Terror has a name. And it's name is Michael Myers. A Hallowen classic.

Rating: Null/10 (10 October 2017)

Halloween night is a night of spooks, scares, and fun. It is also a great night to watch John Carpenter's masterpiece of terror. Interesting enough since it takes place on the same night adding atmosphere and suspense.
"Halloween" is probably one of the greatest horror films of all time and what makes it work so well is that it relies on suspense and atmosphere in order to scare the audience instead of blood and gore like most modern horror films do. In a way this could very be the spiritual successor to Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" since it takes many inspirations from that film. The classic story of a deranged mental patient escaping from a mental institution and then stalking teenagers on Halloween night has still managed to retain it's scares and tension even nearly four decades later. The film has been so influential that it popularized the slasher genre and gave rise to imitators throughout the 80s and beyond. While some of the imitators are mildly entertaining, none of them compare to Carpenter's classic film.
Carpenter's direction is superb as it creates an eerie mood. The usage of a piano melody is iconic since it is simple and very effective at generating scares especially whenever the killer is on screen. The usage of lighting rather than blood and gore is very effective at creating an unsettling atmosphere for the film which is something that few horror films duplicate nowadays. It does a great job at making a feeling of uncertainty as we never know when Michael Myers is going to pop up on screen and kill someone.
The acting is great across the board. Jamie Lee Curtis gives a good early performance as Laurie Strode. It is because of this performance that she is known as "the" scream queen. But it is Donald Pleasence as Dr. Loomis who steals the show whenever he is on screen. Loomis is probably one of the best characters in a horror film since he knows what Myers is capable of but few people take him seriously and he has to take matters into his own hands. The rest of the cast is serviceable at best especially the other teen characters which only serve to be victims of the killer. Nick Castle as Micheal Myers is excellent as he is a very imposing and intimidating figure. He never speaks and only breathes very heavily. He comes across as more of a supernatural figure than a person and that makes him all the more terrifying.
"Halloween" is a classic and a must see for horror fans. It created an iconic villain in the form of Micheal Myers and popularized an entire genre of film which has since become cliché. But the original film still remains terrifying thanks to Carpenter's excellent direction and usage of atmosphere. Its a great film to watch on Halloween night.