# Halloween (1978)

### reviewed by
Justin Felix

HALLOWEEN (1978) A "Turkey of the Week" film review by Justin Felix. Copyright 1998 Justin Felix. These reviews are archived at http://us.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Justin+Felix

    Rating: ****1/2 (out of five)

Screenplay by John Carpenter and Debra Hill. Directed by John Carpenter. Starring Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis. Rated R (contains violence, profanity, and brief nudity) 93 mins.

Synopsis: Silent Michael Myers escapes a mental institution 15 years after murdering his sister, dons a William Shatner mask, stalks an intelligent babysitter, and terrorizes his hometown on Halloween. Brooding, impatient Dr. Loomis, Michael's psychiatrist, pursues him, constantly reminding people that Myers is evil.

Comments: A challenge was made to me: watch and write a film review for a movie that's actually good. I decided that this movie couldn't be something too obvious, like an epic that won a billion Academy Awards, but it still had to be a genre classic of some sort (since most of the turkeys I review are horror, suspense, and sci-fi films). What better film to fit the bill than the original HALLOWEEN?

It's hard to believe that HALLOWEEN, a modern horror classic, turns 20 this year. To commemorate (or perhaps "cash in" is a more accurate way of putting things) HALLOWEEN's anniversary, a sixth sequel is due out later this year. Titled HALLOWEEN: H20, it will star Jamie Lee Curtis and reportedly (and thankfully) ignore the last four sequels of this horror franchise. Video Treasures released a special anniversary edition of HALLOWEEN last year featuring a widescreen presentation and the original theatrical trailer. Two more good reasons to revisit the original and write a film review of it.

Though not the first slasher film ever made, HALLOWEEN's success spawned, to a certain extent, the slasher movie craze of the 1980s which included such franchises as FRIDAY THE 13TH and NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. Despite a few obvious goofs with the setting (e.g. it's October 31 in Illinois yet all the trees are green), HALLOWEEN passes the test of time remarkably well. I am not a big fan of the slasher genre itself; most are derivative and highly predictable. HALLOWEEN, however, manages to be very suspenseful -- and it does so without a huge body count and overemphasis on gore like so many other slasher movies.

HALLOWEEN's story appears simple enough. Michael Myers, at the age of six, stabs his sister to death on Halloween. 15 years later, capitalizing on an apparent lapse in security at a mental institution, Michael escapes and returns to his hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois. Why? It's never made quite clear (although sequels would offer a few lame motives). This is one of the original HALLOWEEN's strengths. Though the audience sees many lengthy scenes from the subjective eyes of Myers himself, it's never quite clear what he's up to. The lack of motive adds to the audience's uncertainty of what will happen next, intensifying the suspense. HALLOWEEN is a rare example of a film that never really answers all the questions that it sets up but still pleases the audience. Sure, suggestions are made about the masked Myers: Dr. Loomis, his psychiatrist, connects Myers to the devil at one point; children think he's some kind of supernatural boogeyman. Whoever or whatever he really is, though, doesn't matter too much. He's evil, plain and simple, and he has returned to a sleepy little town where houses are lined up, row after row (like graves at a cemetary as the movie implies but never explicitly states), filled with people in danger of being slaughtered. The twist ending becomes believable because of the enigmatic Myers, and the central theme during the closing shots suggests that evil never dies. It just hides in places where you least expect, waiting and watching for the right time and place to strike. It's truly creepy (and hard to explain to those who haven't seen the film without spoiling the ending).

As stated before, HALLOWEEN lacks the excessive body count that many slasher films rely upon. Myers murders a total of four people -- one of them in flashback -- a comparatively low figure. The murder scenes prove frightning rather than disgusting (many slasher films use gory special effects and lots of blood). Myers dispatches his victims rather violently, granted, but director Carpenter chooses not to linger upon the gore. Instead, he shows Myers curiously examining the victims after they have died, suggesting the killer has a child-like wonder or fascination of what he has just done. It's later revealed -- somewhat anyway -- what's going on in Myers's head as he examines the corpses. Myers is such a successful horror figure in this movie that his presence is felt even when he is not seen. Carpenter effectively places the masked, cloaked figure at the side of a scene or in the background watching. Watching and waiting. So, even when he's not present, the audience never knows when he will appear. In a climatic scene, a classic scene in horror film history I think, for example, Myers's mask slowly becomes illuminated by moonlight (?) in the utter darkness behind a frightened babysitter (Jamie Lee Curtis in a career-starting role). To experience the full effect of Carpenter's masterful usage of Myers's presence and nonpresence, one must see the widescreen version on video (or, if lucky, at a theater). The pan-and-scan versions for TV and most video releases ruin the effect.

Despite its low budget, HALLOWEEN possesses a very strong cast. Jamie Lee Curtis began her successful acting career as the virtuous teenager who becomes trapped inside a house with Myers. She plays the part convincingly and realistically. She will return to her roots in the upcoming HALLOWEEN: H20 (as an interesting side note: Janet Leigh, Curtis's mother, will make an appearance in H20. Leigh also starred in the grandaddy of all slasher films, Hitchcock's PSYCHO). British actor Donald Pleasence, who would become a mainstay in the lackluster HALLOWEEN sequels, plays Michael's psychiatrist very well. Some of his gloom-and-doom lines are performed in such a fashion that they'll bring a smile to horror enthusiasts everywhere.

HALLOWEEN is undoubtedly one of the best independent, low-budget horror films ever made. It is also one of my favorites (though, to be honest, I have so many favorites...). The last half hour of this movie is just non-stop suspense. It had me frightened the first time I saw it years and years ago, and it's still effective today. John Carpenter not only directed and co-wrote this classic thriller, but he also composed a highly memorable and chilling soundtrack as well. The theme, typically played on piano, resurfaces again and again throughout the movie, heightening the suspense better than just about any horror film score I can think of. All in all, HALLOWEEN is a cinematic gem that came from a budget and circumstances which usually produce turkeys. I highly recommend it.

HALLOWEEN is rated R and is very intense despite its relative lack of gore and blood. Children may be easily frightened, and people who do not view themes typical in slasher films favorably (i.e. serial killers, women-in-danger, or sex) will probably be offended by this movie as well. Fans of the SCREAM movies, by the way, will definately want to check HALLOWEEN out, as they borrow heavily from it.

Huh. Writing a film review without having to ridicule the movie was rather fun. I'll have to do this again sometime! (Review written on June 30, 1998)

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