HALLOWEEN

Halloween
Dir: John Carpenter, 1978
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077651/
Reviewed by: Chase

Synopsis: Revered as the original "slasher" flick, Halloween set the bar for decades of scary movies that followed in its wake. It's premise is simple: psychotic child murders his sister on Halloween, is sent away to a mental institution, and after 15 years escapes, reeking havoc on a neighborhood of young, attractive girls. With a ghost-like white mask and an unfathomably large kitchen knife, Michael Myers introduced himself into the nightmares of movie goers worldwide.

Review: I have seen two of the nine sequels/remakes that have spawned since the 1978 classic, but until last weekend I had never seen the original tale of Michael Myers. It wasn't easy for me to voluntarily subject myself to another episode of his shenanigans, because frankly, Michael Myers scares the bujeeebies out me!

It could be because he's pretty much immortal (how else do you explain him surviving gun shots, electrocution, fire, stab wounds, falls from multistory buildings, being struck by large motor vehicles, etc.). Or because he NEVER speaks or screams or moves his face at all. But I think the reason Michael has haunted me so ruthlessly all these years is because he is always a step behind me, stalking me silently. At least in my dreams. I've had recurring nightmares starring Mr. Myers for as long as I can remember. They're the worst, too.

As for the movie, it was okay. It was clearly made for about $10 and had virtually no plot, but it is what it is. Jamie Lee Curtis is passable in the lead role as Laurie Strode, a role that jump-started her long and bumpy career. Laurie is kind of an iconic role today, serving as really the first smart, strong female protagonist in a horror franchise. Many would follow, but Laurie seems to take the cake as far as resourcefulness goes. I mean, she poked Mikey's eye ball with a hanger, for crying out loud! Who thinks up this stuff? Laurie Strode, that's who.

My main complaint about the film is it does a pretty good job of setting up an epic, climactic showdown between and Michael and Laurie (side note: why Laurie? Why is he so committed to making her life a living hell? Was it simply because she was the first girl he saw after escaping the institute? I wonder...), but when the finale finally came it was just... short. And somewhat predictable.

As I said, the movie really builds well, not showing us too much too early, earning its thrills and chills. There are some pretty good jump-worthy scares, and more than a fair share of lingering shots of a distant Michael standing statuesque, staring blankly at his next prey. Those scenes give some serious goosies.

Being the first of its kind, I can't complain too much about flimsy plot devices and predictable scares, but I will say that it didn't scare me nearly as much as other 80s slasher flicks have. That being said, the horror genre owes a lot to the risks Halloween took, even if not all of them paid off.


Rating: 7/10
Scare Scale: Gives good old-fashioned goosies!