HALLOWEEN
Year of Release: 1978
JR's Rating:
(10 out of 10, Outstanding)
⭐️ HIGHLY RECOMMENDED ⭐️
JR's Rating:
(10 out of 10, Outstanding)⭐️ HIGHLY RECOMMENDED ⭐️
"Purely and Simply... Evil"
An epitome of greatness when it comes to the horror genre, "Halloween" established the rules, the cliches we now know of in slasher or serial murderer flicks. It really is one of the most innovative and best horror movies ever made. On the eve of Halloween 1978, the world gave witness to the murder spree of Michael Myers in the town of Haddonfield, Illinois after his successful escape from a mental institution he was held captive for 15 years. Years earlier his captivity he killed his own sister at their own home with a kitchen knife; now he returns as an unstoppable force without any reason, without any purpose. While Michael Myers survives and escapes from all that transpired on the eve of Halloween 1978, he took failure on killing just one, Laurie Strode. The blend of Carpenter's score, the monster that is Michael, the creepy vibe of Haddonfield coupled with excellent acting by Jamie Lee Curtis, John Carpenter successfully gave us one of the most innovative and scariest films ever made. The attention to detail with every set and prop used and line spoke in the film was meticulous. The simplicity of Michael's story made everything pristine and spot-free other than being logical and realistic. Would not have been for "Halloween," we would not have our deepest of admiration for serial killers and masked murderers that came after Michael in film. "Halloween" is the very standard how we should rate and critique horror / slasher films in general.
🚩🚩🚩SPOILERS AHEAD 🚩🚩🚩
Here are some important points I had on watching "Halloween" (of 1978):
✅ John Carpenter's Iconic Theme
- The very reason serial killers now have their own musical themes, John Carpenter's iconic theme gave Michael Myers his sense of identity and personality. It all the more made Michael's appearance creepy and scarier but simply, the score is already creepy and scary.
✅ Michael Myers
- Michael Myers is simply and purely evil. While Psycho's Norman Bates and Texas Chainsaw Massacre's Leatherface came before Michael, Michael combined and set all the basics for how a serial killer / masked murderer should be like in film - mysterious motivation that is subject to debate, a murder weapon to attach the character with, a theme to play while he or she is on a murder spree, and a persona or appearance that when you just see the character you'd already feel the chills. Michael Myers is that character we dread not to see or experience in real life.
✅ Jamie Lee Curtis
- The very definition of scream queen was set by Jamie Lee Curtis in her character of Laurie Strode. Being a scream queen entitles you to be the last entity alive, the one who would give that masked murderer a real fight and ultimately, the failure to the serial killer. I rather list Jamie Lee Curtis (over Laurie Strode) as a reason because basically Laurie Strode wouldn't have been that iconic if were not for the brilliant acting by Jamie Lee Curtis. Damn amazing, indeed.
✅ The One Take Opening Sequence
- That opening sequence all shot in one take was definitely brilliant especially that this is a horror film. I'm always filled with awe every time I watch that same scene. It is here where you see who the very first victim of Michael was in full first-person view. When you see when he did it, that would give you the terror even more.
✅ The Mask
- Masks are usually worn to appease (or probably scare) homeowners when kids do their trick or treating. Michael Myers used it as a way we now define him. The mask made him that emotionless guy, other than being creepy, was just for me, full of mystery that just is open for interpretation. If you didn't know the history of that mask, it was actually a William Shatner / Captain Kirk brown-toned mask that the movie's crew transformed to just a white expressionless face. (I watched a Halloween documentary online so I came to know of that fact) The movie made me want to own that mask, a trophy of being a Halloween fan.
✅ The Victims of Michael Myers
- On the eve of Halloween of 1978, Michael Myers killed three teenagers in the town of Haddonfield, all of which the friends of Laurie Strode. Each of the three suffered there own unique demise under Michael Myers. Annie was strangled and had her throat be slit by Michael. Bob gets stabbed and pinned to a wall and his girlfriend Lynda gets strangled by a telephone wire. Eventually, Laurie gets to find them all three in one room, one of which bears Michael's mother's tombstone. All of the aforementioned scenes are now iconic in the horror genre of film, tried and replicated in the years to come. One thing is for sure though, "Halloween" set the bar for how serial killers should be innovative in how they kill.
✅ Laurie vs Michael
- While Michael gets to stalk Laurie at earlier moments in the film, the last stand between Michael and Laurie is the one definitely to be anticipated. With Michael hiding in shadows after Laurie gets to see all her murdered friends, we get to see Laurie being mouse and Michael being cat in what I deem to be the climax of the film. We root for Laurie to be alive at the same time we also root for Michael to be dead. When Laurie comes face to face with Michael after hiding in a closet, Laurie gets to fight back with a clothes hanger in what seems to be hope in a probably desperate situation. While Laurie successfully survives against Michael, Michael is just a boogeyman that is no match with death.
✅ Donald Pleasance
- Donald Pleasance all the more made the film interesting by playing Dr. Loomis, the psychiatrist of Michael. His character added color to answering questions about who Michael was and what he's capable of, besides who knows Michael more than that one person who observed him for 15 years. While Laurie Strode and Michael are the main stars of the film, Donald Pleasance definitely stands out with the husky voice and personality he gave to Dr. Loomis. For me, how he portrayed Dr. Loomis adds the fear and creep factor of this film. How I wish he was still alive to work with Jamie Lee Curtis in this year's rendition of Halloween. Other than Jamie as Laurie and Donald as Dr. Loomis, I can't see anyone play a suiting character to fight Michael Myers.
✅ True to Halloween Spirit
- Other than being a slasher flick, "Halloween", the movie, stayed true to the Halloween vibe. Brown leaves scattered along Haddonfield, Jack-O-Lanterns placed in every houses frontyard, children trick or treating and horror movies on TV are a representation of true American culture.
✅ The Shocking Ending
- Michael escapes in the end and that's the reality, but how it was presented in the end was just surprising and amazing. Despite Dr. Loomis shooting Michael numerous times to a presumable death after falling off a balcony, plot twist, he didn't. We just watch in terror Dr. Loomis's eyes as he saw Michael already escaped the backyard he fell. This sets the tone for the numerous potential sequels for the film.
With 10 amazing reasons to watch and no reasons not to watch,
"Halloween" (1978) is a 10/10 for me.
#Halloween #HalloweenMovie #JohnCarpenter #Horror
#2018Movies #MovieReviews #JRMovieReviews
An epitome of greatness when it comes to the horror genre, "Halloween" established the rules, the cliches we now know of in slasher or serial murderer flicks. It really is one of the most innovative and best horror movies ever made. On the eve of Halloween 1978, the world gave witness to the murder spree of Michael Myers in the town of Haddonfield, Illinois after his successful escape from a mental institution he was held captive for 15 years. Years earlier his captivity he killed his own sister at their own home with a kitchen knife; now he returns as an unstoppable force without any reason, without any purpose. While Michael Myers survives and escapes from all that transpired on the eve of Halloween 1978, he took failure on killing just one, Laurie Strode. The blend of Carpenter's score, the monster that is Michael, the creepy vibe of Haddonfield coupled with excellent acting by Jamie Lee Curtis, John Carpenter successfully gave us one of the most innovative and scariest films ever made. The attention to detail with every set and prop used and line spoke in the film was meticulous. The simplicity of Michael's story made everything pristine and spot-free other than being logical and realistic. Would not have been for "Halloween," we would not have our deepest of admiration for serial killers and masked murderers that came after Michael in film. "Halloween" is the very standard how we should rate and critique horror / slasher films in general.
🚩🚩🚩SPOILERS AHEAD 🚩🚩🚩
Here are some important points I had on watching "Halloween" (of 1978):
✅ John Carpenter's Iconic Theme
- The very reason serial killers now have their own musical themes, John Carpenter's iconic theme gave Michael Myers his sense of identity and personality. It all the more made Michael's appearance creepy and scarier but simply, the score is already creepy and scary.
✅ Michael Myers
- Michael Myers is simply and purely evil. While Psycho's Norman Bates and Texas Chainsaw Massacre's Leatherface came before Michael, Michael combined and set all the basics for how a serial killer / masked murderer should be like in film - mysterious motivation that is subject to debate, a murder weapon to attach the character with, a theme to play while he or she is on a murder spree, and a persona or appearance that when you just see the character you'd already feel the chills. Michael Myers is that character we dread not to see or experience in real life.
✅ Jamie Lee Curtis
- The very definition of scream queen was set by Jamie Lee Curtis in her character of Laurie Strode. Being a scream queen entitles you to be the last entity alive, the one who would give that masked murderer a real fight and ultimately, the failure to the serial killer. I rather list Jamie Lee Curtis (over Laurie Strode) as a reason because basically Laurie Strode wouldn't have been that iconic if were not for the brilliant acting by Jamie Lee Curtis. Damn amazing, indeed.
✅ The One Take Opening Sequence
- That opening sequence all shot in one take was definitely brilliant especially that this is a horror film. I'm always filled with awe every time I watch that same scene. It is here where you see who the very first victim of Michael was in full first-person view. When you see when he did it, that would give you the terror even more.
✅ The Mask
- Masks are usually worn to appease (or probably scare) homeowners when kids do their trick or treating. Michael Myers used it as a way we now define him. The mask made him that emotionless guy, other than being creepy, was just for me, full of mystery that just is open for interpretation. If you didn't know the history of that mask, it was actually a William Shatner / Captain Kirk brown-toned mask that the movie's crew transformed to just a white expressionless face. (I watched a Halloween documentary online so I came to know of that fact) The movie made me want to own that mask, a trophy of being a Halloween fan.
✅ The Victims of Michael Myers
- On the eve of Halloween of 1978, Michael Myers killed three teenagers in the town of Haddonfield, all of which the friends of Laurie Strode. Each of the three suffered there own unique demise under Michael Myers. Annie was strangled and had her throat be slit by Michael. Bob gets stabbed and pinned to a wall and his girlfriend Lynda gets strangled by a telephone wire. Eventually, Laurie gets to find them all three in one room, one of which bears Michael's mother's tombstone. All of the aforementioned scenes are now iconic in the horror genre of film, tried and replicated in the years to come. One thing is for sure though, "Halloween" set the bar for how serial killers should be innovative in how they kill.
✅ Laurie vs Michael
- While Michael gets to stalk Laurie at earlier moments in the film, the last stand between Michael and Laurie is the one definitely to be anticipated. With Michael hiding in shadows after Laurie gets to see all her murdered friends, we get to see Laurie being mouse and Michael being cat in what I deem to be the climax of the film. We root for Laurie to be alive at the same time we also root for Michael to be dead. When Laurie comes face to face with Michael after hiding in a closet, Laurie gets to fight back with a clothes hanger in what seems to be hope in a probably desperate situation. While Laurie successfully survives against Michael, Michael is just a boogeyman that is no match with death.
✅ Donald Pleasance
- Donald Pleasance all the more made the film interesting by playing Dr. Loomis, the psychiatrist of Michael. His character added color to answering questions about who Michael was and what he's capable of, besides who knows Michael more than that one person who observed him for 15 years. While Laurie Strode and Michael are the main stars of the film, Donald Pleasance definitely stands out with the husky voice and personality he gave to Dr. Loomis. For me, how he portrayed Dr. Loomis adds the fear and creep factor of this film. How I wish he was still alive to work with Jamie Lee Curtis in this year's rendition of Halloween. Other than Jamie as Laurie and Donald as Dr. Loomis, I can't see anyone play a suiting character to fight Michael Myers.
✅ True to Halloween Spirit
- Other than being a slasher flick, "Halloween", the movie, stayed true to the Halloween vibe. Brown leaves scattered along Haddonfield, Jack-O-Lanterns placed in every houses frontyard, children trick or treating and horror movies on TV are a representation of true American culture.
✅ The Shocking Ending
- Michael escapes in the end and that's the reality, but how it was presented in the end was just surprising and amazing. Despite Dr. Loomis shooting Michael numerous times to a presumable death after falling off a balcony, plot twist, he didn't. We just watch in terror Dr. Loomis's eyes as he saw Michael already escaped the backyard he fell. This sets the tone for the numerous potential sequels for the film.
With 10 amazing reasons to watch and no reasons not to watch,
"Halloween" (1978) is a 10/10 for me.
#Halloween #HalloweenMovie #JohnCarpenter #Horror
#2018Movies #MovieReviews #JRMovieReviews
Image Reference: Etsy
Time Published: 28 October 2018 (08:00 AM)
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