Groundbreaking and perfect for drive-ins

Rating: 4/10 (27 October 2010)

Worth noting are groundbreaking aspects like, say, spawning the birth of the "holiday themed" horror movie (future slashers would stalk Mother's Day, Christmas, Valentine's Day, Prom Night, even one schlocky Aussie entry called The Day AFTER Halloween). Or the then-novel notion of an indestructible human (as opposed to mutants, vampires, witches, zombies, blah blah). Or the innovative marketing that blew up Halloween into a virtual Hollywood franchise that still churns 'em out to this day.
Or how the epically low budget was overcome by doing things like hand painting paper leaves to make a California summer look like a rural autumn (requiring the cast to gather up all the leaves in bags after each shot, lest they loose their "fall" atmosphere).
Though not classic cinema by any means, Halloween was still innovative and, at the time, more riveting than just about anything else touring drive-in theater screens (which was, after all, the intended market from its very conception).
And also worth citing are the performances of genuinely gifted thespians like the late Donald Pleasance (who returned for several sequels) and Jamie Lee Curtis, not to mention cult cutie PJ Soles, fresh off the film's kindred precedent Carrie and soon to all-but-steal the Rock 'N' Roll High School spotlight from headliners the Ramones.
I admit that Halloween isn't the kind of movie I'd ever want to watch more than once. But that one time certainly made its mark on my movie-going psyche --- I counter several commentators' single star with three more, for a total of four. Let's not besmirch that rating, tho, by mentioning the mostly abysmal (and seemingly endless) sequels ----