Scariest Serial Killer of Them All

Rating: 10/10 (20 October 2010)

"Halloween" scared the crap out of me the first time I saw it and having just viewed it again, for the first time in many years, I can honestly tell you that it retains its power.
Unlike the other films in this never-ending franchise, the original takes the time to flesh out its victims. It's not a film about a mindless killing machine, but about an escaped psychopath and the characters he's stalking.
That's one of the great things about "Halloween." It doesn't feel the need to make the killer a supernatural figure.
It helps to have such greats as Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasance as leads. Donald Pleasance can utter the most ridiculous dialog and make it sound plausible. He's what really convinced me that there was evil operating in the film.
It's a pity that such a wonderful movie had to be stretched into such an endless series, because none of them, including Rob Zombie's gorier remakes, have anywhere near the power of this entry.