Hitchcock Would Have Been Proud; A Film That Had A Truly Profound Effect On The Art Of Horror Film-making

Rating: 9/10 (4 November 2006)

A 1st person shot prowls it's way through an American suburbia, the camera stops on a small house, a house like any other, the front door is opened and a person's hand leans out and grabs a knife from a drawer. The person proceeds to walk up the stairway and picks up a mask From here on in you are introduced to one of the most creepy horrors ever made.
It is extremely difficult to define what films are "pure horror" and why over the last few decades' horror has become a repetitive and most importantly clichéd. Well we can thank Halloween (possibly Psycho or Suspiria) for that because Halloween created the slasher clichés before they became clichés. Halloween is the handbook on how to make the perfect horror film and it has succeeded at being one of the most effective films ever made. There are few films that have managed to terrify so many audiences over the years and gain a wonderful cult following of fans.
Halloween changed the face of horror cinema and created some of the greatest screen icons of all time. Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasence), Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and most important the masked Michael Myers. This was Jamie Lee Curtis' debut film and it automatically launched her into stardom like her parents. Donald Pleasence the most famous of actors at the time creates one of the best horror heroes of all time and the fact he's different to what you'd expect a hero to be.
And then you've got Michael Myers, the horror icon that famously stalks victims in a white, oddly shaped mask similar to that of the later Scream. The fact that the mask is so simple is what makes it so creepy, it's as if it represents an evil energy and one that is un-stoppable. The truth is that all this was created from a Captain Kirk mask turned inside out and that's surely a unique and a genuinely surprising truth.
For an independent film that relied on a low budget, it's managed to do a lot more than any "big buck" Hollywood blockbuster has managed to do. The cheap feel helps create the cold, disturbing, creepy, pallid and un-nerving atmosphere. The uses of Kubrick style tracking shots fit in perfectly and create some of the most memorable pieces of camera work ever put on screen. The film's setting is perfect because it's a town just like any other and that makes it all the more realistic.
John Carpenter creates the perfect Hitchcock feel to the film and packed with references from Hitchcock films. The stairways sequence is the ultimate Psycho tribute. The film's use of shadow and the fact that even in the light of the day the terror remains alive. The first 50 minutes of the film are somewhat similar to the style of Strangers On A Train relying on setting up characters, having a hidden evil and general terror that could pop up at any moment. Carpenter is not just a director, but also an excellent musician and with the simplistic brilliance of his score he proves the fact he was a musical prodigy. In fact it remains one of the best scores ever written.
John Carpenter has always been one of my favourite directors ever who rarely fails to grab my attention with his unique style of film-making. He puts his love and care into his works and with the attention to detail he is a timeless director of his genre. Carpenter's respect to his favourite films and directors (most famously Howard Hawks) is worthy of approval.
Yes it's dated at times and maybe the script isn't as brilliant as it could have been, but Halloween still remains one of the greatest films ever made and one of the most nerve racking films ever made. A masterpiece of its genre, that has stood the test of time and remains just as effective today as it did in '78.