Halloween

Rating: 9/10 (1 October 2012)

Halloween is a suspense film about an insane man named Michael Myers who escapes from a mental institution and goes on a killing spree in his hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois. Throughout the movie, director John Carpenter uses a combination of music and lighting that keeps you on edge the entire movie. It also seems like throughout the film the main characters see Michael in about every scene. He is just a looming presence stalking these girls waiting to attack. All of this combined created a very suspenseful and downright scary movie. Before watching Halloween you might think it will be like a lot of other horror movies, a lot of gore blood and gore trying to shock the audience as much as possible. After watching the movie however you see it's more about trying to use different lighting and sounds to genuinely scare the audience. This is what makes Halloween so different from other movies in this genre like Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street. It doesn't depend on how bloody and graphic it can look but how the scene is set during the killings and his reaction to it. One of the main things that make this movie so scary to me is the mask worn by Michael throughout the movie. The mask is just a plain white emotionless mask of a human face. This seems to mimic the way Michael acts during the movie. He never communicates to anyone or shows any sympathy toward any of the people he kills. He is just a cold and emotionless person who only gets joy from hurting other people. To me the mask is what makes the character of Michael Myers who he is. Another defining characteristic of Halloween is the lighting used during the movie. The light used for certain situations can invoke certain feeling or suspicions as to what is going to happen next. When all the lights are off and all you have moonlight in a house you know something bad is probably about to happen. In contrast when the lights are on in the house or if it's daytime you might see Michael, but nothing is going to happen during this time. This is very prevalent when Dr. Loomis is going with the nurse to transport Michael from the insane asylum to a court hearing. This scene could have been shot during the daytime but then it wouldn't be as suspenseful. Instead this is shot on a very dark night in the middle of a rain storm. Also the music is used quite a bit to let the audience in on what's about to happen. Whenever someone is walking through the house and you hear that droning piano music, then Michaels face appears in the background you know that character probably won't enjoy what follows. These two factors together create a lot of tension, and enhance the experience of the movie. I also found the fact that Michael never moves faster than a quick walk which is very creepy. Even when Lorrie is running across the street trying to get inside to safety Michael is walking behind her not appearing to be in any hurry. This is the opposite of what you would expect out of someone trying to murder somebody. This really adds to the suspense of the movie. Watching Lorrie pounding on the door and seeing Michael slowly walk up behind her, not knowing if he's going to catch her or not. It keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire time. This technique seems to have been copied in other movies like Friday the 13th because it was so successful at building suspense and keeping the audience interested. I also think Jamie Lee Curtis does a very good job portraying Lorrie in this film. While watching she seems to paint a picture of someone without anyone to defend her but herself. She doesn't have a boyfriend and is more concentrated on homework and grades than finding one. You also never see her father which creates a sense that she doesn't really have a male figure to turn to for help. Jamie Lee Curtis is just great at playing the damsel in distress. In my opinion Jamie Lee Curtis does a very good job at playing the role of Lorrie. Halloween although is a very scary and suspenseful movie you have to keep in mind it's all a work of fiction. It creates this image of a man that can just walk around a neighborhood killing teenagers and not get caught or have anyone even seem to take notice. When looking at it compared to real life it just seems kind of dumb, that's why Carpenter had to do such a good job of drawing the audience in so they don't realize its all fiction. That's what Halloween such a great movie.