October 31st, 1995 was a day that will live in infamy for a young boy – me. On that evening, I came home after a night of trick or treating and turned on the USA Network. I was just in time to catch the end of what would become the film that not only started my fandom into horror but became one of my top 10 favorite films – John Carpenter’s masterpiece, Halloween.
While there is no denying the brilliance of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, Halloween is the horror genre’s definitive entry used by directors and writers as a blueprint. While there may be differences in opinion on whether or not Halloween is the best horror film of all time, I am one to think that not only is it the best horror film but a film that changed the landscape of the genre.
While Psycho provided us with a backstory and reasoning to Norman Bates’s madness, John Carpenter chose an alternate route. The film opens with 6-year-old Michael Myers stabbing his sister in 1963 without rhyme or reason. 15 years later, Myers escapes and returns to Haddonfield, Illinois. He stalks and terrorizes 3 girls and a boyfriend, without reason. I found that to be an essential point to the success of the film. The real horror is when we don’t know or can’t explain why someone does something.
In this society, everyone wants a method to the madness. Michael Myers doesn’t have a method. He is the Shape, an emotionless machine who is the true definition of evil. The scene that depicts that perfectly is the final scene. After being shot 6 times, Loomis looks to see if Myers is dead but he’s gone. All we hear and see are scenes from the locations he visited throughout the film and heavy breathing. The idea of evil is everywhere and no one knows when or where it will strike them.
The film’s brilliance can be credited to John Carpenter. In its infancy in 1978, Carpenter’s use of the Steadicam was able to capture a feeling of real life tension and calculation by the shape as the camera lens moves itself allowing the audience to feel like they are watching Laurie, Annie, and Linda through Myers’ eyes. While modern-day cinephiles may be overfamiliar with these filming methods, Carpenter’s genius at creating pure horror and fear without an over saturation of kills and gore cannot be ignored.
Jaime Lee Curtis is endearing and truly arrives in Halloween. She becomes the scream queen the 70’s and 80’s fans of horror will always hold dear to their heart. However, there is no Halloween without the performance of Donald Pleasence as Dr. Sam Loomis (a tribute to the character in Psycho). Pleasance is a true master of his craft and uses his talent to portray Loomis in the final scene of the film with not only a shocked reaction to Myer’s disappearance but an “I knew this would happen” expression, adding to Michael’s mysteriousness.
P.J. Soles and Nancy Kyes should be commended in their supporting roles of Lynda and Annie. Both are the Yang’s to Laurie’s Ying and whose impact and performances have yet to be replicated 40 years later.
Along with its direction and performances, no Halloween review is complete without mentioning its score. Halloween is responsible for providing one of the best scores in film history. In 2018, everyone that hears that theme knows its origin. Every piece of music used in the film sets up and supports the scenes perfectly. An example of how impactful the score was comes from the first screening of the film in 1978. A studio rep viewed the film without a score and emphasized to Carpenter how the film was lacking scares. After Carpenter placed the score in the film, the same studio rep watched it again and was visibly terrified by the screening, all thanks to the music.
Halloween is nothing short of perfection. As it celebrates 40 years, the film continues to prove why it set the standard for horror and the slasher film genre and is one of the most influential, imitated, and commercially successful independent films in history.
Reel Talk gives Halloween 4 Reels
