All Hallow's Eve

Rating: 10/10 (31 August 1998)

Why did Hitchcock film Psycho is black and white? Mood. Mood is essential to a good horror movie. What two films best use mood? Hands down - Psycho and John Carpenter's Halloween. From a technical standpoint, both of these movies are perfect. Let's look at Halloween for a moment. Carpenter uses all the technical elements to create one movie that is 100% mood. The music, the lighting, the direction and most importantly The Shape. Carpenter builds such tension that the viewer is almost relieved that the movie is over. His use of foreground, lighting, and that unforgettable score put viewers right in the movie. And let us not forget the most important element. The Shape. A faceless, emotionless being that doesn't stop until stopped. Why does Michael stop to put the mask back on before he continues to attack Laurie? He's not human. The visuals and acting are so real and innocent that Haddonfield becomes AnyTown, USA. Haddonfield is the town I grew up in. I was being babysat during those years. That's my life. It's too real. Carpenter knew that, and that's where he got us. It 's not wonder this movie was causing people to seizure in the theatres. If you've never seen Halloween, or haven't seen it in awhile, I highly recommend it (try to find it in WideScreen format). It's my favorite film. And to all the skeptics, you know nothing about filmmaking or the art of suspense. Carpeneter knew what he was creating. It's the only movie that stands up to Hitchcock's classic Psycho. The only one. One last thing for the record - Halloween's 2-7 are nothing but Hollywood schlock. I'd like to think that Michael Myers had no motive. That these killings were being committed some random serial killer, not some guy with a vengenance to kill his sister. It's absurd. What is scarier than a random killer on the loose in your neighborhood? Halloween II was created after the fact and the studios wanted something to continue the series so Carpenter wrote in that Myers was after his sister, it was the only way to continue. If not, then what was Carpenter trying to say with those last shots in the original ? And, if not, why didn't Myers just walk right up to Laurie and kill her instead of all her friends first? All the sequels do is take away from the original. The sequels created two decades of skeptics and non-believers. It's a shame. Hollywood can ruin anything.