Genuinely deserves the name of classic

Rating: Null/10 (31 October 1998)

It is Halloween, 1998, and I have just seen the movie Halloween again for the sixth time. As the character of Linda in the movie would say, "I totally love this movie!" The repeated viewings have allowed me to see where the movie's power really lies. I have narrowed it down to two things: one, the movie taps into many of our subconscious fears; two, it is technically brilliantly executed. On the first point: 1) The boogeyman. A relentless killer who cannot be stopped. He is like The Thing (the movie that plays on the TV in the background), an alien creature who cannot be reasoned with, who you cannot hide from. He is the kitchen knife-wielding Terminator, and he could represent any fear that has a hold on you. 2) The threatened Suburbia. Adults work all their lives to create a safe haven to raise kids - only to disappear when the real danger lurks. This also taps into the missing parent fear. 3) Sin. As one character in Scream accurately points out, sin must be punished. It is the morality buried deep within all horror movies. 4) The Dark. Darkness represents evil. The Devil always comes out at night, and the scariest thing about haunted houses (the Myers house) is the unknown - the unknown of darkness, the unknown of how such evil could have occurred there. The unknown is a powerful force for obedience. On the second point: 1) Camerawork. John Carpenter uses a roving, restless camera to good effect, the movie has a realistic street feel to it. This applies to characters as well. 2) Foreground composition. You never know where the killer is at any given moment. He's everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Until it's too late.
On a movie buff note, watch for all the parallels to Hitchcock's Psycho, a movie which has spawned more imitators than virtually any other.