The original

Rating: 8/10 (27 May 2009)

I'll be the first to admit that I don't like slasher films. They are all so similar and unoriginal, and also spawn hoards of ridiculous sequels that will spatter the audience with meaningless gore.
However....
Halloween is the original modern slasher film, and it is unbelievably scary. What makes it scary is inevitability. The shots are designed to make the audience feel Myers' presence even though we can't see him. We are also intimately acquainted with Myers after the opening sequence of the film, a long tracking shot of Myers' first murder from his perspective. Just the sound of his breathing alone is enough for the audience to understand his relentlessness and insanity. We know he will always be there, just out of frame. One of the creepiest things about this film is how much of it takes place from his visual perspective. He is a voyeur, and it puts us in a very uncomfortable place when we share his vision.
Personally, I think one of the scariest moments in the film is when Jamie's character sees him on the sidewalk DURING THE DAY. He's there and then gone, and she thinks she imagined it. The fact that he's not hindered by the openness of operating in sunlight is another testament to his relentless nature. There are other moments similar to this one throughout the film which are used to ratchet up the tension. The murders themselves are proceeded by well placed small details that clue the audience in, but the characters never notice, leaving us held in suspense.
This is a well crafted film made with almost no money, proof that a person with intelligence can make a good movie without a huge budget. There are a large number of films that try to imitate the style and success of Carpenter's Halloween, but they don't come close.