Halloween (1978) User Reviews

The Greatest of the Slasher Flicks

[Hotstar · 9/10 · 27 February 2005]

John Carpenter's Halloween is quite frankly a horror masterpiece. It tells the immortal story of escaped mental patient Michael Myers, who returns to his hometown on Halloween night to stalk and kill a group of babysitters.

This was the first and without doubt the best in the Halloween franchise. Carpenter shows great restraint in pacing the story very slowly and building likable characters; unusual for a horror picture.

Even more unusual is the non-existence of blood and gore, and yet it remains the scariest Halloween to date.

Halloween marked the film debut of Jamie Lee Curtis and a defining point in the late great Donald Pleasence's career. A true classic.

The nostalgia!

[ghostamongyou · 8/10 · 11 September 2020]

I just love the nostalgia of watching this movie over 40 years after its release. It's super creepy and, if we're being honest, it's also ridiculously cheesy and moronic, but this is one of the most famous horror movies of all time! When that music hits, it's just so iconic. I can't bring myself to rate it less than an 8. It's Halloween, man!

Sure scared me back in 78

[Steve-280 · 30 December 1998]

I was 20 back in 1978, and saw this on opening weekend. I knew nothing of it, and after growing up on the old Hammer films, followed by a period of almost nothing, this was quite a nice surprise. It really worked! Had me checking the back seat in cars, gave me a sinking feeling when I lost my keys, etc. The low death toll and relative lack of blood, as compared to subsequent slasher films, has me really admiring how effectively it created the atmosphere & suspense that kept me on edge, and made me jump at the right places. I certainly don't jump any more at it, but I do have fun remembering what it was like watching it when the now-cliches were fresh & new. I laugh at the 'horror' flicks of the 30s & 40s, but when they were new, I bet they were something. And I bet in another 20 years, today's toddlers will find Scream/IKWYDLS, et al, to be tame and passe too, at least compared to what they'll (& I'll) be watching then!

I'm surprised at the number of people half my age who wish they could've been around to see this film when it was brand new!

Looking back, Halloween probably scared me more when it was new, than other horror movies have,when they were new. Horror films are indebted to Halloween for breaking some new ground, and I can't wait for the next horror film that will do something on a similar scale.

Greatest Slasher Ever Made

[reeceicy · 10/10 · 13 December 2021]

The best slasher ever made, and arguably one of the best horror movies ever made. John Carpenter is a genius. Amazing direction, an atmosphere built upon suspense and terror, effective use of first person pov shots. Immensely influential this movie birthed the best slasher villain, the best final girl, and the best soundtrack/theme. Above average acting and great performances from Jaime lee Curtis and Donald Pleasence (RIP). Although Texas Chainsaw and Black Christmas came before, this was the blueprint that sent the 80's into a slasher frenzy.

Despite having some great moments (cast, music, and a scary monster), Halloween as a movie is overrated.

[RforFilm · 6/10 · 16 November 2017]

We're going back to 1978 to one of the original slashers, Halloween. This is a movie that has not only continued to be a constant watch around the autumn season, but has inspired several imitators hoping to capture that same success. I can't blame them as Halloween was made on a very low budget (it might have been lower then John Carpenter's first film Assault on Precinct 13), yet generated a major profit. You have to give it credit that while it was not the first slasher movie ever, it was the first to be centered around Halloween.

What's interesting is despite the spooky surrounding of the holiday, Halloween was the first to set a horror story on that day. I think that similar to why we don't see Christmas settings in horror stories, Halloween too has a sense on innocence that even represents a right of passage with most children with trick or treating, watching scary movies, and of course, carving pumpkins. Having a dark character like Michael Myers suddenly come into the fold takes away the intentional fun scare to make way for the true scares. So is Halloween the classic that everyone says it is? Well…let's look at the story.

After a very suspenseful opening that shows a young Michael Myers murdering his older sister, he is sent to a mental hospital where his doctor Samuel Loomis (played by Donald Pleasence) looks to keep him there as he says "I saw nothing but evil in his eyes". One evening before Halloween, Loomis sees that several inmates have escaped, including Michael Myers, who has stolen a car to make his way home to Haddonfield, Illinois.

In that same town on the same block, teenager Laurie Strode (played by Jamie Lee Curtis) is getting ready for a typical night of babysitting her neighbors child Tommy while her friends are going to do the same. But unlike her friends like Lynda, Annie and Bob who want to make it a night of romance, Laurie is single, and thus more focused on being Tommy's friends and making it a nice Halloween. But once the sun sets and the jack o lanterns light up, Myers has made up a costume from a boiler suit and a mask and is heading back to his old neighborhood where Laurie is.

People are constantly phrasing Halloween as the essential John Carpenter film and one of the greatest horror movies of all time. I'm sorry, but I find Halloween overrated. Is it bad? No, not at all. In fact there are some great elements. Speaking of which, let's get into the atmosphere. The beginning, which is all shown through Michael's perspective, is a masterpiece in horror staging and setting the mood to let you know that this kid isn't turning back. He will come out deranged. The rest of the time, you only see him with that mask, giving him the same idea that was occurring with Street Thunder in Assault on Precinct 13; that he's a force rather then a person.

Jamie Lee Curtis is perfect as Laurie, with a combined sense of tension along with a bookish look that makes her the best choice for this kind of teenager. Donald Pleasance is often regarded with playing the authority figure, but few point out that he has that same sense of unpredictability and crazy that would have rubbed off given his job of watching Michael Myers. It's too bad that aside from the three leads, I found non of the other characters, even the child actors, that convincing. Laurie's friends especially only seem to exist to give the movie a longer running time.

It probably has to do with the script, which aside from some good lines and setup, is not that good. If you listen to the way the teens talk, they seem too dumb for the sake of the plot. Even the adult characters just seem like stock cops and stock teachers that may have given this movie more depth. Without it, your stuck knowing whose very likely to get axed off while we wait patiently for Michael to eventually get to Laurie.

Even the way this movie is shot is mixed. Many of the night shots seem clumsy and rushed which I can understand some of the reasoning (there are great moments with the way Michael Myers enters through the dark), but creates an lazy look when compared to how dark was shot in later John Carpenter films. I'd say that out of the things he did for the movie, John Carpenter's score may be the best as it is chilling and of course, has a memorable synth sound that would be his trademark.

I'll give this six Michael Myers masks out of ten. The setup and situation seems ready to go, but I really wanted better characters out of the teens and a bit more unpredictability with the plot. Wouldn't it have been more interesting if one of the kids had gotten killed? At least there are a lot of elements that can make it entertaining in some areas. This is one horror movie I don't come back to that often, but I understand why a lot do. Take a look and see if this is one Halloween worth celebrating.

The Absolute Finest

[AngusBeef · 10/10 · 15 September 2003]

Halloween is not only the godfather of all slasher movies but the greatest horror movie ever! John Carpenter and Debra Hill created the most suspenseful, creepy, and terrifying movie of all time with this classic chiller. Michael Myers is such a phenomenal monster in this movie that he inspired scores of imitators, such as Jason Vorhees (Friday the 13th), The Miner (My Bloody Valentine), and Charlie Puckett (The Night Brings Charlie). Okay, so I got a little obscure there, but it just goes to show you the impact that this movie had on the entire horror genre. No longer did a monster have to come from King Tut's tomb or from Dr. Frankenstein's lab. He could be created in the cozy little neighborhoods of suburbia. And on The Night He Came Home...Haddonfield, Illinois and the viewers would never be the same. There are many aspects of this movie that make it the crowning jewel of horror movies. First is the setting...it takes place in what appears to be a normal suburban neighborhood. Many of us who grew up in an area such as this can easily identify with the characters. This is the type of neighborhood where you feel safe, but if trouble starts to brew, nobody wants to lift a finger to get involved (especially when a heavy-breathing madman is trying to skewer our young heroine.) Along with the setting, the movie takes place on Halloween!! The scariest night of the year! While most people are carving jack-o-lanterns, Michael Myers is looking to carve up some teenie-boppers. Besides the setting, there is some great acting. Jamie Lee Curtis does a serviceable job as our heroine, Laurie Strode, a goody-two-shoes high-schooler who can never seem to find a date. However, it is Donald Pleasance, as Dr. Sam Loomis, who really steals the show. His portrayal of the good doctor, who knows just what type of evil hides behind the black eyes of Michael Myers and feels compelled to send him to Hell once and for all, is the stuff of horror legend. However, it is the synthesizer score that really drives this picture as it seems to almost put the viewer into the film. Once you hear it, you will never forget it. I also enjoy the grainy feel to this picture. Nowadays, they seem to sharpen up the image of every movie, giving us every possible detail of the monster we are supposed to be afraid of. In Halloween, John Carpenter never really lets us get a complete look at Michael Myers. He always seems like he is a part of the shadows, and, I think that is what makes him so terrifying. There are many scenes where Michael is partly visible as he spies on the young teens (unbeknownst to them), which adds to his creepiness. If you think about, some wacko could be watching you right now and you wouldn't even know it. Unfortunately for our teenagers (and fortunately for us horror fans), when they find Michael, he's not looking for candy on this Halloween night..he's looking for blood. Finally, Michael Myers, himself, is a key element to this movie's effectiveness. His relentless pursuit of Laurie Strode makes him seem like the killer who will never stop. He is the bogeyman that will haunt you for the rest of your life. So,if you have not seen this movie (if there are still some of you out there who haven't, or even if you have), grab some popcorn, turn off every light, pop this into the old DVD and watch in fright. Trick or Treat!

The problem is that I first watched this in 2018

[griffiths-brent · 7/10 · 23 October 2018]

I've already grown desensitized by so many other horror stories. Older movies dont have the acting, sound work, or cinematography as modern movies. So, I didn't find it scary or all that entertaining. I can see how it would have been scary to those living a sheltered late 70s life though. I understand that it is a classic and it was interesting to see so many cliche scenes borrowed by many movies that have followed though. Oh, and he kills a dog in it. Not cool, man. Not cool.

A Bit Tame By Today's Standards, But That's Good

[ccthemovieman-1 · 7/10 · 13 December 2007]

I didn't watch these '70s and '80s horror movies like "Halloween" until the mid 1990s when I watched every VHS I could get hold of, so a film like this looked pretty tame to what I was already used to seeing by the '90s. However, what this film offers (see below) has some real value, and has a major lesson to learn to the people who make movies..

Comparing horror series that were both popular in the 1980s, I did not find it anywhere near as entertaining as the "Nightmare On Elm Street" horror series. Maybe I was too old by the time I finally saw this, but I appreciated the humor "Freddie Krueger" provided as the main character in those Elm Street stories. A little humor, sometimes, is nice relief in a suspenseful horror flick.

That's not to say Halloween wasn't worth a look, especially with young Jamie Lee Curtis making her film debut. And, like many films with sequels, I found this first Halloween as the best of all of them.

Also on the positive side, it's nice to see a modern-day (post '60s) horror flick without all the blood and gore. The writers here were smart enough to play on our fears, not having gross body parts flung in our face. In other words, suspense is the name of the game here, something filmmakers did effectively for years in the classic era of movies. It seems a lot of that has been replaced with shock today. Young filmmakers who are into horror could learn a lot studying this movie.

Childhood Nostalgia

[Cajmere · 3 November 1998]

Oh the memories! I was 9 years old when I first saw this movie on HBO with my younger cousin and older brother....it was about 1980. It was so creepy. When the movie went off me and my cousin were too scaried to go to bed so we stayed up until the infamous "Night Tracks" went off on TBS (REMEMBER NIGHT TRACKS??). The 'Halloween' Movie Theme stayed with me for years. Everytime I hear the theme I think back to when I was a kid. I would often dread when my parents would go out on the weekends and let my older brother babysit me. I just knew that Micheal Myers would know that my parents were not home and kill me. In my opinion, a movie should stay with you long after the movie is over. That's what 'Halloween' did for me. Each Halloween night, I remember back to 1978, when 'Halloween' came out. I think of the young scared child that I was and how good the first 'Halloween'movie really was!

...but you cannot kill the boogeyman!!!

[film-critic · 10/10 · 12 October 2005]

I must admit, this is one of my favorite horror films of all time. The unique way that John Carpenter has directed this picture, opening the door to so many mock-genres, it will chill you to the bone whether it is your first time watching it or your fiftieth. The sound, the menacing horror of Michael Meyers and the infamous scream of Jamie Lee Curtis gives this film instant cult status and a great start for the independent era. I love the music, I love the characters, the familiar yet spooky setting, the simplistic nature of the villain, and the random chaos of it all. There is no really rhyme or reason to the killing in this first film, giving us a taste of Michael's true nature. Is he insane, or in some way just a very brilliant beast? That question may never be truly answered, but Carpenter gives us his 100% and more devotion to this amazing masterpiece.

John Carpenter is the master of horror. While lately his films have not been the caliber that they once were (see Ghosts of Mars), Halloween began his powerhouse of a career. This is his ultimate film. While he did release other greats, I will always remember this one as the film that caused me to turn on all the lights, beware when babysitting, and check behind closed doors, because you never knew where the evil would appear next. Carpenter has this amazing ability to bring you into the world in which he weaves. With the power of his camera, he places these images of Meyers in places you least expected while giving you the perception as if the murderer is right next to you. I loved every scene in which we panned back and there was Michael, watching from the distance, without anyone the wiser. That was scary, yet utterly brilliant. I loved the scenes in which Carpenter pulled your fright from nearly thin air. There you would be, minding your own business, when suddenly that horrid mask would appear out of nowhere. Like the characters, you too thought it was just a trick of the eye, but that is where Carpenter gets you, it isn't. Michael isn't a ghost, he is a human being (or at least we think), yet he has a stronger mental ability than most of the main characters. This leads into some really dark themes and unexplored symbolism, but even without that, this is a spooky film.

Then, if you just didn't have enough of Michael just vaporizing in the windows of your house, Carpenter adds that chilling theme music. I still have that tapping of the piano keys in my mind, constantly wondering if Meyers is looking at me through the window. Carpenter has found the perfect combination of visual frights and chilling sounds to foreshadow what may happen to our unsuspecting victims next. It is lethal, and it is done with refreshing originality and more unique thrills than anything released by today's Horror Hollywood could muster. Carpenter's Halloween is a breath of fresh air in the midst of what could be a rough horror year, with actual scares being replaced by Paris Hilton, you know that the quality isn't quite the same.

Finally, I would like to say that even the simplistic nature of the opening murder in this film is terrifying and chilling. The use of the "clown" mask sent shivers up my spine. The way that it was filmed with that elongated one shot using the child's mask as if it were our own eyes is still one of the best horror openings ever! It completely sets the tone for the remainder of that film. You have the babysitter theme, you have the childish behavior which carries with Michael throughout the film, and you have the art talent of Carpenter all rolled into one. I could literally speak for hours upon hours about this film, but instead I would rather go watch it again. It is worth the repeat visit many times!

Overall, I think this is one of the most outstanding films in cinematic history. Skip all those foreign films that think that they are going to chance the face of movies leave it to a budget tight Carpenter and the slasher film genre. This singular movie redefined a whole generation of horror films, and still continues to be an influence on modern-day horror treats. The lethal combination of a genuinely spooky murderer, the powerful cinematography of the events (which normally doesn't amount to much in horror films), and the beauty of Jamie Lee Curtis is exactly what makes Halloween that film above the rest. Sure, Freddy is cool and you feel sympathetic for Jason, but Michael is real, he is troubled, and he is on the loose lusting for the blood of babysitters. What can be better?

Grade: ***** out of *****

A true classic of its genre

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 1 October 2011]

There was once a time where I wasn't crazy about horror but over-time I have grown to appreciate it. Halloween really is a true classic of its genre, it is genuinely scary, taut and is pretty much the only movie of the franchise in my opinion that is not only truly effective after all this time but also where everything works.

Halloween is very well made for starters, with atmospheric lighting and camera angles definite things to like. The score is resolutely haunting, the story is tightly paced and compelling, John Carpenter's direction is superb with some inspired, efficient techniques and while I have heard better the dialogue is good enough with some sharpness and nothing really that stands out as too cheesy or stilted.

The acting is very good, and the characters especially Michael Myers are iconic. Jamie Lee Curtis is more than just a pretty face, her acting seems very genuine and she gives her character welcome gravitas. Donald Pleasance is excellent too, while Michael Myers as a character is the personification of terror.

Halloween also works so well because of its atmosphere. It doesn't rely on excessive and cheap gore to make its point, or frenzied camera angles and the like. What it has is real suspense and genuine jolts especially in the last twenty minutes.

All in all, a true classic. 10/10 Bethany Cox

A solid horror film that, for some reason, doesn't appeal to me entirely

[Milo-Jeeder · 7/10 · 28 March 2015]

I have mixed feelings about this film. I like it and I've seen it around five or six times, but there's something about "Halloween" that I find dissatisfying.

Incorrectly regarded as the first slasher ever made, "Halloween" started a trend of low budget films about mysterious killers wearing a mask and murdering young people with no specific reasons. The truth is that "Halloween" changed horror movies for good and served as an influence for many horror films that came after. While "Black Christmas" came four years before this, and it is one of my favorite slashers, I think it is less known, because we never get to see the killer, while "Halloween" gives us a very frightening looking villain, capable of causing horror to the most experienced horror fans. Michael Myer's design is actually very modest: a white mask with black eyes, a blue overall and a big kitchen knife that make him very sinister, without having to appeal to something more brutal and explicit, like some of the slasher killers that came after him. Michael is a very well designed horror villain and he is probably one of my favorites too (keeping in mind that this isn't the only "Halloween" film). So what is it about "Halloween" that doesn't quite do it for me?

My main problem with "Halloween" is that I find it a little bit slow (there, I said it!) and I'm sure this is the main reason why other people dislike it as well, which automatically causes avid "Halloween" fans to accuse the detractors of only being capable of appreciating horror films with a lot of cheap-scares. I actually don't have a problem with slow films, but I feel like most of this film features the main character going on about her business, chatting with her silly friends about high school crushes and stuff, and we occasionally see Michael Myers appearing here and there. I do realize that this is intended to create a frightening atmosphere and it actually works well, but after a while, I find it a little bit tedious.

Those who want gory murders will have to skip this film. While I think gore is not always a requirement, I would normally expect the murders to have some kind of shock value and be disturbing, even if we don't get to see a single drop of blood (it can happen). Most of the murders are rather predictable and what we see on the screen isn't too disturbing or shocking, at least not by nowadays' standards. Fortunately, the music during the murders is so powerful and fear-provoking that it makes up for the lack of brutality. For the life of me, I can't understand how "Halloween" got an R-rating in so many countries. Not only there's barely any blood in it, but also, the nudity is very naïf and harmless.

Towards the last twenty minutes, "Halloween" displays a lot of suspense, mainly with Laurie Strode (the lead) being chased by the sinister Michael Myers. This part of the film is not only full of tension due to the fact that a merciless killer is out to get an innocent high school girl for no apparent reason, but also because two small kids are in danger and it's the lead girl's implied responsibility to protect them. The confrontation between Michael and Laurie is chilling, as the killer is apparently impossible to kill and Laurie, in all her nervousness, goes out of her way to make the worst possible choices when it comes to escaping the lunatic. While I find the night scenario and the dark in general to be fitting for a horror film about a mysterious killer, I find the excessive dark to also make it very difficult to fully appreciate what's going on at times.

The acting in "Halloween" is very solid, which is unlikely to find in slasher films, or at least the ones that came out during and after the eighties. The main three actresses are Jamie Lee Curtis (unknown back then), P. J. Soles and Nancy Loomis, while English actor Donald Pleasence plays Detective Sam Loomis. I have no complaints here, like I said, I found the acting to be rather convincing and spot-on. As for the characters, the lead is a mousy girl, named Laurie Strode, who mostly keeps to herself and behaves like a nice girl. Laurie's friend however, are nothing like her; Annie and Lynda (her two besties) are outgoing, popular and fun… and yes, they have sex, they drink alcohol and smoke. Now guess which ones get killed and which ones get to live for several more sequels? Laurie is a good lead and someone the audience would normally care about. She's a very mature girl, responsible, hard working, great with kids and even though she doesn't follow her friends' life choices, she doesn't judge them either, which makes her a perfectly likable lead, which is important in a horror movie, because we are supposed to like her and root for her.

"Halloween" holds up pretty well as a solid horror film that manages to avoid the campiness or the unintentionally funny moments, which is crucial if we are hoping to see a genuinely scary horror film. There are some well created moments filled with suspense and the emblematic music (composed by Carpenter himself) intensifies the feeling of uneasiness during the climax of the film. All in all, a good horror movie that is simply not one of my favorites.

Boogeyman's Gonna Get You!!!!

[shuklavinash · 10/10 · 4 November 2015]

So much has been said about John Carpenter's 'Halloween' that adding anything to it will be like adding a few drops of water to the ocean. People have their own opinions when they review 'Halloween', but I am going to share my own experiences that I had with 'Halloween'.

As the opening credits begin, we are introduced to a sinister looking pumpkin (Jack-O-Lantern) that looks spooky yet funny and harmless with its eyes, nose and jagged mouth lit by the candle inside. Looking at it for a few seconds, the viewers then begin reading the cast and crew names....Donald Pleasance in John Carpenter's 'Halloween', Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie.....P.J. Soles as Lynda...Nancy Kyes as Annie Brackett....then Featuring: Kyle Richards, Brian Andrews...and by the time you reach 'Irwin Yablans' and 'Debra Hill' part.....You are just shocked to see that the 'sinister looking pumpkin' you almost forgot is now so close to you that you have no chance to escape its evil eye! That's what Michael Myers is for me! That's the beauty of Halloween.....The evil sneaks close to you and the worst thing is YOU ARE NOT PREPARED TO FACE IT!!!!

Michael Myers is faceless, but being faceless makes him more menacing and scary. The 'fear of unknown' is more bone-chilling than the 'fear of known'. Michael Myers is unpredictable. We know he is evil.....and he only wants to do evil for sure......but how would he do it? We never know this. He uses his silence as a cloak to hide his deadly yet unknown agendas.

Moving ahead in our lives, we always think it will be like that forever. Same old routine, going to college, working part time, chit-chatting with friends, teasing and gossiping. Life seems so easy, safe and enjoyable....Isn't it? But then a violent faceless 'shape' (Guess who 'The Shape' is!), whom we never thought of, shows up suddenly out of nowhere. His path of life, his point of view, his aim and his everything is entirely different from the common definitions and stuffs of life! You never noticed him (just like the sinister looking pumpkin) and remained busy in your daily chores, and eventually when he came very close....you realize that it's too late to escape death!

Halloween needs to be preserved for eternity. It's an amazing combination of horror, mystery, nostalgia and music and fortunately each of its aspects work so well that together they give us this towering masterpiece. John Carpenter taught me to believe in boogeyman. He taught me that they do exist. He taught me to keep an eye on the dangers that may be hiding in vicinity and finally he taught me to keep the lights on while watching 'Halloween'.

I really thank John Carpenter for making it way better than it was expected to be and for making something that has been scaring us for the last 37 years and I bet it will continue to do so till 'Horror' genre is alive.

A classic worth the watch, but it shows its age.

[J_F_Villefort · 6/10 · 16 March 2022]

The Pro's: Halloween is a classic horror movie for a reason. Its iconic theme is at once haunting and heightens the tension, while providing an aural cue for the villain. The first installment of what would become a staple franchise, it introduces an iconic horror figure up there with Freddy Kruger and Jason Vorhees, creepy and seemingly omni-present in the now infamous white mask. Michael Meyers has a way of suddenly appearing that just chills.

The Con's: This movie was made on a shoe-string budget a long time ago, and boy can you tell. One thing I noticed first is the sound quality. The movie just sounds bad. The music and voice tracks are just grainy and not "clean", and that's not a stylistic choice. This movie also suffers from the all-too-common horror movie trope of characters being absolute idiots and making dumb decisions no one would ever make in real life. It's also hard to ignore that for a character who seemingly only walks slowly, he sure seems to catch everyone who is sprinting, and even driving, away from him.

Consensus: Halloween became a hit classic because it delivers a great villain and a great theme song with creepy tension, but it's just barely better than a B-movie when you strip the nostalgia away, and it's minimal budget is apparent in the production value and audio quality. 6 out of 10 stars.

The one, the only, Halloween! The scariest movie of all time!

[Smells_Like_Cheese · 10/10 · 26 October 2002]

Halloween is one of those movies that gets you skin deep! It is in my opinion, the scariest movie of all time. Michael Myers is the best boogeyman ever! He was just so terrifying! What makes Halloween so special is that there was no special effects where you can tell how computer animated it is, this was on a low budget and had a one note score, yet managed to scare the Hell out of people. 25 years and this movie still has the same effect as it did in '78.

It's about a boy Michael Myers, he kills his sister at the age of 6 and so many years later escapes the mental institution. Dr. Sam Loomis is after him and will do anything to get him back, since he describes Michael as "...pure evil. The blackest eyes, the Devil's eyes". Michael is on a mission though, to kill his other sister, Laurie, played by a new Jamie Lee Curtis. She has to babysit on Halloween, while her friends are out partying and of course, we know the rules, they get it! But Laurie may stand a chance since she's the virgin. ;D

Halloween pays many homages to Psycho, we have another character named Sam Loomis and Jamie Lee Curis, the daughter of Janet Leigh. Halloween is an absolute terrific movie that breaks boundaries and makes you lock the doors, bolt your windows, and turn off the lights! "They're gonna get you! They're gonna get you!". Halloween, the ultimate horror film!

10/10

An unbiased review.

[Jacques98 · 3/10 · 25 February 2009]

There is a major difference between having respect for a film and being truly captivated by a film. Respect is simply realizing the importance a film had to cinema, or a certain genre, and admiring it for what it was in its time. Captivation is when you watch a film and are truly amazed by what you have just witnessed: in result, you think about it for days; you buy wallpaper with the main character printed on it; you give it a perfect score; it becomes a part of your life. With that said, let me briefly talk about the two main groups that make up the Halloween fan-base.

Group (1) watched the film when they were 4-years-old or when it first came out, went in their pants, and then childishly force the biased idea that it's THE scariest movie of all time into the heads of everyone who is even a mild horror fan. Because of nostalgia, they ignore the fact that Halloween is just a generic killer-in-the-house movie, even in its time, and place it high above anything and everything that has come out in the horror genre afterward. It doesn't matter how original or intelligent a modern horror movie is, in their mind, by God, it can't touch Halloween. Funny, though, if you ask them "Why?", they can never answer you. Group (2) watched the film in their teen years, thought in the back of their heads that Halloween was nothing special, but gave it perfect scores out of pure respect and duty. Group (3) is rare, but it's the few who saw it recently and genuinely thought it was a superior film, without being biased by positive scores. Group (4), which I include myself in, is completely middle-ground. They realize the most of the film is nothing special, but there are enough cool elements to keep them from saying its pure crap.

The reason I bring up the fans is because it's a subject that no one really wants to talk about, but a subject that is very important when analyzing the film. With millions of "Perfect!" opinions beating down on you, honestly realizing the mediocrity of Halloween isn't an easy thing to write in a review.

The main reason Halloween isn't as great as it's hyped to be is the core story. A juggernaut killer kills. Point blank: it's generic, unoriginal, and just downright boring, even in its time. As citation, the year before Halloween came out, Stephen King expressed in an introduction that he was sick of "generic killers" and that he could "write this in" his "sleep". (Note: This was not in response to Halloween or any other movie, but his personal feelings.) When I look at Halloween as a story and as a story alone, I cannot give it any credit whatsoever. It's pathetic. It's painfully unoriginal. Much more complex and original horror stories were told in the '70s. For one, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre ('74). Another, Alien ('79). Another, The Shining novel ('77). Another, Carrie ('76). Halloween, in comparison to its peers, is just primitive in the way of plot, and that's the main reason I cannot give it a higher score. Some inaccurately credit it for starting the slasher sub-genre, but because it didn't, I can't even give it story credit for that.

However, the reason I don't dismiss the movie as a total waste of time is because of the atmosphere and directing. John Carpenter doesn't quite reach the perfection here with these two elements that he later reached with The Thing, but it's still impossible to ignore how superior they are in Halloween. The opening sequence with Michael as a child is absolutely brilliant. It pays homage to Black Christmas ('74) by doing a first-person view of the killer, then takes it even further with a third-person view afterward. The Halloween night atmosphere isn't quite done to absolute nostalgic perfection, but it's done better than any other movie I've seen. The camera angles, the reveals of the killer, the shadowed faces—all clichés to us now, but this was the movie where most of them originated. And it did all of this without cheese. This aria is where Halloween deserves its credit.

With that said, Halloween really isn't scary at all unless you grew up with it. Even in its time, it was a generic killer-in-the-house film, and, as I've read some reviews state, it wasn't scary even on its release night. As for gore, I'm not even sure I saw a single drop of blood in the entire film, and that got a little cheesy. The acting is also borderline cheesy at points, but nothing too distracting. What is distracting, however, is the lack of action for most of the screen time does get very boring. It is obvious Carpenter is trying to make up care for the characters by showing up drawn-out bits of their lives, but that doesn't work because they're all just cardboard, personality-less people. Halloween does get boring.

I never write reviews based on my respect of a film, but rather on my view of a film. Halloween deserves the credit it receives. I won't deny that. What I will deny is that this is the scariest movie of all time, or even one of them. What I will deny is that this is the be-all-end-all horror movie, because there are far more intelligent and original horror movies out there. What I will deny is that Halloween is the ascension to heaven that the brainwashed fanboys make it out to be.

3/10

It *is* a classic

[TheMgnt · 4 August 1998]

To begin, this is a twenty year old film. Few films remain as suspenseful today as they did when it came out. (see: Night of the Living Dead -- had people running from the theatres when released but is very tame today). Clearly a movie fan brought up on the standards of today's movies will fail to find enjoyment of such 'classic' films. But when watching Halloween today perhaps it helps to consider a few things: Halloween was a low budget film (read: bad acting, poor special effects) made for only $300,000. It was not a product of Hollywood but a bunch of 20 year olds. This was the first film to feature the Boogeyman that Wouldn't Die which has been ripped off time and time again in the Friday the 13th, Elm Street, Scream, etc. You're used to it now, but Halloween did it first. Even Scream ripped off the look of the villian in Halloween. The theme of teenagers being stalked by a madman has been ripped of numerous times as well (again, Halloween did it first) but what seperates Halloween from the imitators is that it plays on traditional fears: The Thing that Wouldn't Die; the Boogeyman coming to get you; being followed and stalked; the boyfriend returning to the room under a bedsheet -- and it's not really him; someone hiding in the car... all things that have made our skin crawl in real life at one time or another. Watching Halloween tonight again for the first time in years I found myself again on the edge of my seat. Classic? Hell, yes. Maybe not to a generation who feels Scream was a 'good' horror movie but a classic none the less.

THE perfect horror film!

[bluebird_blake · 10/10 · 28 March 2005]

Halloween is one of the best examples of independent film. It's very well made and has more psychological elements to it than you might realize at first glance. It is a simple movie told very well. The music is perfect and is one of the most haunting scores... If you haven't seen this movie yet, you must check it out. The cast is all terrific. I wish they had never made sequel after sequel. The first one was by far the best and should have ended like it did without having a sequel. It was fun to see Jamie Lee Curtis in the movie. She hasn't seemed to age (she's just as gorgeous today, without the hairdo and seventies clothes). The scenes through the mask are one of the scariest things ever!

Even now I get a chill down the spine.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 10/10 · 9 November 2015]

I must have watched this movie a hundred times or more, apart from being possibly the greatest horror movie of all time, it's a damn good movie in its own right. Fantastic story, really well acted, plus it has one of the best musical scores I have ever heard. How many films can boast a soundtrack that can evoke such feelings as Halloween? not many. 37 years later and it's as watchable today as it was back then.

Talk about getting the acting balance spot on, Jamie Lee Curtis made the perfect victim, brilliantly set against Michael Myers, the perfect bad guy, and Donald Pleasance was utterly flawless as Doctor Loomis. I hadn't realised just how good Donald Pleasence was in this film, the speech he made was almost iconic.

It plays on so many of our fears, the young Michael in a clown mask, still as shocking today as it was back then. The thought of the bogeyman following you home, waiting on a street corner for you etc, the list is endless.

I cannot believe having just watched it the lack of blood and gore, goes to show it simply didn't need it, it's the suspense and fear that creates the horror.

There have been so many rip offs and 'homages' to Halloween, but there will only ever be one King of the Horror films, and that's Halloween! Thank you John Carpenter. 10/10

This is an intriguing and enjoyable slasher movie and following a number of inferior sequels

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 7 December 2021]

This original ¨Halloween¨ 1978 was competently written/produced/musicalized/directed by John Carpenter with good cast such as Donald Pleasence as Loomis , Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie , Nancy Kyes or Loomis , P. J. Soles , Charles Cyphers , Kyle Richards . Dealing with the heinous series killer Michael Myers at large beginning and going on an astonishing massacre . As fifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween night 1963 , soulness maniac Michael Myers (Tommy Lee Wallace) escapes from a mental hospital and the story subsequently revolving around his return to the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois to kill again. Along the way , the boogeyman on the prowl , stalking , pursuing his unfortunate victims (Jamie Lee Curtis , Nancy Kyes as Nancy Loomis , P. J. Soles) who are running for their lives . It leads to an investigation by the stubborn Doctor Loomis (Donald Pleasence) . The trick was to stay alive. The Night he came home. He's come back . The Night HE Came Home! He came home for Halloween. Everyone is entitled to one good scare . Trick or treat... or die . Let's celebrate the horror . Happy Halloween! .The Trick Is To Stay Alive!

A surprisingly tasteful and thrilling classic movie about the immortal Michael Myers who undertakes his first criminal spree . The film displays eerie events , thrills , chills , cardboard horror , tension , scary killings and lots of blood and gore for nauseating execution . The grisly murders are extremely scary and chilling with abundant slashing , suffocating , scratching , and other disturbing shots . As always, Michael makes a grisly slaughter with gruesome and bloody assassinations using his supernatural and enormous force . This nice thrilling entry being efficiently produced by John Carpenter , Debra Hill , and as executive producers : Moustapha Akkad and Irwin Yablans . The motion picture was well written , musicalized and professionaly directed by John Carpenter . Filmmaker Carpenter puts the accent on atmosphere and intrigue rather than blood , as in other movies of this kind .

This long series is formed by the following ones : The best this ¨Halloween¨(1978) , followed by the sequel ¨Halloween 2¨ (1981) by Rick Rosenthal with Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasence , Charles Cyphers , Jeffrey Kramer , Lance Guest . This is one of the only two films released by Universal Studios ; after the massive success of the first film, Universal picked up the sequel . When Halloween III (1982) didn't fare so well, Universal gave the rights to Trancas International, an affiliate of Universal's, who produced the films until 1989. In 1996, the rights were sold to Miramax . Following : ¨Halloween 3 , the season of the witch¨by Tommy Lee Wallace with Tom Atkins, Stacey Nelkin , Dan O'Herlihy , resulting to be the second sequel to the 1978 terror classic , but it isn't based on the happenings or roles of its predecessors and successors .¨Halloween 4 : The Return of Michael Myers¨ 1984 by Dwight H. Little with Donald Pleasence , Ellie Cornell , Danielle Harris . The same protagonists , Elie Cornell , Danielle Harris and of course Donald Pleasence will play the follow-up ¨Halloween 5 the revenge of Michael Myers¨ 1989 by Dominique Othenin Gerard , and other several sequels.

Fear of Evil

[davidmvining · 10/10 · 21 August 2021]

Made after Someone's Watching Me but released just before, John Carpenter continued his low-budget streak of filmmaking with this deceptively simply horror film set on the titular holiday. That it went on to gross more than 100 times its budget is a testament to how it triggered the cultural moment at the time. That it's actually a great little thriller is just icing on the cake.

As I get deeper into John Carpenter's filmography (skipping around a little bit for different reasons), I've noticed a particular motif running through things. It's this idea of people becoming isolated from civilization or society or family and having to deal with threats. I'd never really considered that idea in his work until recently, and now since it is germinating in my brain I'm beginning to read all of his movies through that prism. The way that manifests in Halloween is in the relative absence of any parental figure. We see two fathers, Laurie Strode's father and Annie's father, the sheriff, and that's it. Mr. Strode has a single scene at the very beginning, and Sheriff Brackett stays on the sidelines, never becoming involved directly in the action. The only adult who comes to any sort of rescue is Donald Pleasance's Dr. Sam Loomis.

What does all of this mean to me? It means that Carpenter is painting a generation of people, in this case a small group of teenagers, who have no concept of evil and being confronted with it for the first time. As Dr. Loomis explains, Michael Meyers, the child who murdered his sister and spent the next fifteen years in a mental hospital, is nothing but an engine of violence with no conscience. What Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), Annie (Nancy Kyes), and Lynda (P. J. Soles) are concerned with that Halloween day is not evil, but their babysitting jobs and boys. Their grasp of the real world seems extremely limited with Laurie responding to a question in English class about fate being a natural force like she's reciting something she's memorized and doesn't really understand through anything she's actually done. So, one night, they face evil, and they don't have their parents to help them, they have to face it on their own without any concept of what they are up against. What nails this idea down is that the Meyers house still stands empty and abandoned in the middle of the town, and Laurie has no concept for why it stands empty. She views fear of it as childish, and yet she seems to have no idea what actually happened there. Her parents never told her.

How does all of this manifest? Well, through Carpenter's Howard Hawks' inspired sense of storytelling. Much like in Assault on Precinct 13, Halloween is a character driven story. The movie takes its time to establish its tone, setting, and characters long before anyone gets a knife through the heart. The town of Haddonfield, Illinois feels safe and even kind of boring. Children wander down streets without any concern for their safety, even when there's a psychotic killer in a William Shatner mask driving right alongside them. Laurie's concerns about this figure that the child she babysits calls the Boogeyman all fall on deaf ears because there couldn't possibly be anything dangerous in Haddonfield. This threat that has been absent, has been forgotten even, lurks in waiting for its moment to strike, and it strikes when its victims are at their most vulnerable.

The convention of the sex crazed teens contrasted with the virgin heroine arose from a practical storytelling concern: How do you kill a handful of teenagers while having one of them be cognizant enough of her surroundings to notice the death going on around her? By giving the teens something teens are already kind of obsessed with (sex) and removing it from the one who needs to survive to the end. If she's not concerned with sex all the time, then she can be clear-headed enough to fight back in ways that her friends can't. That is, of course, Laurie. She's unsuccessful with boys, too smart for them she thinks, and so, that Halloween night, she isn't expecting some boy to come over while she's babysitting. Instead, she's the one who takes up the slack of her friends, in particular Annie who decides to go off to see her grounded boyfriend, leaving her charge with Laurie.

Meyers, as the evil that Laurie is up against, is a completely dehumanized threat. One of the reasons he seems to register so well is the William Shatner mask itself. A rubber mask, painted white, and cleared of all eyebrows seems to exist squarely in the Uncanny Valley, that space where something looks almost human but not quite, creating a sense of unease in most people. He also has no motivation or even dialogue. He's a walking killing machine, out to murder for completely unknown reasons. Even his doctor, Dr. Loomis, has no idea and simply wants to lock him up away from the world. He is just the manifestation of evil.

The steadily building conflict between pure evil and the unexpecting good represented by Laurie comes to its explosive finale in an expertly delivered bit of both tension and thrilling chase as Laurie fights to survive against the threat that she's completely unprepared to fight.

There's something subtly intelligent about Carpenter's work, especially when he's at his best. He's working firmly within genre filmmaking, but there's obviously some very smart stuff going on underneath the surface. This is a young man looking at a world and feeling cut off from the previous generations, feeling like he's been abandoned by those who came before, and making films that spoke to those concerns. He's building these ideas into his films at the most basic levels, suffusing the stories with the ideas and never needing to address them directly. There's something special about this Carpenter kid.

One of the best horror films ever made

[PoisonKeyblade · 10/10 · 16 July 2007]

One of the best horror movies ever made. The acting is nothing short of amazing. Jamie Lee Curtis gives one of her best performances ever. This film revolutionized the horror genre with its portrayal of the terrifying Michael Myers. As other films from the horror genre strive for perfection, the one movie that all of them look up to is this, the original badass Halloween. None of the sequels have topped the original, but Halloween H20 and Halloween: Resurrection have been the closest by far. The cinematography, music, and atmosphere are creepy and intense, and the whole movie is an insane thrill ride. Donald Pleasance fits right into the role of Doctor Loomis so perfectly that it is even more of a tragedy that he died before he could reprise his role in H20. I recommend this movie to fans of the genre, no matter what age. This terrifying film transcends all genders and ages (appropriate ages, of course). This is one of the scariest and most disturbing tales ever told, and the directing from John Carpenter proves why he has become such a horror movie icon. I absolutely love this movie, and if you haven't already been a witness to the wonder of the Halloween experience, I really recommend you go seek this movie out immediately--I promise you that it will blow all of your preconceptions about horror films out the window.

The original is still the best

[Polotovar · 7/10 · 12 December 2021]

The original Halloween from 1978 is the best one for me. It more or less does what the new ones do. The masked Michael Myers chases his victims, however, it's just different here. I just have a soft spot for old horror movies and older movies in general. From a horror perspective, no one is likely to be scared with this film today, although I did get scared once here. What I did like about the film though was the overall atmosphere. The opening scene was very well done in my opinion, and the film caught my attention right away. Add to that the intro with the excellent music that plays several times here. I would more or less describe it in simplicity is beauty. No master plot. Just a 70's horror chase. I do see a kind of charm in it though, and I liked it. For me, a good movie and especially a classic that I recommend.

There Are Monsters Out There

[JamesHitchcock · 7/10 · 11 November 2020]

On 31st October 1963, a six-year-old boy named Michael Myers stabs his teenage sister Judith to death with a kitchen knife. Don't ask why. It's just the sort of things six-year-olds do from time to time. Or at least they do if they happen to be criminally insane. Michael is committed to an asylum, but fourteen years and 364 days later, on 30th October 1978, he escapes and returns to his home town of Haddonfield, Illinois, pursued by his psychiatrist. The film tells of the havoc he wreaks there the following day, which is of course Halloween. He might now be an adult, but he still has a fixation with teenage girls, primarily a babysitter named Laurie and her friends Annie and Lynda.

"Halloween" was clearly influenced by "Psycho", one of the first "slasher films" from eighteen years earlier. Director and co-writer John Carpenter paid tribute to Hitchcock's film by calling the psychiatrist "Samuel Loomis" and his female assistant "Marion", both names of characters in "Psycho". Another link between the two films is the fact that the heroine Laurie is played (in her film debut) by Jamie Leigh Curtis, the daughter of Janet Leigh who had played Marion in the earlier film.

Carpenter, however, succeeded in doing something which Hitchcock did not; starting a vogue for slasher films. Relatively few were made in the sixties or early seventies, with "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre", allegedly based on the same real-life killings which inspired "Psycho", being one of the few exceptions. The late seventies and eighties saw a glut, so many appearing that the period became known as the Golden Age of the Slasher Movie. These included innumerable sequels to "Halloween" itself, and even three belated sequels to "Psycho", made after the death of Hitchcock who would probably not have approved.

There is, however, one major difference between "Psycho" and "Halloween". Hitchcock was fascinated by psychology, particularly the psychology of the criminal mind, and was therefore at pains to explain the actions of his anti-hero Norman Bates in terms of his psychological history. Norman, who suffers from schizophrenia, is at one and the same time a polite, inoffensive young man capable of carrying on a perfectly normal conversation with the heroine, Marion, and the insane murderer who kills her. (Was the Christian name "Norman", I wonder, chosen because of its closeness to "normal?").

There is no attempt to explain Michael Myers' psychopathy in the same way. Unlike Bates, whose actions can be explained in human terms, he is presented as a malevolent, inhuman force of nature. According to his psychiatrist he cannot be cured, and trying to explain the psychology behind his crimes would be as pointless as trying to psycho-analyse a whirlwind or an earthquake. We never see the adult Michael's face; we normally see him from behind, and when we see him from the front he is wearing a mask. The fact that it is Halloween allows him to wander the streets in a mask without anyone thinking this is anything out of the ordinary. Nor do we hear him speak; the normal indication of his presence is his heavy breathing. (Loomis, in fact, tells us that Michael has not spoken since killing Judith). When the child Michael kills Judith he is dressed as a clown; killers who wear masks or who dress as clowns were to become standard features of slasher movies.

Although "Halloween" features a psychiatrist as a character, his function is not to provide explanations. Dr Loomis is more of a Cassandra figure whose function is to warn the people of Haddonfield of the danger they face but who is not believed. One of those who fails to take him seriously is the town's Sherriff, whose daughter ends up as one of Michael's victims.

Carpenter's direction is skilful and, combined with the spooky music of the sort which was also to become a standard feature of this sort of film, creates an atmosphere of unease and terror without relying on excessive amounts of gore. There are, of course, violent incidents- you couldn't make a slasher movie without them- but they are not dwelt on in the way that some directors might have done. As slasher films go, this is a pretty good one, but it lacks the psychological depth and power of something like "Psycho". Carpenter is telling us that there are monsters out there. Hitchcock is not only telling us that there are monsters out there, but that some of them are seemingly normal human beings, which makes them all the more frightening. 7/10

It may be the first, but it doesn't make it good

[Bored_Dragon · 5/10 · 20 October 2018]

"Halloween" from 1978 is a cult horror by John Carpenter, movie considered to be the first slasher horror and one of the most influential movies of all time. With all due respect, this does not automatically make it a good movie. This is Jamie Lee Curtis' debut movie, the movie that made her famous and one of the stupidest and the most boring movies I have ever seen. It practically doesn't have a story, characterization is also nonexistent, and complete lack of motivation makes Michael Myers one of the most unconvincing movie villains. The movie has no depth, no tension, and it is not scary either.

One reason to watch this film could be the fact that Jamie Lee Curtis is extremely hot. She changed a little over the decades, but her specific sex appeal and sensibility fits her better in her forties and fifties than in her youth. As she is buttoned up to the neck all the time, this reason falls apart. On top of that, she is a lousy screamer.

The only good thing in this movie is Carpenter's simple but eerie high-pitched melody, that became one of the most famous themes in the history of horror, or even movie melodies overall.

5/10