They don't make 'em like this anymore

Rating: Null/10 (20 January 2003)

Movies today are not what they used to be. Moreover, most Hollywood product is quickly written, badly made and people flock like sheep to see them, especially if there is a multi-million dollar ad campaign supporting them. When I think of movies from the seventies (like Jaws for instance), I am reminded that you can tell a story, a good one, and truly draw the audience in without relying solely on effects and action but by developing characters and telling a good story. Halloween is a perfect example.

Carpenter spends most of the movie creating suspense. There is no gore, nothing is "in-your-face", instead there is simply a classic build up. The audience knows what will happen, but it doesn't matter. The eeriness of this film is it's look, the look of it's villain and the atmosphere created through suspense. Like Jaws, we don't fully see the villain until three quarters of the movie has passed. The effects of the villain are there, the shape is there (full use of the 2.35:1 aspect ratio in this one) but we are teased when it comes to his face. Until we finally see it close up and realize that it is a mask, all we know is that this shape has an eerie white face. In order for this suspense and eeriness to work, the audience must identify with the characters. We identify with Laurie when she sees the white face staring at her from the back yard. This is after she has already seen him during school and on her way home. She could have been mistaken before but she now knows that this man is indeed stalking her and is terrified but has no idea what to do about it. Who can she tell, who will believe her - hopefully he'll just go away. Carpenter uses her character to draw the audience in. We will empathize and sympathize with every situation she encounters throughout the story. What would we do? Her friends think nothing of it. Our friends would be the same. We don't identify with them, in fact, we expect the shape to get them and when he does we aren't surprised or even upset. But for Laurie, the audience is more protective. She doesn't deserve it because, well, we don't. When a horror movie can draw the audience in by identification, that is when the suspense will work. Hitchcock taught us that. This is the reason sequels to these types of movies are not as good. You can't create the suspense twice.