Nicely Filmed, but Ultimately Disappointing

Rating: Null/10 (10 September 1999)

Before I even saw this movie I had practically made up my mind that it was going to be one of my favorite movies of all time. I love well-constructed stories, especially ones that keep you on the edge of your seat, tensely wondering what's going to happen next. After reading so many glowing reviews on this comment board, I knew Halloween would be the movie to end all movies.
I was wrong. Maybe I built the movie up in my mind that no film could meet, but whatever the reason, this movie disappointed me. Although it is nicely filmed with interesting camera angles, light and shadows, and good direction, it just isn't at all scary. Yes, yes -- I know that we should look at it in the context of the time it was made in, etc., but it still didn't work. The single most damaging thing to this movie's scare factor is the speed that Michael Myers walks. He practically inches forward in every scene! All he does is stiffly step forward with his knife held high. If he were really that intent on killing, I think he would have a little more urgency in his step. To see what I mean, watch The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
At least Leatherface knows how to run, and it makes all the difference! To see Michael walk so slowly makes it just look like a cheap excuse to give the heroine a chance to get away and make the movie last a little longer. Also, the touch of the supernatural at the end makes things even worse. It's much scarier to believe that Michael is a normal human being who has gone terribly wrong than to think that he has some type of magic powers. In any event, watch it and decide for yourself. It might not have worked for me, but apparently it worked for a lot of people here, so give it a try.