a character with a little more depth than your typical damsel in distress.
Micheals Myers is a terrifying character, a massive presence, fittingly nick named "The Shape" by fans. He is genuinely terrifying as he goes on a mindless, joyless mission of destruction. Hell bent on getting his sister. He is more human in this movie than monster and infinitely more terrifying for it.
So catch this movie if possible. There are sex scenes and a relatively low death count, so it's not for everyone, but it is a fine example of the slasher genre which holds up as well thirty years on.