Halloween: Carpenter's Classic Chiller

Rating: 10/10 (1 November 2011)

Michael Myers has become a bigger icon than Ronald McDonald. He has carved his way through eight sequels, a remake, and a remake of a sequel, and he is the first major horror movie villain to inspire other classics to follow in his wake("Friday the 13th" and "A Nightmare on Elm Street"). But to really know who Michael Myers is, to understand why he frightens us, you have to go back to 1978, when John Carpenter released a low-budget independent horror film that not only gave birth to an icon, but stood the test of time after more than 30 years as one of the scariest movies of all time. That movie is "Halloween."
The story is extremely simple: In 1963, a six year old boy murders his sister, Judith Myers, in cold blood with a kitchen knife. After 15 years of confinement to Smith's Grove Sanitarium, the killer escapes and heads to his hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois, with Dr. Sam Loomis(played magnificently by Donald Pleasence) in desperate pursuit. Enter Laurie Strode(played by Jamie Lee Curtis) and her friends Annie and Lynda. It is October 31st, and Laurie and Annie are babysitting in houses right across from each other while ditsy Lynda messes around with her boyfriend Bob. What they don't know is the killer has targeted them and has some pretty gruesome plans for this Halloween night.
Such a bare-bones plot could have resulted in an average exploitation film a la "The Hills Have Eyes" or "Black Christmas." But, obviously, John Carpenter and Debra Hill had other, more serious intentions when they wrote their script and filmed the movie. With a tiny budget of just $300,000, they were out to make a horror film that would transcend the way we looked at the genre. And it did. "Halloween" still terrifies, with its mind-numbing suspense, its creepy villain, a fantastic cast, and a nightmarish musical score.
When it comes to supernatural forces, John Carpenter knows the way to any movie buff's fear factor, after such films as "The Fog" and "Christine." "Halloween" was Carpenter's first major film, and he knew exactly what he was doing when he created the character of Michael Myers, or let's just say 'The Shape.' The character may be a human being (isn't it always more scary when a killer is human?), but he is not seen that way by his creator or the audience. Michael is frightening because he almost gets a kick out of killing his victims. He plays psychological games with them until the time comes for them to die. Michael is treated as a furiously violent force of nature, a predator that can be anywhere at anytime, ready to strike. His strength is overwhelming, his lack of emotion is shocking, and his inability to die makes him all the more spine-tingling. That is why he is called 'The Shape' in the first film.
We never need to see Michael's face, and we barely do. Everything that we're afraid of can be projected on his choice of visage. The mask that he wears(originally a Captain Kirk mask that was spray-painted white, with the hair teased and eye-holes widened) is disturbingly expressionless, allowing the viewer to project anything they want on it.
As suspenseful as the movie is, the score(composed by Carpenter himself) is almost just as effective. The recurring musical themes symbolize evil, the feeling that something horrible is approaching us from a dark corner or at our front door. No shrieking violins are found here, but Carpenter's simplistic music makes the movie more chilling.
Later over-analyzed in the "Final Destination" movies, "Halloween" subtly hints at the subject of fate. The film has something to say. It tells us that fate is inescapable, that no matter what, some form of evil or death will come for you, whether it's watching you from outside, or crossing the street, or staring at you from a backyard.
Dean Cundey's cinematography is something worth noting. The film takes place almost entirely at night, making the streets of Haddonfield and the Doyle and Wallace houses a little abnormally dark. This allows for our villain to creep into the shadows and watch from places you can't see him.
The cast is pure gold. Back in 1978, the choice to cast an important cinematic performer in a horror film kind of brought some skepticism. Donald Pleasence was an exception. He could have portrayed Sam Loomis(the name of Janet Leigh's boyfriend in "Psycho") in a cheesy way with over-acted dialog. But Pleasence wouldn't allow it. He plays Loomis with great intensity, the fear that Michael will kill again evident in his eyes. Annie and Lynda are played by Nancy Loomis and PJ Soles(famous for Brian De Palma's "Carrie"). Both are played very realistically and sympathetically, especially by Soles. She is funny and a joy to watch. Her death is disquieting because of that.
And then there's Laurie Strode. "Halloween" marked the debut of Jamie Lee Curtis, and for an actress that doesn't exactly love the horror genre, she makes for a flawless heroine. Thanks to Curtis, Laurie is human and likable. We don't want to see her die. We want to see her triumph and fight back. She is our protector. This role was meant for Curtis from the beginning, and being "Psycho" star Janet Leigh's daughter, she knows how to scream!
Overall, what hasn't been said about "Halloween" that hasn't been said by everyone else? The movie is a horror masterpiece, a classic that no slasher follow-up, not even the wonderfully entertaining "Friday the 13th," can possibly beat. Not including part 3, this movie franchise is a ball for all genre enthusiasts, even Rob Zombie's films. Like Michael Myers, "Halloween" will never die. After more than 30 years, I think it's safe to say, I quote the character of Tommy Doyle, that "you can't kill the boogeyman."