An Absolute Classic of the Horror Genre. John Carpenter At His Best.

Rating: 10/10 (27 June 2012)

John Carpenter's Halloween is a flawless horror classic from beginning to end and is one the films that defined modern horror and is one of the scariest movies of all time.
Halloween tells the tale of a young boy named Michael Myers at the age of six in 1963 in the small town of Haddenfield,Illinois on Halloween night stabbed and murder his sister and is sent to a Mental Hospital. Fifteen years later Michael Myers escapes from the hospital and is killing again on Halloween night while stalking three teenage girls that includes Laurie Strode(Jamie Lee Curtis). The only person that can stop Myers is his doctor Dr. Sam Loomis(Donald Pleasence).
Halloween is a timeless Horror classic that set the standard for the Horror/Slasher genre and spawned many imitators and it did for the Horror/Slasher genre like The Godfather did for Gangster films or 2001:A Space Odyssey did for the SCI-FI genre. Halloween and it's influence was imitated but never duplicated One of The main reasons Halloween is a classic that it is is because the storyline is so simple yet so terrifying. Director John Carpenter gives viewers a film that right from the beginning is a scary and frightening tale of terror that grabs you by the throat and never lets go until the very end. Where as later Slasher films depended on blood and gore to terrify audiences Carpenter and Halloween uses very simple techniques such as jump scares and suspense to great effect and truly frightens viewers. While I love blood and gore in Horror films I also love suspense and build-ups to scares and violence and that's one of the reasons Halloween works. What I also love about Halloween is the lighting and tone that Carpenter has in this film. The photography and lighting by Dean Cundey is brilliant giving the film an intense dark and claustrophobic nightmarish feel with natural during the day and frightening,surreal lighting at night using dark shadows where you feel that no character in the film is safe. Michael Myers is easily one of the greatest villains of the history of cinema and what makes Michael Myers so scary and frightening is that there are no answers,reasons,explanations or logic to why Michael Myers kills people. We all know why other Horror villains and cinema icons Freddy Kruger(A Nightmare On Elm Street series)and Jason Voorhees(Friday The 13th series)but we never know why Michael kills. Carpenter doesn't show Michael Myers as a human being but as a bogeyman,a shape,an unstoppable force of nature that can not be stopped,talked to or reasoned with and shows no feelings or emotions showing no pity,remorse or fear and will never stop what he's doing no matter what. Michael Myers is a classic villain and the true definition of evil. During the day scenes Carpenter smartly shows Michael Myers from a distance and from the points of view of the main characters with the points of view not showing Myers a lot but giving the viewer enough terror and dread. However,during the night scenes when Michael Myers is stalking his prey Carpenter gives us more close-ups of Michael Myers' face that is highly lightened in the shadows. You feel like Michael Myers is a character that is pretty much everywhere and all over the place and can strike anywhere,anytime whether it's day or night and that's very scary. Halloween also shows viewers that even in the environment of the suburbs no one is safe from the horrific wrath and destruction of Michael Myers. The film's two other main characters Dr. Sam Loomis and Laurie Strode are great characters who are heroic and have enough depth and sympathy to make you root for them when the bad things start to happen and work as memorable protagonists opposite Michael Myers. The ending of Halloween is brilliant and a classic John Carpenter ending that leaves viewers on the edge of their seats and makes viewers ask a lot questions and never gives viewers many answers. I think the ending tells viewers that you can try to stop evil,but evil never,ever fully goes away and that is one of the reasons Halloween is an amazing classic.
The cast does a great job in their roles. Donald Pleasence is excellent as Dr.Sam Loomis and brings a calm,quiet demeanor to the performance. Pleasence's monologue about Michael Myers is one of the film's great moments. Jamie Lee Curtis(in her film debut)is wonderful as Laurie Strode making Laurie sweet,likable and sympathetic. It's no wonder Curtis was a scream queen in the late 70s and early 80s. Nick Castle is excellent as Michael Myers,one of the greatest villains of all time. Castle walks slowly,stares at people,tilts his head and wears that frightening white masks that defines evil. Castle's performance set the standard for slasher movie villains. Nancy Kyes(Annie),P.J Soles(Linda),Charles Cyphers(Sheriff Brackett),Brian Andrews(Tommy)and Kyle Richards(Lindsey)also do well in their roles as well.
The direction by John Carpenter is brilliant,giving the film tension and creepiness,moving the camera and showing the small town and neighborhood during the day and night,while also doing great with the scary and suspenseful scenes and also does a great job with the Michael Myers point of view shots. Great direction.
The score by John Carpenter is one of the scariest,terrifying scores of all time and is so iconic. The opening theme is so effective and scary that it will be stuck in your head after you watch the film. The theme and score is classic and one of the things that makes the film.
Halloween is simply a Horror classic,one of the greatest films ever made and one of John Carpenter's best. If you love Horror films or films in general see this movie. Highly Recommended. 10/10.