40 years ago on Halloween night, Michael Myers stormed through the box office and changed the horror genre and film in general. It's subtle approach and the unique talent of John Carpenter and his crew has resulted in one of the best horror movies of all time that even after four decades sticks with us. The story for the few of you who don't know, starts on Halloween night in 1963 when a young boy named Michael Myers murdered his older sister at random. He then spends the next 15 years in a facility until the infamous holiday rolls around again and he escapes captivity, wreaking havoc wherever he goes.
While the film has the typical horror tropes you would expect, even at the time it's director John Carpenter, writer Debra Hill, and cinematographers Tommy Wallace & Dean Cundey that elevates 'Halloween' above the others and their contributions really help the film look, sound, and overall feel better than those that came before and the many, many imitations that came after. Even the sequels to 'Halloween', which we will get into later this month seem to miss the mark when it came to the subtle but creepy atmosphere, long and perfectly paced tension, and strong and impactful violence and scares that don't go too far but still leave their mark.
Carpenter spent much of his $350,000 budget making sure his film stood out and give the look of a big budget horror film. Using the Panaflex/Panavision camera he gives what could have been a small scale film a much more professional look. The film's look is also thanks to Dean Cundey, who would go on to work on some of the biggest films of all time, including my favorite film of all time 'Jurassic Park' and even with 'Halloween' you can see the man's strong eye for cinematography. The crisp, dark blues and warm oranges he would become known best for are on full display here and each shot is so great to look at, and always feel alive, as if you the viewer are there. They don't feel like set pieces like a lot of films tend to do and the immersion helps make the scares more effective.
Other than Michael Myers himself, the film's biggest claim to fame is its iconic theme song and score, created by Carpenter himself. It's simple, but highly effective like 'The Exorcist' before it and the moment the film starts, and that theme begins you are instantly hooked. The eerie pumpkin dimly lighting the background as the credits roll gets the viewer pumped for the movie. It's one of, if not my favorite opening credits in film history. The sequels would go a little far with their scores, creating overly elaborate and louder pieces that shoehorn in the theme and ultimately I really haven't cared for Alan Howarth's recreations for the sequels. The original score was simple but effective and there was nothing like it at the time and really nothing like it today in horror movies.
Now, I know it's pretty uncommon (but not unheard of) to talk ill or negative of 'Halloween' nowadays but the film isn't without its flaws. Even back in 1978 many reviews were mixed, citing the exaggerated acting of PJ Soles and Nancy Loomis and even some felt Donald Pleasance went over the top as Dr. Loomis. I do often criticize the acting when viewing the film with friends or other fans, mostly towards Soles, who I'm sure is a very nice lady but she is annoying and her dialogue is tedious, repetitive and at times feels very out of place. It seems that Carpenter did have a hard time writing the three female characters, but even though Debra Hill attempted to fix it up they really don't have much of a personality and they feel like they belong in one of the 'Halloween' knock-offs rather than 'Halloween'.
Do I think 'Halloween' is John Carpenter's best film? No. Not really, but it is the film that got him attention and it will always have its significance in film history and even 40 years later it still influences filmmakers and entertains horror movie lovers.
5/5
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