A Roller-Coaster Ride of Scares

Rating: 10/10 (31 July 2005)

I think the fact that this movie has 70 pages of user comments speaks volumes of the film's impact, which resonates today. It doesn't matter how many times you've seen it, it loses none of its power to make you scream, and keep you on the edge of your seat. While made on a relatively low budget, it really enhances the creepy quality of the production.
The story of a small town rocked by a young boy's crime of murdering his teenage sister, his subsequent placement in a psychiatric institution, and his escape fifteen years later, on Halloween, the anniversary of his crime. Only his psychiatrist, Dr. Sam Loomis (the late Donald Pleasance) realizes how dangerous he is, and where he's headed, back to good old Haddonfield, Illinois.
Jamie Lee Curtis, as the teenage Laurie Strode, seemingly always dateless compared to her more sexually aggressive friends, Annie Brackett (Nancy Loomis), the daughter of the local sheriff, and Lynda (P.J. Soles), is prototype of the strong, good girl heroines that would later dominate the horror film genre. She ends up doing her usual babysitting, unaware that the psychotic killer is lurking in the neighborhood, voyeuristically peeking at her and her friends. He stalks the girls one by one, with Laurie as his last target.
The musical score adds to the atmosphere considerably, subtly creepy, as the infamous Michael Myers closes in on his prey. The fact that it is a small, isolated community with an ill-equipped police force only increases the viewer's dread, as the effect is almost claustrophobic.
And I loved hearing the classic 70s song, "Don't Fear The Reaper" by Blue Oyster Cult as Annie and Laurie head off to their babysitting jobs.
Everything about this film is excellent: the acting, direction, sets, music, choreography, costumes, hairstyles, architecture, dialogue, pace . . . . .
And it's nowhere near as violent and bloody as its reputation. Bar the windows, lock the doors, turn off the lights, and keep someone to cuddle with nearby - you'll need that.