Still Carpenter's Finest...

Rating: Null/10 (16 August 2004)

Although John Carpenter was doubtless in his prime during this era (from Assault on Precinct 13 to The Fog to The Thing to Escape New York), it is still this film, Halloween, which is his strongest effort.
Working from a narrative standpoint of minimalism (in story, atmosphere, performance and perhaps most effectively, the music), Carpenter creates a feeling of dread and foreboding that perfectly encapsulates the theme of Halloween. Check out those beautiful long and languid steadicam takes while the simplest of melodic motifs plays in the background. The opening act whereby Myers (as a boy) murders his older sister is all shot in one seamless take. It's beautiful and a classic example of why this movie is a product of a bygone era. The modern take on Hollywood horror would never stand for this. We would've been subjected to a thousand edits, loud alternative rock music and whatever passes for the latest in big-boobed talent these days... What a shame...
Anyway, having originally seen this film in about 1980 on television when I was nine, this film short-circuited my mind in much the same manner that it still does today. No small feat considering it's about twenty-five years later and I've catalogued countless movies since that fateful eve.
I applaud John Carpenter for his superb efforts here. If you are in the mood for a ghost story wrapped around a slasher theme then Halloween is the film. A definite classic.
Rating: Thumbs Up