Halloween: Trick or Treat

Rating: 9/10 (25 March 2010)

Halloween is one of those movies that many people adore, and many dislike. It seems to have a solid fanbase, and interest in the film continues. I have heard many things about the film before I saw it. One person told me it isn't as good as it's hyped. Another told me it is the essence of brilliance. I went in open minded, and a as a lover of movies. The movie presents a wonderfully atmospheric universe. Nothing particularly special creates this sense. From the opening scene to when the main characters are walking home from school, all the images just feel like Halloween. The film also displays a wonderful feel of being observed. Throughout the movie, the stalker is seen several times creeping amidst the background. Sometimes it's kinda hard to notice. It jumps right into the story as if the camera was just turned on at this point in time in the created universe. The audience knows the main villain of the film is an escaped psychiatric patient. A patient with a sinister and mysterious past. The character of the Doctor is almost the narrator of the story, letting the audience know certain minute details about the escapee's past. From what little is garnered, he for some reason is hellbent on returning to his hometown, where he brutally committed murder man years prior. The Doctor knows him better than anyone, and quickly heads there. Then of course, there is Jamie Lee Curtis' character Laurie. The babysitter living in the same neighborhood that the crazed lunatic is from. A smart, strong young women who we hardly get to know. However, in the little time spent on developing her character, we learn just enough to know she is the survivor. Her friends are portrayed as well intended, but almost flaky in personality. Her close circle of friends are all different types of people which adds a sense of realism, as cliques are over used especially in 'teen' oriented plots. Laurie is the 'responsible' one of the group, and spends the evening of Halloween babysitting. All the while, being stalked by the illusive escapee. A running theme throughout the film is the essence of Halloween. Laurie explains to the young boy she is babysitting that there is nothing to fear about Halloween. It is a time when 'people play tricks on each other.' That the boogieman is not real, and that she will protect the child from him should he arrive.
The audience is watching the events unfold all the while wondering the motives of the stalker. It is never revealed(unless you like the sequels). The stalker is an unstoppable force, not through magic or mysticism, but through the inherent nature of deluded evil. You can kill one stalker, or stop them, but they will return, and if not, one like them will. To me that was the greatest part of the film next to the atmosphere. Ultimately, as a viewer, one won't be disappointed if they watch looking for the right things. Halloween is a movie that needs to be watched in the context of its time. It broke a lot of rules, and created many that shine through film making, especially the horror genre even today. If watched with the proper mindset, the film is a masterpiece in what it was trying to accomplish within the viewers mind. Creating an edgy Tick or Treat universe.