The film directed by talented director John Carpenter is an example of a very high-quality slasher. And why do you want to tell my readers?
The film is mistakenly considered the first slasher, but before it there were other equally iconic films Black Christmas 74, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 74 and The Hills Have Eyes 76. But this film made the whole genre popular, which in the 80s made a lot of them, even another no less cult slasher “Friday the 13th” was inspired by Halloween.
Now for the movie.
The plot is simple. The maniac escapes and begins to kill on Halloween. Yes, that’s the whole story, but John Carpenter is very good at simple plots (which he will prove in the future with The Thing and Escape from New York) and this film is no exception.
The beginning is intriguing, some maniac (from whose eyes we see everything) walks next to some house, enters it, puts on a clown mask and kills a girl, and when the maniac leaves the house it turns out that the maniac was a little boy, and the girl was his sister (the first minutes are not considered a spoiler). This scene feels tense and creepy. Suspense is done very well. You watch the scene, it seems that nothing happens, but you are not comfortable, as if someone is watching the characters, but you do not see the pursuer. Or here's another example. You see a maniac around the corner, but when someone comes up and checks around the corner, he disappears. Carpenter says that his maniac is omnipresent. But I have to admit, sometimes the film is long, the scene was supposed to end, but it continues.
The actors played very well, and only two of the characters are important: Lori and Loomis. Lori turned out to be a very nice character, especially the film focuses on her survival. And Loomis turned out to be a charismatic psychiatrist.
A maniac named Michael Myers is one of my favorite villains. John says this character, well, can just be born crazy in a normal family. His emotionless mask, intelligence, simple desire to kill and ubiquity make him one of the frightening characters in slashers.
The murders in this film are not very bloody and cruel, after all, the film is more about suspense than massacre (however, like the rest of the slashers of the 70s).
Music is my respect, especially the title theme, which has not yet been spoiled by any film in this series.
The work is done perfectly.
All in all, Halloween is a very cool movie that I recommend you watch.
Comedies, horrors and porn I have always singled out as a separate category of cinema - for me it is a de facto empty, cheap movie that looks either rogle or nothing to do - which is essentially the same thing. But sometimes movies in this category become iconic, and define the pop culture of their years and decades to come. Today’s sample was taken at the time, literally, for a box of Zhigulevsky, but managed to collect around him a ton of money, hype and women, which attracted my attention.
Indeed, with a production budget of $ 325,000, which is negligible even for the 70s, Halloween managed to collect more than $ 60,000,000 at the box office, thereby paying off more than 180 times! This is criminally much and cannot but cause respect, at least from the point of view of a flock of mathematicians.
Everything is good in this film - the design of the maniac, even some kind of telling to him is, an insanely great soundtrack, the main theme of which will be the post below, a cool atmosphere and the development of scenery. But there is one thing but - the dramaturgical content itself, as for me, scant even for a slasher, the film, if you do not know its history, does not cause absolutely no interest when watching, the characters naturally do not care, you do not want to cheer or pray for them. This continues until the very end, to which the movie, surprisingly, is well accelerated and becomes able to cause any emotion.
This review wouldn’t have happened if I wasn’t so sorry for the work of designers, composer and Michael Myers as such. I am sure that the villain with this style deserves much more than he was given in the movie Halloween, which, by the way, has a cloud of sequels and offshoots, but I will not touch them and I do not recommend watching them, to save your time.
So Halloween is a pretty mediocre movie in comparative terms, but if you take into account its budget and what kind of design the film was given for that money, then I’m delighted, and in principle, if you’re a fan of such subjects, you can safely look, at least for cultural acquaintance. With all its minuses, the debut of Michael Myers managed to be deposited in my memory, although the movie did not go to me, but as usual - it is pure taste.
4 out of 10
Halloween is a slasher classic and is considered a cult film. For many, it’s amazing how much that budget is worth ($325,000). Carpenter was able to make an entire movie (although there were other slashers on a smaller budget before that). And most importantly, Halloween popularized the slasher genre. Even Friday the 13th was inspired by this film. Back then, Halloween was considered the scariest film (there were no other such films). But how does this movie look today? Isn't it outdated? We'll find out now.
The plot of this film is as simple as three pennies, so much so that if you cut out unnecessary scenes from this film, it will last about 20 minutes. That's the problem with the movie, it's long. Seriously, there is so much walking here that it seems like Kuritsyn snuck into this film. There's a bunch of unnecessary scenes, like the boy chase scene. Why do you want a story if it doesn’t get played? Somewhere else, Dr. Loomis walks with a police officer and says how terrible Myers is, that he's a demon in the flesh. But those moments related to the plot are very good. Take the opening scene or the final act. That was really scary.
There is nothing to say about the characters. Only Loomis evoked some emotion. The rest (Michael doesn't count) are just boring and uninteresting. That cannon fodder that we have the same as in other films of this genre like 'Friday the 13th' I seriously did not care what would happen to them.
The maniac himself is one of the best sides of this film. A silent, bloodthirsty killer whose emotions you don't know. And when Dr. Loomis tells you what a demon he is, you get scared of being told about him. And he does not need a worked-out character, because people are afraid of what cannot be explained.
The soundtrack in this film is the second best side of the film. He's great! What is only the main theme of the whole film. This is what gives you the feeling of fear.
So Halloween is out of date. Most scenes are drawn out or not needed, the characters do not cause any emotions, some scarecrows from the film are already boring in the genre. Only Michael, the soundtrack and the final act are the best in the film. Now this film as a museum exhibit is important for the history of the genre.
5 out of 10
All the local kids think it's a haunted house. In a sense, they are right.
I watched many horror films of the last century as a child. But with the franchise “Halloween” met only in the zero. And as is often the case with many old horror films, this acquaintance was untimely. Such films should be watched either as soon as they come out or as a child. In both cases, a horror movie can be scary. But when the horror is a little outdated, then it may not produce the desired effect on the viewer.
As a child, Michael Myers killed his sister on Halloween, after which he was sent to a psychiatric clinic for treatment. But after many years, he escapes from there to kill again.
I can’t remember the first time I saw this movie. I guess I wasn't very impressed because I didn't remember. However, when I decided to watch the entire franchise at zero, I was a little disappointed. Yes, this series of films can really be considered cult. But only due to the fact that in the second half of the 20th century, the viewer was not very spoiled by such genres as horror. Of course, there were a lot of scary films, but it was quite difficult to hook horror fans. At the time, Halloween was original in terms of plot. That must have worked.
I've seen so many slashers that I sometimes get confused. But there are those who have their own thing. Jason Voorhees has an old hockey mask, Freddy Krugger has a constant hat and a glove with sharp blades. Well, the main distinguishing feature of Michael Myers is a pale Halloween mask that completely hides his face. Personally, this image is not very impressive compared to the rest. But the image of the antihero is not so important. I am more interested in the content of the film. At the time, it was scary and at the same time interesting. I’ll start with Halloween with the main advantages.
If we reject the fact that by 2023 similar horror films were shot for half a century ahead, then at one time “Halloween” did not look as busy as it is now. The murderer escapes from the closed institution and is again taken for old. For the late 70s, such a plot was a godsend and seemed interesting, and some may even be scary. Will he scare anyone now? I doubt that very much. Even remakes of zero look much more intimidating. And the original franchise is already much inferior in this.
I can't single out any of the actors, except Jamie Lee Curtis. Since then, she has already played in many films, and there is something to compare with. A truly talented actress who organically looks equally good in horror and comedies. There is no one else to mention.
I usually try to evaluate all the horror stories in terms of whether there is a possibility of continuation. As many people know, Halloween has grown into a full-fledged franchise. And it was even restarted not too long ago. That’s just in my opinion, this is clearly not the case when you have to make a whole movie series. One or two movies would be enough.
For almost fifty years in the genre of horror appeared a whole bunch of antagonists who have already gained incredible popularity. Freddie, Jason, Michael, Leatherface, etc. Amid all this motley company, Michael Myers looks a little boring. But the Halloween movies are still popular, so I think we’ll see it on screen.
4 out of 10
John Carpenter is the main popularizer of the slasher category after Wes Craven. Despite the fact that Halloween uses familiar motifs and scenes at the time of its premiere, this film in 1978 marked the beginning of the “golden age” of slashers. One by one, American (and not only) cinemas began to receive films in which angry maniacs chase naive and frightened teenagers, usually girls. Why? Probably because girls are more empathetic.
It is no coincidence that the background theme of the film was Halloween. The Monster Festival, as it is often called. How and when it was born is not the point. It is important that soon after Halloween, religious holidays begin in Western countries, so for all kinds of hellish creatures, the fun ends at the end of October. And for him, it's just beginning. Michael Myers is the most soulless and cold-blooded maniac of all that has seen world cinema. Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees or some Lizard from The Hills Have Eyes are also violent and murderous, but unlike Michael, they have feelings. Anger, sadness, and sometimes even joy. Michael doesn't have any of that. There is no pity, no compassion, and even no gloating. He is a silent killer who breaks free on the day he has been waiting for years. He pulls out and picks up a knife.
There are references to the classic thriller "Psycho", shot by Hitchcock in the distant 1960s. The murder weapon, the psychological state of the villain, even some angles - all these are kind curtseys, which, nevertheless, do not look like plagiarism. Because Carpenter went further and showed us more violence and more violence. If in “Psycho” viewers are wondering who the killer is, in “Halloween” the killer is shown from the beginning, but later he hides. Like a nasty cockroach that crawls from under a slipper, Michael Myers eludes the police and Dr. Loomis in order to... This maniac is so unlike other people that, minus attachment to his native places, it is impossible to predict his behavior.
Taking as an example "Texas Chainsaw Massacre", Carpenter put on his maniac mask, and since then it is a tradition of slashers - if there is a mad maniac in the horror, then in 90% of cases he will appear in a mask. However, at least once adult Michael still removes the mask, but to see his face, you need to have cat vision. Another interesting detail of the first “Halloween” is the old movie “Something” that is shown on TV. Maybe the director even said out loud that someday he will remove his remake.
The downside of Halloween is excessive protractedness. Trying to catch up with the suspense, Carpenter spends an hour forcing Laurie and her girlfriends to walk and drive back and forth, minute by minute looking back at the frightening pursuer, all for a very tense, but still short climax. Rob Zombie did a much better job of focusing on murder in 2007. However, for immature viewers in 1978, “Halloween” was probably an impressive horror story.
8 out of 10
The cult horror of John Carpenter tells the disturbing story of a mentally abnormal maniac who, having escaped from the hospital, begins a hunt for high school students.
The picture has a simple and in some ways minimalist narrative structure, concisely and, at first (or to be more precise, modern) look, trivially demonstrating the main vicissitudes of the plot, using an incessant suspense, very often leading the viewer into a state of insane fright. Despite the seeming obsolescence of a considerable number of horror elements, the film now looks in one breath, definitely frightening even the most sophisticated lover of horror.
It is worth admitting that it was “Halloween” to a significant extent formed the appearance of ordinary representatives of the horror genre, including those coming out now. Therefore, this picture is interesting to study from the point of view of the typical components, the so-called cliché, "horror-movie", perceiving it as an exemplary indicative pattern (in the most positive sense of the word).
It is also important to note the actress who played the main role in the film, namely Jamie Lee Curtis. For her, the work in Halloween became her debut in a big movie and, I must say, extremely convincing and truly cultic, because the young Lee managed to perfectly embody on the screen the cheerful and combative character of a seemingly unremarkable girl who is ready to fight to the end with the very embodiment of evil, rationally curbing the undulating attacks of horror indescribable by ordinary words.
Thus, the extremely memorable visual image of the villain and his frightening backstory, belligerent and resourceful, although far from fearless main character, anxiously nervous musical accompaniment, coupled with amazing camera work, formed an inimitable and truly legendary horror film, which became an unconditional classic of the genre, inspiring more than one generation of filmmakers to create similar films.
Why did you tell us about your fears?
- I said no one was listening.
After the success of such films as Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Hills Have Eyes, the slasher genre began to gain momentum. The next swallow was “Halloween”, which later became one of the longest-running horror franchises in history. The films in this series are still being released, and what has not been done with them. And rebooted and sculpted sequels around other parts. In short, they are trying to squeeze everything out of the franchise. And this is how it all started.
As a child, Michael Myers killed his sister. He spent fifteen years in a psychiatric hospital until he escaped. And he's ready to kill again. His main goal is the girl Lori.
Personally, I didn’t like the first movie. Halloween, though, has become a cult in its kind, but clearly not thanks to the original 1978. Of course, for those years, something like this was fresh and unusual, but now it looks, to put it mildly, weak. Too simple a film for the genre, and compared to the same “Texas Chainsaw”, which I considered lite, generally seems gray.
The main disadvantage I consider is a slow narrative. So measured that by the end of the first half of the film I want to finish watching. First, we are introduced to the main antagonist, and show his childhood, when he, in fact, became a murderer. What for? Why was it shown? The story is carried forward to our days. There is a start and acquaintance with the main character, as well as secondary characters. I waited a long time for the plot to develop, but alas, even after an hour, nothing interesting or important happens. The viewer is simply invited to look at the everyday life of the main character, as well as her surroundings. And only at the end do some noteworthy events begin. Twenty minutes out of all the timekeeping. Now even in the films of class B action scenes and even more shoot.
The cast did not surprise me much. Yes, Jamie Lee Curtis does look really good in horror, and this isn’t the last time she’s appeared in the genre. And certainly not the last appearance in Halloween. This franchise has made her a star, and she still doesn’t stop participating in sequels. The other actors didn’t impress me at all.
The film's visuals were not particularly bothered either. Hiding the face of the villain under the mask and dressing him in the work clothes of a worker - it seems nothing complicated. However, this image has become one of the most recognizable in the history of horror films. Also, the creators used a rather curious “first-person view” receiver. Looking at the world through the eyes of a murderer is not new. Later, this technique will be used by everyone who is not lazy, but in 1978 it clearly worked. There is nothing more to notice visually. Simple, modest, not interesting.
My favorite question is, will this movie scare anyone? I doubt that very much. Many such films, when they cannot frighten the audience with typical tricks, such as makeup or the effect of a sharp jumping out into the frame (screener), try to create the desired atmosphere in various ways. Throughout the film, they pump it with, say, suspense, and it almost always works. In the same movie, it's not even that.
The only thing I can add to that is the soundtrack. The memorable melody that sounds throughout the film also became a kind of halloween hallmark. The rest of the film is unremarkable. One of the rare occasions when the first film in the franchise is the worst of them all.
4 out of 10
Halloween is considered to be a cult slasher, but not a pioneer as many people think. Before that, there were Psycho and Black Christmas. Halloween only strengthened the popularity of the genre.
However, the cult and popularity do not save the film from what is happening in it.
Michael Myers escapes from a mental hospital and no one tries to find him except his doctor. It would seem that the hospital was supposed to inform the police, and that in turn began to look for him, but this is not happening. The plot presents us with a doctor who alone goes in search of his patient, as if he were a detective.
The plot exposes Myers not easily mentally ill, but also some kind of person with superpowers. He becomes "invisible" to the characters, standing right in the middle of the street, and if he is noticed, then there is a transition to the frame with the hero who thinks that he thought and Michael disappears. The maniac also has some kind of immortality. Otherwise, it is impossible to explain how he survives after several bullet wounds. Only if he did not find a bulletproof vest somewhere behind the scenes.
However, these abilities have their side effects. The villain is as slow as possible. Throughout the film, he walks like an old grandfather, giving the characters plenty of time to escape. However, there is a reversible ability of his disappearance - he always somehow catches up with the victim and appears in places where he could not appear. In general, he has a full teleportation.
The main character does not cause positive emotions, but also negative ones. A standard slasher character brought to the fore.
In small cons, it is worth recording moans and incomprehensible faces during the deaths of characters, which are added to attract a certain audience. But still, they do not affect the overall picture.
In some places, the film seems boring and protracted, although it takes only an hour and a half.
In the pluses, you can record a soundtrack that inflates the atmosphere.
It's an unremarkable slasher that you can watch once. It will be difficult for someone, though. It may have been interesting in the '70s, but it's not. Although I am sure that even then many did not like him because of the minuses above.
5 out of 10
The cult status of Halloween is difficult to overestimate not only because through the setting and plot, the film of John Carpenter perfectly conveys the spirit of Halloween, but most importantly - because in terms of the impact on the viewer, even after forty years after the release, it can give a head start to many modern representatives of the genre.
Of course, the main thing about Halloween is the atmosphere. A heavy suspense to the hypnotic music of Carpenter himself permeates the entire film back and forth, turning it from a trivial slasher about an insensitive killer a la Leatherface (although Michael Myers, as you know, also wears a mask) into a chilling blood in the veins of a paranoid thriller. No wonder the famous American critic Roger Ebert compared “Halloween” with the creations of Alfred Hitchcock – because the intensity of suspense film is really comparable to the legendary “Psycho”. At the forefront of the picture are not the ways of inventive killing of heroes – but the inevitability of their death.
Presenting the main villain as a silent psychopath, Carpenter makes him the embodiment of death itself, which comes and takes someone at its own discretion and with which it is obviously impossible to agree. Putting a white mask on him makes him the embodiment of human paranoia, which can take many forms. All those strangers who seemed to follow you down a dark street or from a distance staring at you in broad daylight are reflected in the image of Michael Myers.
“Halloween” makes a kind of revolution in the genre, allowing us to see everything from the point of view of the maniac, and from the point of view of the other characters. This is mainly achieved thanks to the exceptional camera work of Dean Kandy.
Here's the camera peeking out from behind Myers, silently approaching the heroes, and it scares us. But we see his empty gaze from afar, as if through the eyes of heroes - and these distant plans frighten us even more. The opening scene of the film takes us to see Michael’s first murder, which he committed as a child, with his own eyes. And this episode, shot entirely in the first person, can rightly be called one of the best opening scenes in cinema.
“Halloween” gives the viewer a faceless stranger on the other end of the street and, oppressing with its atmosphere, makes them feel the consistent and stubborn ruthlessness of the latter. In the denouement, the film generally becomes a symbolic confrontation between life and death.
But death is death so that it cannot be killed. At least not until the producers want it.
This is Halloween, this is Halloween! Pumpkins scream in the dead of night!
In addition to “Friday the 13th” and “Nightmare on Elm Street”, Michael Myers (almost like Mike, but without parody) climbed into the three cult classic horrors. John Carpenter's very skilful decision to release a horror film for a Celtic holiday, and to add a silent maniac who developed the trauma of childhood to bloody retribution, is a lucrative and intriguing affair. In general, the style of shooting and the story of this story is rather gloomy, give classic screemers and fill everything around with suspense.
The exhibition, however, is poorly developed. This plus can give Rob Zombie (at least some advantages in his version of “Halloween 2007” is), that before Carpenter – a very fast and stupid tie. The first-person shot, Michael's eyes, of course. The inexplicable motive of the murder and a very classic (for horror films of the 70-80s) helplessness of the older sister. Screaming, panic, looking at the knife through the eyes of the victim and from the side (Alfred Hitchcock approves). Everything is done in the best style for the genre, well, except that the sister could just grab his brother's knife or pinch his wrist. Oh, yes, we have the end of the 70s - nudity here like this.
In addition to the imaginary exposition, the picture makes a flash forward for 15 years to show the adult Michael in the famous leather mask. At least Carpenter did not stretch the wait with a mask, and Jason Voorhees wore his hockey accessory only in the third film. Next, we get acquainted with modern (in 1978) teenagers who behave like teenagers of their time - discuss parties, proms (in October?), girls delicately touch the topic of sex, and the general atmosphere prepares the viewer for All Saints Day!
It’s good that we don’t see the main villain most of the time. Teenage questions, plans, jokes and intimacy – everything can be attributed to the simple presence and “feeding” of the plot, because as soon as the legendary Carpenter soundtrack plays, the level of suspense goes upside down, giving us an excellent “stalking” and tension. Myers is in the shadows, with Myers’ eyes we follow the characters, Myers hides in the same room with the victim and is only noticed by a little boy whose stories are taken as jokes.
Unlike Jason, Michael Myers does not kill purposefully, there is no clear purpose and action, hence many fatal assumptions. If Voorhees was walking with a machete and cutting through, Michael would play with the victim, stand by, hide in the shadows. Impressive when the girl locked herself in the room, does not know how to get out, while the Leather mask just looks at her attempts to solve problems. Hence the intriguing thriller - you do not know when the villain will move to action, leaving the most action to climax.
Constant tension, stalking, first-person shooting, screaming victims, panic, but when there is blood, the viewer does not expect. In principle, the picture still holds the bar timekeeping. It won't stretch. To the extent of the scare, the gradual murders and the most "delicious" techniques - the movement of Myers in the background. It raises adrenaline and excitement! Essentially, we have a mentally ill, police, and doctor supposedly on the lookout, but it doesn’t matter when we see Jamie Lee Curtis’s panicked face and the threat from behind.
John Carpenter was able to perfectly convey the horror and tension. Some elements of the shoot were out of place, plans from the bottom and the effect of presence sometimes interfered with the narrative, but these techniques distinguish Halloween from a number of horror films, showing the contrast between the image, sound and soundtrack. The finale sets the stage for a sequel (a series of sequels) to release Michael Myers on the hunt again and again on All Saints Day. In front of the credits against the background of a dark street, Myers' rapid breath is heard. Brilliant!
A funny detail in the film – the characters in one of the episodes watch the film “Something” (1951) from Christian Nyby and Howard Hawks. In 31 years, Carpenter will shoot his own version of the story.
Someone's watching a pretty girl. She communicates with her boyfriend, then the lovers go upstairs. Who knew that this was her last night, because a maniac had already taken out his huge knife and, breathing heavily, walked into the girl’s room. He stabs eight times, and the victim dies on the spot. A moment later, we realize that we watched a little boy brutally murder his sister.
This is how it begins 'Halloween' one of the most classic slashers. This genre is certainly entertaining, but all the tropes have long been studied, so any such work becomes another set of clichés, with minor modifications.
Here you will not see anything new, 'Halloween' - definitely a museum exhibit. It's not covered in dust yet.
In the center of the story, three friends, who are hunted by escaped from the hospital Mike Myers - the true evil. He is incredibly strong, wearing a mask to hide emotions. Naturally, all the characters with the easy hand of the writer will be hopelessly slowing down. All for the sake of the suspense peeked at Maestro Hitchcock.
In 1978, this picture was perceived as a real revelation. Largely because of Carpenter’s excellent ability to create tension even from the dullest maniac in a knife jumpsuit these days. Do not blame the picture for elements that have been repeated by others. The mere fact that 'Halloween' had such a huge impact on horror films speaks to the greatness of this tape.
Don’t forget that Carpenter is also a great film composer. Unpretentious synth melodies miraculously work on the common suspense. I think that the director here coped no worse than the Italian band Goblin, who composed the soundtrack for 'Suspiria' Dario Argento.
After 'Halloween' followed by a series of sequels, because it’s a very good idea for the franchise, but they did not get good press. Only in 2018, the project decided to revive, ignoring all the sequels. What happened, I’ll tell you next time.
There comes a monster, a monster, a monster.
The Halloween film series is considered one of the largest horror franchises. The name Michael Myers is synonymous with Halloween. And his image, a workman's uniform and a deadly pale mask, have long been recognized along with such characters as Freddy Krugger, Jason Voorhees, Leatherface, etc. This story began in 1978.
The killer Michael Myers escapes from a psychiatric hospital. Fifteen years ago, as a child, on Halloween Eve, he killed his sister. After many years, Myers escapes and returns to his hometown to kill again. His target is Laurie’s girlfriend, who looks after the neighbor’s child. On the trail is the psychiatrist Sam Loomis.
I think everyone would agree that in long-running franchises, the best part of the series is the very first movie that usually starts with. But for Halloween, I don’t think that applies. The original was so boring that I almost fell asleep three times. With timekeeping of only 90 minutes, the action poured for exactly fifteen minutes. All the time, we've been following Laurie's life through the eyes of a maniac. With eyes in a literal sense, from the first person. Such a reception is quite in the spirit of Hitchcock, and quite came in the 60s. But in the same film, it seems inappropriate, and even sometimes annoying. This is an uncharacteristic approach that someone may like, but personally I do not.
For 1978, it was a clear hit. After the success of Texas Chainsaw Massacre, slashers began to rise and needed an infusion of fresh blood into the genre. That was Michael Myers. Only the history of origin, and the image itself, John Carpenter did not care much. Aside from a brief introduction to the film, there is no more about Myers' original. What drove him to the murders? Why did he start killing again after so many years? Why the movie can't kill him, even though many try. And after all, where does he have such remarkable power? Questions that the audience asks throughout the film. Answers will come. But only then, in the sixth film of the franchise. For the viewer who first watches the original of 1978, there will be a lot of confusion.
For actress Jamie Lee Curtis, Halloween was such a powerful career boost that you still can’t stop. It seems that in the film she appears as a typical young girl with her teenage problems. They usually die first in horror. However, the discrepancy in the pattern allowed viewers to reconsider this collective image of a typical urban girl. And a lot of credit for this is Jamie Lee Curtis. I got the whole movie.
The film is recommended for viewing for all fans of classic slashers, as well as fans of long-running horror franchises. All sorts of things are still happening.
There comes a monster, a monster, a monster.
The Halloween film series is considered one of the largest horror franchises. The name Michael Myers is synonymous with Halloween. And his image, a workman's uniform and a deadly pale mask, have long been recognized along with such characters as Freddy Krugger, Jason Voorhees, Leatherface, etc. This story began in 1978.
The killer Michael Myers escapes from a psychiatric hospital. Fifteen years ago, as a child, on Halloween Eve, he killed his sister. After many years, Myers escapes and returns to his hometown to kill again. His target is Laurie’s girlfriend, who looks after the neighbor’s child. Psychiatrist Sam Loomis is on the trail.
I think everyone would agree that in long-running franchises, the best part of the series is the very first movie that usually starts with. But for Halloween, I don’t think that applies. The original was so boring that I almost fell asleep three times. With timekeeping of only 90 minutes, the action poured for exactly fifteen minutes. All the time, we've been following Laurie's life through the eyes of a maniac. With eyes in a literal sense, from the first person. Such a reception is quite in the spirit of Hitchcock, and quite came in the 60s. But in the same film, it seems inappropriate, and even sometimes annoying. This is an uncharacteristic approach that someone may like, but personally I do not.
For 1978, it was a clear hit. After the success of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the slasher genre began to rise and needed an infusion of fresh blood into the genre. That was Michael Myers. Only the history of origin, and the image itself, John Carpenter did not care much. Aside from a brief introduction to the film, there is no more about Myers' original. What drove him to the murders? Why did he start killing again after so many years? Why the movie can't kill him, even though many try. And after all, where does he have such remarkable power? Questions that the audience asks throughout the film. Answers will come. But only then, in the sixth film of the franchise. For the viewer who first watches the original of 1978, there will be a lot of confusion.
For actress Jamie Lee Curtis, Halloween was such a powerful career boost that you still can’t stop. It seems that in the film she appears as a typical young girl with her teenage problems. They usually die first in horror. However, the discrepancy in the pattern allowed viewers to reconsider this collective image of a typical urban girl. And a lot of credit for this is Jamie Lee Curtis. I got the whole movie.
The film is recommended for viewing for all fans of classic slashers, as well as fans of long-running horror franchises. All sorts of things are still happening.
'Halloween' is quite simple even in relation to its competitors in the face of ' Nightmare on Elm Street' or ' Friday the 13th' horror. It discards motivation, character development and even plot – putting the tension and inevitability of reprisals first.
Why do I think everything is bad with the story? A boy kills his sister on Halloween, is put in a hospital, returns to kill another sister on Halloween. In fact, that's all.
With such a plot with motivation, the killer is not dense - it is not explained in any way, just a kind of insanity, which, like, should scare the viewer even more. But in my opinion, it doesn't work. The story of Jason Warhees at least has some basis for his hatred of teenagers. Freddy Krueger also began to appear to children in dreams for a reason. And Michael Myers... Well, he just wants to kill his relatives.
And the most important thing that the film overdoes is the constant appearance and disappearance of Michael from the frame. Throughout the film, we will be constantly shown the same shot with and without Michael, sometimes reaching comical effect.
In short, I can not attribute this film to the number of good - without any doubt, the director is fine with the vision, a great soundtrack, a good game from Curtis - all this is, but as a horror film does not go. Like a slasher, actually.
As a child, Michael Myers killed his sister on Halloween. For this he was placed in a psychiatric hospital. But 15 years later, residents of a small town have every reason to believe that the psychopathic killer is back and wants blood.
In fact, the story can be told in two sentences. But who in 2020 will watch an old horror movie because of the plot? I fell for “cultivity” without expecting much, and I was right. And although the plot is weaker than that of the same “Psycho” (this is generally a legend even now), the suspense is on top! It is not murder that is frightening, but waiting. The whole film we watch the nervous characters to disturbing music and the anticipation is so killing that you meet the ending with almost applause.
Actors... Well, what do we want from horror movie actors? Not Oscar, but quite nice. It was a little embarrassing that students were played by people who had graduated from high school many years ago. Separately still note Jamie Lee Curtis - good, I really like it!
Visual for 1978 and a wildly tight budget - acceptable. At that time, in horror films it was not yet customary to show open skull boxes and fountains of blood, so there is nothing to complain about. I think that in horror movies music is more important than visual, and that’s okay.
5 out of 10
'Halloween' is a classic of the genre. Carpenter was able to make a really decent film with just a minimal budget. It's really exciting. And still, even 40 years later, the image of Michael Myers is loved and used even in computer games.
As for the film itself, yes, it’s pretty simple. Unfortunately, you will not get some unexpected ending and brilliant plot twists. It’s simple and predictable, but that doesn’t make the movie boring or bad. On the contrary, it adds some charm.
I can tell you that the following parts have disappointed me. In the second from the favorite of the public Michael Myers remained only a small Easter egg on the TV screen. This is the part I don't recommend to anyone. And in principle, there was some confusion. I recommend watching the first movie in this series. You will certainly not be disappointed.
To say that “Halloween” by John Carpenter spawned in the film industry genre horror – slasher and is a cult, in my opinion, superfluous. Everyone understands and knows what Halloween gave, because after the appearance of Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger, Ghostface and other maniacs saw the light, including the one with the hook from I Know What You Did Last Summer.
Given how high-tech movies are today, the original Halloween looks perhaps a little naive and silly. But the film was shot more than 40 years ago and had a meager budget (only 325 thousand dollars). But what an impact he had on cinema in the future! Although the same Carpenter noted that by the end of the 80s slashers made the genre of horror films unpopular. These words can be perceived in different ways, because the film is divided and this was confirmed by the same Ways Craven, releasing in 1996 the first part of the quadrology “Scream”. Slasher as such implies the presence of a maniac and his victims, which significantly narrows the circle of acting heroes of the film. The nuances are different, but the essence remains unchanged - the psychopath intends to refresh a couple of teenagers! But if you look at what slashers slide into, turning from a suspense-filled film into a strange substance (not all of course, but this trend is), it becomes sad primarily because the classics of the genre in the face of the first parts of “Halloween” or “Nightmare on Elm Street” is what you watch and enjoy. But such a "substance" - it is like an alien from "Something" - mimics and tries to pass off wishful thinking.
By the way, it is the “Thing” of 1958 that Jamie Lee Curtis watches with children. I don’t know if it’s a coincidence or if Carpenter announced his film The Thing in this way, but the fact is very interesting. It is unlikely that the director hinted at his film with Kurt Russell in this way, because between the first “Halloween” and “Something” there were also “Fog”, “Eyes of Laura Mars”, “Escape from New York”, “Elvis” and “Someone is watching me”.
Now it is impossible to imagine that bought for a couple of dollars mask, which will be used by the killer, will cause a furor. Just as it is difficult to imagine that the actors will act in their clothes 9 due to the limited budget of the film – this will be considered a sign of second-class and “rotten” of the film, but “Halloween” is not affected. In contrast, Captain Kirk's Star Trek mask served as the basis for Michael Myers' mask and became one of the movie's hallmarks.
The element of suspense achieved in Halloween of solid magnitude is one of the components of the success of the picture, which offered the viewer a game of cat and mouse with a maniac who is likely to catch his victim by surprise. Night is like the best time to kill, silent and even sinister houses gazing at the heroes with their lifeless windows, dark rooms and a corridor through which the victim runs away from his pursuer. Excellent!
The figure of Michael Myers, in my opinion, one of the most frightening among the various maniacs. Some strike with their intellect (like Hannibal Lecter), others with their level of sadism and love of torture, but Myers inspires fear with his silence and manic passion for murder. He goes ahead and doesn't stand up. He doesn’t need long dialogue before thrusting a knife into the heart of another victim – he’s a real killing machine.
But look at you. I do not impose my opinion on anyone.
Someone broke into the store - the children, probably ...
Halloween
John Carpenter is, I believe, the grandfather of all horror, smooth symphony and uncertainty. It’s an absolutely ruthless thriller, so violent and scary when viewed in the context of the time that, yes, I would compare it to Psycho. It is enough to watch Halloween. Just chatting about how good it is and coming to the conclusion that filmmakers have done too little over the years to diminish its overall effectiveness. On the other hand, it is difficult to talk about him, given his high position. The film is the cinematic equivalent of a supernova. Unknown, he flashed into the movies in the decrepit late 70s only to drop a bomb.
We look at girls who talk about their daily lives without noticing the danger they are in. The voltage is established, increasing at regular intervals, with well-timed moments. Making the worldly lives of the main characters as they plan their evening, call each other and watch old horror movies, helps the viewer identify with them. The shocking fates they face have an incredible impact. The cozy and homely environment they inhabit perfectly conveys their safe life. When Meyers invades this coziness, the rubilova begins. Once-safe homes become menacing, with danger potentially lurking in every shadow, behind every object. In fact, Halloween is one of the oldest stories of an escaped psychopath terrorizing a small town in the States. His name is Michael. He was five years old when he spilled the first drop of blood. Over time, it turned out that they left him alone to burn.
Halloween is a pretty bloodless movie. There is a clear lack of scenes of violence and blood, as Carpenter prefers chills and tension. Many of the Halloween slashers (including its own sequels) have chosen to follow the path of more blood instead of slowly instilling fear and anxiety. Much of the creepiness and moments of fear come, of course, from Myers' presence. It always feels close to you. There is something incredibly intimidating about this empty, moon-white face, slowly appearing like the Phantom of Darkness. Michael watches seventeen-year-old Lori throw her keys under the floorboard on her way to school. He spends a lot of time chasing her for no apparent reason. Luckily for the film, Michael also decides to pursue annoying friends Laurie, Annie and Linda. The more time I spend with these girls, the more pieces of my empathy they destroy, allowing Michael to continue watching with my blessing and encouragement. Michael seems more inclined to look with a voyeuristic gaze. Linda's just a cheerleader. Annie shows herself as a passive-aggressive girl who thinks she's okay when in fact she's dead inside, given that her capacity for joy has long since left her. Later, we'll enjoy her eagerness to undress.
Despite the things I’ve said about the characters, Carpenter and Hill have written a strong script that is perfectly abetted by sound and camera work. Using large-format footage, the operator also exploits the first-person view and periphery of the screen to create tension and atmosphere. The presence of such solutions is enough to make any previously cozy space or autumn suburb, a creepy and dangerous place, saturated with threat. Halloween asks viewers to identify with its killer. For most of the film, the camera is somewhere behind Michael's shoulder as he peeks, allowing off-screen teleportation to reign freely. Sometimes we think we're in his head, but when the camera pulls away from the other characters, we find that Michael has been behind them all along. Like all maniacs, we only see him when we need him, and the director adds an otherworldly, robotic threat to Michael. The climax of the film adds to the increasingly frenzied and panicked attempts to avoid death, all in contrast to the cold onslaught. What makes things even more disturbing is that you have to figure out what his motive is.
Halloween has stood the test of time and is still a disturbing and memorable movie. Like all good horror movies, it makes the viewer feel unsafe in their own home. Just look at the defensive stuff. These are everyday household items with clear household connotations: a knitting needle and a clothing hanger, for example. Plus, it's a critique of teenage immorality at the time (and in ours), though John denied premeditating it. After all, this is Michael, whose beginning was laid. Never again will he be such a pure embodiment of evil. This is the high mark of the genre, even after so many years, it is often imitated and incomparable. I just hope you knew it already and don’t hide how you want to watch it tonight.
8 out of 10
What do we usually expect from an old horror movie? Nothing. This is the main advantage of viewing the creations of the last century. When I told my friend about the plot of this film, he only sceptically replied, “He killed only five, there are a lot of horror movies in which villains are much more terrible.” Without a doubt, by modern standards, this number is “funny” for a horror movie, but this movie still remains special.
“Halloween” is perceived by many as another creation of the genre of slashers, but not many of us today think about where a particular trend grows legs. At one time, John Carpenter gave birth to this genre by making this particular film, and with this information, the story of Michael Myers is perceived completely differently.
“Halloween” is not full of scenes of murders, and the story is not about a typical group of schoolchildren engaged in all sorts of obscenities. No, this movie keeps us on edge, and the first murder doesn't happen until halfway through time. Moreover, the meeting of the main character with Michael happens even later. All the while, the film builds up tension, preparing us for the inevitable. It looks like a sea tide. The waves get stronger and stronger every time, but the sea never fills up. He keeps in suspense and constant anticipation.
It’s a mystery because we don’t know much about Michael. We're shown one scene where he kills his sister and then they just say he's a ruthless killer and that's it. But isn't it interesting to know what prompted this boy to commit such a formidable crime at such an early age? It's also scary and unnecessarily disturbing.
Yer is not a film that should be praised for the cast. When was the last time we did that in a horror movie? Anyway, Jamie Lee Curtis is adorable. To be honest, I’ve only seen her in Scream Queens before, and I’ve only just begun to realize how interesting it is that she appeared in a series that is a parody of slashers! And beyond her acting career, she's a gorgeous woman, as you can see from the interviews she gave this year. In any case, I can’t say that she had other memorable roles, but at least she coped with this one perfectly.
We all know how small the Halloween budget was. The actors were in their clothes, the film was shot in twenty days, and the mask of Myers is nothing more than a worn out mask of Captain Kirk. But all this gives the film its special charm, no matter how twisted.
And to be honest, I would advise you to watch this film not to appreciate it, but with a desire to familiarize yourself with horror classics, because Halloween is unique in its kind.
7 out of 10
Loves the number of praises “suddenly” sung to the obvious middle peasant – cult, for all times, very loud ... yes, people did not stingy on praise. Even the fact that the picture of Carpenter is a kind of ancestor of the genre does not negate the overall negative impression.
I watched the movie for the first time and have nothing to remember. But a fresh cinematic rethink pushed for a revision - as if it missed. The only undoubted plus of the picture is the general drawing of the antagonist, who became himself not by fateful circumstances, such as abundant life deprivation, well, or family chaos, but simply he was born so. He wanted blood, he started killing. A logical chain that conquers the viewer with its inventive simplicity. But all other cinematic aspects, especially genre, leave much to be desired.
The atmosphere is competently inflated, this cannot be taken away, but you expect the massacres themselves so long that the victims of this powerful maniac can easily be counted on the fingers of one hand. And this is clearly not the case when quality is able to outshine quantity.
Out of hand bad, even comical, presented bloody showdowns. The only victim killed wasn't surreptitiously, easily hitting a slayer. More than once. And every time, receiving another portion of physical humiliation, the maniac skillfully pretended to be dead, aki opossum, and the heroine with a sense of accomplishment relaxed and suddenly... She's on the run again, doing a lot of stupid things that just hit the killer to the bone, which she immediately uses. The maniac is again torn apart and again lying on the floor. She relaxes even more and all of a sudden... it would be endlessly possible, but timekeeping stopped this mockery of the cult figure of cinema.
The film can probably be recommended for viewing, because its fame has passed the test of time, but for me personally, this creation of the venerable director was and remains something passing.
I wish someone a good viewing experience!!
The 40th anniversary of the release of the picture and the upcoming Halloween served as a great occasion to review the iconic masterpiece of John Carpenter and one of my favorite horror films.
If I remember correctly, when I watched Halloween as a kid for the first time, I even had to stop the movie several times because I was so scared. Now, of course, there is no trace of that fear, but every time I watch Halloween, I feel admiration and a little nostalgia.
As one film critic put it, “It’s not hard to portray violence on screen, but it’s not easy to do it qualitatively.” More precisely, you can not think of, because every year hundreds of horror films are released, but few of them can be called watchable, and only a few stand the test of time and fit themselves into the pages of film history. Judge for yourself, at first glance, the creation of Carpenter is elementary - a primitive plot without any unexpected turns, flat heroes, a few locations. But Carpenter put his story in such a way that it has been filmed sequels and remakes for four decades, Mike Myers has become one of the most creepy and recognizable psychopaths, and even most people who are not particularly fond of horror films, but even a little interested in cinema, will understand what it is about if you talk to them about this picture. Not to mention the fact that along with a couple of other outstanding films, Halloween set the bar and rules that key influenced the slasher genre.
I haven’t watched this movie in a long time, and as I watched it today, I probably thought fifty times, “Damn, how cool!” Because starting with subtitles with pumpkin and cult music and ending with the final scene, the film goes without sagging and without giving up tension. Jamie Lee Curtis She's so cool! For me personally, she is the best Scream Queen and one of the most impressive actresses.
What else can you say? It’s a classic that I’m sure will be seen 10 years from now and 20 years from now, and will never cease to be a symbol on October 31.
10 out of 10
Old cinema is often reproached for the lack of strong female characters and patriarchal attitude. This thesis is challenged by old-school slashers, who were given the beginning of "Halloween" Carpenter. What do we have in Halloween? Abstract elemental evil in the person of Michael Myers, who kills girls and accidentally caught by the hand of men. Before the murder, he looms ominously somewhere on the periphery in the sight of the girls and sleeps languidly. That is, Michael practices one of the types of harassment - stalking. He thus embodies the impersonal collective image of the modern oppressor of women. On the other hand, we have several female characters with different levels of moral self-awareness. Among them stands out the character of Jamie Lee Curtis, she is the most intellectual and morally conscious girl. It is she who manages to confront the killer, and her less chaste friends will face a sad fate.
At first glance, it may seem that the situation in the film is inspired by traditionalists and patriarchy, who impose the moral foundations of American youth. Maybe it is. However, if we turn to the character of Jamie Lee Curtis, we see a smart responsible girl, and most importantly, an independent one. The girl does not follow the fashion imposed by the patriarchy (the episode where she shares her shirt with a friend), is engaged in self-education and earns money herself. Who if not a good example of an emancipated woman? Of course, the genre of slasher does not imply a deep disclosure of characters and complex moral dilemmas, but even such a superficial image has great influence and significance.
So even in the hopeless darkness of clichés and sexist prejudices in old genre films, one can find bright images of strong women, the lack of which is lamented by social justice fighters. And the “Queen of Scream” is alive as never before and has successfully returned to the big screens in the recent sequel “Halloween”.
Babysitter got banged by a masked guy with a big knife
Much has been said and written about this masterpiece. What else can I add-c? Okay, for the first time the film was watched only in 2018 in honor of the release of another sequel. John, again, Carpenter is one of our favorite directors. A smart director, of course, was in those distant times. Small budgets were given, and he, thanks to his limitless imagination, sculpted very edible candy from what is there. Useful candy. Watch the movie by John Carpenter: get acquainted with the real movie!
Seriously, if a novice filmmaker begins to whine about the impossibility of removing his herd kinzo for a frankly brilliant budget, then do not be afraid to set an example of low-budget creations of a mustache old man. Recently, in the Russian "Chernovik" showed, and the main character begins to melt or dissolve, why the face of the fool thanks to CGI turned into a subzombie. In "Aliens Among Us" with greetings from 1988, our old man perfectly depicted inhuman faces with makeup. The difference, of course, is not in favor of the Russian miracle-jude. When imagination is where it is needed!
Writing about "Halloween", you might think that in another stupid horror movie, high school students will engage in mutual penetration, while the maniac voyeur will peek at them to later join fresh young bodies. Not at all. Now, Mr. Carpenter and Mr. Kandy have so conceived the approach of absolute evil that without tension, demons, you can't watch all those scenes whipping up the inevitable fate. Notice how Laurie Strode and Michael Myers did not immediately meet face-to-face. It's a long wait!
At the entrance we take an interesting kind of evil. We feel that behind us is something supernatural, but still in a human shell. So, you can push, hurt, blow (to whom). If you make an alloy, Myers is a bizarre mix of Shark ("Jaws) and Terminator. Programmed to kill, the smell of blood is very sensitive. I don't know the motive. It's better than that. A real nightmare. It's a hindrance to Freddy Krueger. That's why you're gonna fall asleep while a maniac in a mask smells sweat on his ass. Run, bitch, run!
Before us is the basics, the classic, the father of fathers... This is a film with a very modest budget and big ambitions.
Plot. In 1963, during Halloween in Haddonfield, a young boy Michael Myers killed his older sister Judith, for which he was placed in a psychiatric hospital. After 15 years, the killer escapes and returns to his hometown to have fun again.
The first part of the series of films about Michael Myers is scant on the details of his life and explanation of the maniac’s motives. Thriller every minute throws up more and more questions, but does not give answers. Where are Judith and Michael's parents? What caused such cruelty? Why is it impossible to kill a man in a white mask? If the viewer can distract from the search for answers to these questions, he will be able to enjoy the positive moments of the film.
Atmosphere. The film is atmospheric, and it is a real achievement, considering that the film takes place in two neighboring houses almost all the time. Acting at a good level, the camera work was done with dignity (I liked the scene from the 1st person at the beginning of the film). It is a pity that the maniac in the end turns out to be the wildest clumsy and unlucky, and the main character is stupid to outrage. It is strange that in a state of affect she did not get rid of the attacker. Moreover, she had several opportunities.
Fear/Strain. I wouldn’t call this picture scary. But at the time of release, I think it was one of the most tense and frightening in this format.
Music. The composer is the director himself John Carpenter. Despite the fact that the music for the tape was invented in a short time, the work on the output turned out to be high-quality. Due to Myers’ habit of watching and following his victims for a long time before an attack, the viewer almost always feels uncomfortable. Music plays a huge role in this. In many scenes, she evokes feelings of incipient anxiety and seemingly causeless panic.
Result. Far from the most terrible horror movie, which later became a cult and laid the foundation for a whole genre "horror-slasher". Even after so much time since the release, it is quite watchful and interesting.
7 out of 10
I decided to finally watch this classic horror film, popularized such a genre as “slasher”.
You don’t have to talk a lot – a small budget makes itself felt throughout the film. Many plot errors, mistakes of the director and the entire crew are also present, but all this is compensated by the excellent work of the operators and the interesting production of such a simple scenario. According to the script, a separate word is a light horror movie without any problems, but the whole film did not let go, it was possible to maintain tension. Compared to modern horror, Halloween looks more like a scary fairy tale for children, but for that time it was a breakthrough.
Carpenter managed to make a cult movie out of nothing. A simple idea was just perfectly implemented.
It’s Halloween, and everyone has the right to be scared at least once.
Halloween is one of the most famous and longest-running horror franchises. It began in 1978, and since then has grown to 10 films, including remakes of Rob Zombie. Over the course of forty years, Michael Myers' character has become wildly popular in American pop culture, spawning a slew of material ranging from comics and books to comedic parodies and appearances in computer games. A new Michael Myers movie is coming out soon, so I decided to remember how it all started.
Escaped from the clinic for the mentally ill, a cruel killer maniac returns to his hometown. On his trail goes psychiatrist Sam Loomis, who wants to stop the psychopath before he begins the massacre.
I first saw this movie when I was a kid and it didn’t scare me much. After all, the genre of horror for me is primarily something related to mysticism. Slashers can only interest me with an interesting story. On the typical “blood bath”, committed by a maniac, look kind of boring. Although there is a share of mysticism in Halloween, it is in the first part of the franchise that it has not yet been revealed. The whole action is based on the usual pattern of slashers "run-scream-die," and to be honest, it's already tired. But remember that Halloween is almost the progenitor of the genre of youth slashers. It is from here that the legs of such cult series of films as “Friday-13”, “Nightmare on Elm Street” and others grow.
Although the film is a little outdated, by today’s standards, but the audience’s attention he keeps well. The whole story is kept in the best traditions of Hitchcock, namely suspense (an alarming wait). John Carpenter does this in many ways. For example, shooting from the first person (the look of the maniac himself), pumping music (which, by the way, has become no less famous than the film itself), and just a competently constructed sequence of events. Well, the final, of course, will not leave indifferent fans of such films. Although, to me personally, this stupid running seemed a little monotonous and protracted. The climax deserves a separate analysis, but alas, I will not do this, because I can accidentally spoiler.
As for acting, the only one who impressed me was and still is Jamie Lee Curtis. She has been dragging on the entire franchise for quite a long time, and the role of Laurie has already become her hallmark. What is most interesting, I would not say that this is some strong or bright character from which to draw the maximum. An average hero, uninteresting in terms of character. But Curtis took this image to a new level, with each film more and more working on it.
I’ve seen all the movies in the series and I won’t say it’s the best. Everyone is used to the fact that the first film of a long-running franchise is usually the strongest, but this is not the case.
6 out of 10
What happens if a psychopath and a murderer breaks loose and commits his horrific intentions? In this case, you will get such a wonderful picture as Halloween. And this film proves that the budget does not play the most important role in creating a successful film.
Let's take the frightening music, the intense and intense fear and excitement that increases the suspense more and more every second. But really in Halloween music plays not the last role, but rather on the contrary one of the most important.
John Carpenter created a masterpiece for his time, and even now it is impossible to say that this film is outdated. Scary, creepy and tense. All these components are enough to make the film look interesting in our time. Of course, it is worth admitting that John Carpenter tried his best. I made a big movie for a small budget. I was able to show that correctly mixed components that are inherent in horror films will create a movie that causes respect and recognition among film fans.
The director caught up intrigue in terms of presenting the main villain to us. First we see him from the back, then from the far and only then the audience manages to see the maniac in all its glory. This is a very good plot move, but only if it is presented correctly. This is exactly the case here.
The actors in the film do not play the main component. The main thing here: suspense, atmosphere and a madman in a mask with a knife in his hands. But Jamie Lee Curtis is still a charmer. How emotionally does she call for help? Very plausible.
It is not his words that speak for Michael Myers, but his bloody actions. Every appearance on the screen is accompanied by anxiety about the lives of the main characters. He's been tracking for a long time, preparing for a long time, but in the end we have what we have. He left his mark in horror.
And to sum up, I want to say that every lover of this genre should watch this film. Everyone's probably already seen it. I'm just late. And for many years. I looked at it and was pleased with what I saw.
8 out of 10
Returning home after neighbors filled his bag with candy, little boy Michael Myers caught his sister at home in the company of her boyfriend. Unable to restrain emotions, the guy put on a mask and inflicted several blows on the girl, after which she died. No one expected this from a quiet Makayle from a quite diligent family, but the real nightmare is just beginning.
Having gone for treatment in a psychiatric hospital, Michael stayed there for several long years, but he could not recover from hatred, becoming a silent ghost, which the talented psychiatrist Samuel Loomis could not understand. And on the eve of another Halloween, Michael escaped from custody to return to his hometown and visit the house where he lived at large. And then he accidentally liked Laurie Strode, a high school student and nanny, whom he decided at all costs to bring to the next world. And the number of accompanying victims when achieving the goal is insignificant.
John Carpenter's film "Halloween" was shot for a couple of hundred thousand dollars and at the same time became a real cult. almost all subsequent horrors relied on him and borrowed ideas. Some scenes now look not as creepy as before, but the atmosphere of anxiety and a frightening soundtrack from Carpenter himself do their job properly.
I liked Jamie Lee Curtis and I as Laurie Strode. For her, working for Carpenter became a kind of benefit and application for a future successful career. Curtis is quite reliable in the image of a frightened girl, she actually remains alone with a maniac, and you really worry about her.
Thus, I will mark Halloween 1978 as an undeniable classic of the genre. John Carpenter tried his best, making a very simple and frightening movie, still attracting the attention of the public. And it is not surprising that the maestro was invited to take part in the direct sequel to the first film, ignoring the direct sequels.
At the age of eight, taking up a movie camera, very young John Carpenter knew perfectly well what he would devote his future to and later became one of the most respected directors of the United States, who create primarily for the sake of art, leaving the financial issue in auxiliary positions. Having received a worthy education and having made strong acquaintances with guys as passionate about cinema as he himself, Carpenter created a tense short film “Dark Star”, based on which a full-length film was subsequently staged, which became the hallmark of the young director. However, Carpenter still could not count on large budgets and an extensive advertising campaign, and therefore his promising “Attack on the 13th Precinct” cost a frankly ridiculous amount even by the standards of the 70s, which, nevertheless, was more than enough to realize on film everything the creator dreamed of. An intense dramatic thriller with a lot of memorable moments and an alluring unpredictability of the narrative attracted the attention of ambitious producer Irwin Yablance, who obtained the rights to the international distribution of Carpenter's film, after which both creators decided to continue their cooperation, intending to shoot a terrifying horror that can interest the audience and bring a nightmare on the screen that you could actually believe. According to the original idea of Jablance, the upcoming film was to tell the story of a maniac who kills nurses, and Carpenter saw a lot of prospects in this, since few American families did without nannies and completely trusted them with their offspring for the evening. Carefully working out the main outline of the narrative, Carpenter concluded a mutually beneficial cooperation with Debra Hill, who brought a lot of worthy ideas to the story, and subsequently the authors gave us the very “Halloween”, which became one of the greatest genre figures, was included in the register of the national cultural heritage of the United States and gave rise to a lot of imitators seeking to link up after the glory of the imperishable creation of enthusiastic filmmakers who managed to create a tape for mere pennies, which made a truly indelible impression on public opinion. And although over time “Halloween” does not look as fresh as before, John Carpenter tried to do everything necessary for his story to scare more than one generation and is still on hearing.
The plot of the film begins on Halloween night in 1963, when an irreparable tragedy occurred in the small town of Haddonfield. Six-year-old boy Michael Myers without a shadow of regret dealt with a knife with his seventeen-year-old sister Judith, not enduring her hot relationship with the guy. However, the little killer could not escape punishment, and he was placed in a psychiatric hospital, where his main supervisor was a psychiatrist Sam Loomis (Donald Plazens), who perfectly understands what a monster he will have to deal with. And that scientific minds did not try to do with Myers, it was simply impossible to influence his inflamed mind, and the killer had to spend a long fifteen years in prison, after which he still had a chance to be released. Transporting Myers from the hospital to the courthouse, Loomis, unfortunately, took into account not all security factors, because of which his ward escaped, going straight to Haddonfield, where he still had unfinished business. Myers’ return coincides with another Halloween celebration, which this time promises to be much more terrifying. The quiet town did not suspect that very soon a tall stranger in a repulsive pale mask would appear on its streets and commit a massacre. One that will be legendary. Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), a pretty high school girl, a friend of the Myers family and a nanny, did not know about this. Having caught the attention of the runaway Michael, Laurie becomes perhaps the main motive for the actions of a maniac who knows something special about the girl and is not going to let her go so easily. But before dealing directly with Laurie, Michael will not mind to torture the bodies of her friends, who decided on this night to transgress the laws of morality, and thereby upset the cold-blooded forward Myers, who does not tolerate frivolous behavior even from those he sees for the first time.
Carefully and meticulously, John Carpenter immerses us in the atmosphere of a holiday that turned out to be much more sinister and bloody than previously thought. The silent killer Michael Myers, like the spirit of Halloween itself, slowly wanders between houses, watching with interest those who will soon fall under the knife and will only beg for salvation, which, of course, will not appear in time. The director sees no reason to cut young girls right off the narrative to the amusement of an unpretentious audience, thereby turning the picture into a meaningless and stupid attraction. Instead, Carpenter spends enough time getting to know the future victims of the maniac, seeing their strengths and weaknesses, and then watching with undisguised horror as they face Myers in an unequal fight that excludes the possibility of calling for help. Carpenter skillfully escalates tension even when nothing terrible happens in the frame. The painful atmosphere of the approaching inevitability settles on the shoulders of the audience, and you realize that sooner or later Myers will reveal himself in all his deadly glory, acting effectively and silently, like the very spirit of Halloween, who came to our world to collect a bloody tribute. And the most ominous thing here is that unlike other genre works, the film leaves us almost no opportunity to rest and relax. That night, that day, danger never sleeps. If she does not pick up a knife and does not go to massacre the first person, the viewer will clearly feel the tension from which there is no hiding. And so that no one has even the slightest doubt about what “Halloween” is and why it should be feared, Carpenter skillfully adds to the key scenes of the meticulous and really frightening title tune of the film, which he wrote himself. The director perfectly feels the rhythm and mood of the picture, never falling out of the overall dramatic ensemble, and although he had the opportunity to reduce his undertakings in view of the requirements of the producers and the commission for the appointment of a restrictive rating, even the finished result from Carpenter inspires fear, which is not easy to get rid of.
The greatest success of the creators can be fully considered the image of Michael Myers, who appeared on the screens earlier Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger. Of course, the maniac has nothing to do with the other world, and yet he literally smells of death, which can not be resisted. Myers is relentless, you can’t talk to him, he kills and shows no emotion. Is it not the spirit of Halloween, which has acquired physical flesh and punishes people for their sinful actions and thoughts?
10 out of 10
A little boy named Michael Myers killed his sister. He spent 15 years in a mental hospital. Halloween. Michael is coming home.
The coldest slasher in the history of cinema. No emotions. Carpenter delivers an extreme level of skill (John's third film!). One of the scariest pictures I've ever seen. Look closely at how Carpenter achieves the effect of chilling horror.
Does he spill blood? No, there's only one bloody scene in the whole movie, the first murder. Carpenter doesn't have to throw axes in his head like he did on Crystal Lake. Carpenter doesn't hang his characters on hooks like a close-knit family from Texas did. It took him one knife to get into all the horror encyclopedias.
Don’t believe anyone who says bad things about this movie. He's perfect. The only thing that embarrassed me personally was Michael’s car ride (when did he ever learn to drive?). You can do without them with your hand on your heart. After all, Carpenter is able to scare ordinary walking on the street.
Check it out in the 30th minute. Jamie Lee Curtis is walking with his girlfriend. She looks forward and sees Michael. There's nervous music, one second, Michael's gone. Girlfriends move on, and you're not comfortable, goosebumps all over your body. Because you know, Michael walks around, he's everywhere.
Halloween is a movie about how evil cannot be defeated. Forget about the huge number of sequels. Drown in the old original. A merciless movie, I felt it at the very end. Pleasance is a really cool guy. Jamie is a fragile girl. Michael is the devil. Classic.
Leprechaun had his gold stolen, the hatter got angry. Jason was not watched (having sex and smoking weed), the baby drowned. Freddie was burned alive, so he decided to take revenge. Old Literface got into a crazy family and went crazy. Pinhead became disillusioned with life and turned to the side of darkness. Dear connoisseurs, the million dollar question - What is the motivation of Michael Myers?
Too long absence of the fourth Austin Powers! Ah, ha, house by the road. Everything, you know, is over. The sister's guilty, supposedly walking with the boys, she didn't care about her brother? It's not motivation, it's a circus. Michael has no reason to kill, but he does. Why? Because he's a sick freak, I don't want to talk about him anymore.
P.S.
Special thanks to Carpenter for the atmosphere and music!
8.5 out of 10
