A technically proficient movie that started the slasher craze

Rating: 8/10 (29 October 2010)

This is probably a film that requires no introduction. It not only spawned many sequels but it initiated a genre: the slasher. It certainly wasn't the first film of its kind – Bob Clark's Black Christmas has four years on it and the Italian gialli were in their prime even earlier, while Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 classic Psycho was truly the first film to introduce this idea. However, what Halloween did to formulate the genre was simply to make a huge amount of money on a tiny budget – for many years it was the most successful independent film of all time. This above all other considerations, led to the slasher craze in the 80's. Halloween is not, in my opinion, as good a movie as either Psycho, or Black Christmas; neither is it as good as many earlier gialli either. Having said all that, it's still a good film with many fine aspects.
Director John Carpenter does do a pretty good job with the cinematic aesthetics. The widescreen compositions are intelligently considered with many otherwise standard shots capturing the film's bogeyman, Michael Myers, in the background looking ominously on. These details definitely add much to the overall film, as does Carpenter's famous soundtrack which is an excellent minimalist score with pretty unforgettable main themes. Acting is average with the exception of Jamie Lee Curtis who is good – it's easy to see how she went on to forge a career in Hollywood, as she definitely is a cut above everybody else, Donald Pleasence included.
I've probably seen the movie too many times over the years for it to really affect me anymore. When I first saw it I was terrified but unfortunately no more, although it does build up a fair amount of tension in the final scenes. For the most part it is an exercise in creeping menace, with Myers hovering about the suburban neighbourhood like a supernatural being. In truth, he almost is supernatural, seeing as he does appear to be virtually indestructible, which I guess served him well as the star of a multitude of sequels. Despite what many people might think, Halloween is a pretty bloodless affair. There are a few murders of course but they are nowhere near as graphic as slashers typically are. What it does have that most of those films don't though is an attention to detail and a definite atmosphere – the soundtrack certainly helps here.
This is very much a template horror movie, one of the most influential of all time. I'm not necessarily sure I would include it in the top bracket but I do have considerable respect for the things it does right.