Halloween - A Gem of its Time

Rating: 4/10 (14 July 2018)

Released in 1978, pretty much everyone has heard of Halloween and its star, Michael Myers. That blank, white mask has been a staple in horror for years and this film is also viewed as the first of the slasher genre.
Now, I had never seen this film or any Halloween film. But after hearing so much about the franchise and being deeply impressed with the trailer for the latest instalment, I've decided to watch the entire franchise and review each one to see if they hold up today. Therefore, does the original Halloween hold up?
Not really.
I know many people will hate my opinion but the scares, acting and even writing do not measure up to film-making today. The film opens with a chilling opening (that seems very similar to Friday the 13th) to introduce Michael Myers. However, this is hardly ever elaborated on and we spend the entire film not knowing why Myers kills. This is probably explained in sequels, but I'm not reviewing those. The worse thing is we never get an explanation as to why he is going after Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) and these supernatural powers he seems to have such as immortality and teleportation. As a result, it's quite difficult to be afraid of Myers when he's shrouded in confusion and it even becomes slightly comedic when he is killed and comes back to life again - think the original Child's Play, only not as exciting because we're meant to take it seriously.
The acting all across the board is lacking. Curtis shows potential but she's far too inconsistent. The kids are very annoying, but nobody is more annoying that Laurie's friend whose line delivery somehow never lands. Plus, she gets stuck in a window for some stupid reason which doesn't exactly instill fear into me. The only person from Myers' past is his psychiatrist, yet he is completely wasted. He claims to know a lot about Myers yet the writer just has him wait at his house and wander about aimlessly for the entire film only to burst in at the end and end it all abruptly. Maybe if so much time wasn't spent watching Curtis walk down a street or babysitting, I would be more excited with the action. But instead, one of the best themes in all of cinema is constantly shoved down your ears until you can't bear to listen to it anymore. Seriously, the two same themes play over and over again and it drives you insane!
In short, there's really no reason to go back to it watch the original Halloween. It may be a gem of its time, but today, it irritates, it bores and it disappoints.