Halloween - Review

Happy Halloween everyone! Hope you're all having a safe and fun night! I have to admit that I didn't have to think long for which film to review tonight. John Carpenter's legendary horror flick not only terrified viewers in 1978 but would go on to inspire countless horror flicks and launch what would be known as the Slasher flick, which is still one of the most popular sub-genres of horror movies. Produced on a low budget, directed by a previously up-and-coming John Carpenter, and starring a then unknown Jamie Lee Curtis and respected character Donald Pleasance (who had been featured in films such as The Great Escape and You Only Live Twice), Halloween was a pretty big deal at the time of it's release. It took inspiration from the great Alfred Hitchcock opting for suspense and tension as opposed to blood and gore, yet would later go onto inspire a stream of far gorier sequels and imitators (including Friday The 13th). Does Halloween hold up or has it be done in by it's age and reputation? Let's find out.

The movie takes place in the town of Haddonfield, Illinois on Halloween night (duh!) in 1978. Curtis stars as Laurie Strode, a good-natured high school student babysitting her 10-year-old neighbor for the night. What starts off as an innocent and harmless evening soon turns into a nightmare, as Laurie and her friends are being stalked by a mysterious man named Michael Myers who recently broke out of a mental institution. As Myers begins killing Laurie's friends one-by-one, Myers is being pursued by Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasance), the former psychiatrist of Michael, who had been assigned to the young Michael after he was admitted to the mental hospital at age six for murdering his teenage sister. Loomis was never able to make progress with Michael, stating the he is simply "pure evil" and without remorse. With a seemingly unstoppable killer on the loose and Loomis unable to track him down, Laurie has to fight for her life in order to survive this Halloween night.

There tends to be some debate about whether it was Halloween or Psycho Alfred Hitchcock's classic thriller from 1960, that created the formula for what would eventually come to be known as the slasher flick. Personally, I think Psycho laid out the initial groundwork for the sub-genre, but it was Halloween that solidified most of it's major traits. This formula, while now something of a cliche unto itself, made Halloween (and it's following) imitators a very suspenseful and thrilling movie that, while not having aged "perfectly" per se, holds up significantly better than I expected. You have your teenage cast, a silent brooding killer, a rising body count, and of course the first teens to bite the dust are those that are doing drugs, having sex, and basically anything else one might consider "immoral." However, Halloween has one major difference compared to the barrage of slasher flicks it would go onto inspired... a surpising lack of excessive blood. Carpenter's wise decision to utilize Hitchcock-inspired suspense beats as opposed to over-the-top blood and gore works to the film's advantage, as it forced Carpenter to spend more time setting up a compelling mystery and slowly revealing bits and pieces as the movie progresses. Hitchcock's theory of "less is more" is wholeheartedly embraced, and it's just as effective as it's ever been. There are a few decent jump moments, but the film's constant sense of tension and danger is when it really shines. For that reason, I love it!

The cast, at least it's two main leads, is the other shining achievement for this movie. Jamie Lee Curtis was an unknown prior to this flick, and her performance as the frightened victim Laurie Strode earned her the reputation as a "scream queen" (her mother, Janet Leigh, ironically also earned this designation for her role in Psycho). Laurie is a likable character whom you want to see survive, and Jamie Lee Curtis acting really sells the "scared victim" role reluctantly fighting for her life. With all that said, I think the standout has to be Donald Pleasence as the scared-stiff Dr. Loomis. Pleasance gives a surprisingly dedicated performance in a role that most respected actors would have probably just phoned in, delivering some great monologues and serving as something of an unofficial "narrator" for the viewers. It's a memorable performance that Pleasence would long be associated with for years to come (he also reprises the role in four following sequels). Of course, the character who arguably made the biggest impact on what audiences was none other than Michael Myers, played by Tony Moran. He doesn't say a word throughout the whole film and spends most of it's runtime wearing a mask (an unpainted William Shatner mask), yet still makes one hell of an impression. He's a big and relentless killing machine with no remorse, no pity, and no soul. He exists for only one reason... to kill! That's pretty scary stuff. The rest of the cast, I don't have much to say about. I can't remember any particularly bad performances but nobody was especially memorable. Fortunately, the movie keeps most of the focus on Curtis and Pleasence, who were the most important.

On a storytelling level, Halloween doesn't exactly break any boundaries, especially considering that it's formula has been replicated countless times since 1978, but it still works. The film doesn't delve into why Myers has his sights set on Laurie (though it is eventually revealed in the sequels) and there are some supernatural undertones that appear halfway through the movie that also go unexplained. Some might be annoyed with seemingly important plot points introduced without answers, but personally I think that's what makes the movie so creepy. The details Michael's past are only hinted upon or briefly shown, any potential supernatural elements are kept a mystery, and even the ending is left on a cliffhanger. Does this make for a "good" screenplay? If I'm going to be honest, probably not, as it isn't exactly profound, deep, or challenging, but it does make for an intriguing story. I admit the sequels kind of killed much of the said mystery, but judging the film strictly on it's own merits as a standalone movie, it's pretty solid. The film often gets analyzed and discussed for a variety of topics ranging from sadism, morality, sexism, and others with reputable arguments being made on both sides. Personally, I don't think the story is quite profound enough to warrant such in-depth discussion, even John Carpenter agrees with this, but the fact that it's inspired so many conversations goes to illustrate the importance of this movie. At the very least, it's an entertaining story with a good hook that kept me interested and engaged. I imagine it will do the same for you.

So that's Halloween, and yeah it holds up. Sure there are times it shows it's age and it's lack of budget somewhat, but it nonetheless works as a suspenseful, thrilling, and often scary horror film that warrants a viewing from anyone who hasn't seen it. It's a classic that lives up to it's reputation!

My Score: 4.5 out of 5!