An uneven yet effective classic

Rating: 7/10 (1 November 2017)

Being the movie that popularized many of the tropes we see in slasher movies, does it still hold up? Much like Night of the Living Dead, the film manages to surpass the limitations of its budget and deliver a scary, occasionally uneven, experience. The slow pace and use of John Carpenter's minimalistic, yet effective score builds an atmosphere of dread, and the relatively smaller scale of the movie (the main setting is basically a single neighborhood, three houses at most) lets the viewer become familiar with their surroundings before the killings begin. The shots of Michael Myers appearing in and out of the darkness, as well as long shots of him from across the street, help give him a real presence and make him an effectively creepy villain. Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasance are both excellent in their roles, with much of the supporting cast doing decently as well. Unfortunately, the film isn't without its moments of narm. While some times they're used effectively, the movie has an annoying habit of playing some loud, piercing sound effect whenever Myers does anything in the background, and it's not as effective as just having no sound effects and letting the audience take in the shot he appears in. A lot of times the dialogue can be hokey, and the ADR of Curtis' voice during the final chase can be pretty laughable ("THE KEEEEEEEEEYS!"). There's also the unfortunate matter that many of the scares can be seen as predictable because the film practically codified them as clichés, so modern viewers may find the movie boring as a result. That said, I still highly recommend Halloween as a great seasonal movie. The acting is mostly solid, the score is iconic and used well, Michael Myers makes for a great, creepy villain, and the smaller scale of the movie gives it a unique feeling of familiarity. If you're interested in the origins of the modern slasher movie, this is the movie to watch. Seven fake out scares out of ten.