The night he came home...

Rating: 10/10 (29 March 2005)

One cold night, he picked up a knife and he never put it down.......
Halloween, a decent film that was made in 1978 has been the benchmark for many horror films that has followed since its release. A decent storyline with great, chilling music and superb acting make Halloween a must see.
One night, Michael Myers escapes the hospital he was staying at and decides to return home to wreak havoc and issue fatal consequences for anyone who gets in his way.
Firstly the atmosphere is spot on here. The mood is perfectly set from the start of the film and it works well right until the end. From the first scene there is intrigue, suspense and murder. The producers do a wonderful job of making sure that this film has the perfect "scary movie" feel to it. Most of the scenes are set in the hours of darkness, which goes perfectly with the dark, chilling storyline. The producers do a wonderful job of using this to the films advantage  the use of shadows and reflections in the darkness work wonders to add to the scare factor.
The way that Michael Myers is built up to be an unstoppable, completely scary psychopathic killer is superb. The thing that I found really scary about the Michael Myers character was throughout the film you never knew where he was or could be  he could be in one place one minute, and another place the next. It gave the feeling that nobody in the film was safe.
I firmly believe that one of the most convincing reasons for this film being so successful was that Donald Pleasance gave the performance of a lifetime. His acting was spot on  he is so convincing in his efforts to try and convince people that Myers is pure evil. He lived and breathed this role, and really brought to life the characters of both Dr Loomis and Michael Myers. Not one actor could have done a better job in the role of Dr Loomis, and I for one will always remember Donald Pleasance for what he did for the Halloween series. The acting as a whole was good in the film, and Jamie Lee Curtis also does a good job of playing the helpless, un-deserving victim.
Another reason for the success of this film I would have to say has to be the music. The music in this film is very chilling, and does a cracking job of building up the tension and anxiety in the now infamous chase scenes the occur during the film.
There are so many factors that can be credited for the success of this film. These range from the great performances, the fantastic atmosphere created in the film, the use of shadows and lighting to the great music score.
I would strongly suggest to anyone to watch this film, as it is one of the best horror films ever. It is a subtle, yet very scary masterpiece.
They don't make films like this anymore!