Supernatural suspense drama...

Rating: 10/10 (2 February 2002)

I'm not here to toot my own horn (my neck isn't long enough), but, if you look real close, I think you'll find that Yours Truly was the first person in this country to praise HALLOWEEN in print (way back in Famous Monsters of Filmland #155, I believe it was). I felt then (and still feel today) that it's one of the finest supernatural suspense dramas ever lensed. The premise is simple but effective and John Carpenter, by focusing closely on his cast of characters, manages to evoke edge-of-your-seat suspense from beginning to end (it helps that his characters are believable, and sympathetic); his chilling score only serves to (quite literally) underscore that effectiveness. The HALLOWEEN "formula" is relatively simple: put sympathetic, well-drawn characters in jeopardy, and you're halfway home (something the makers of the plethora of slasher films that followed in its wake didn't seem to be capable of doing). HALLOWEEN has been ripped off more than any other film I know of, but remains the unequaled original.