Halloween (1978)
Black cats and goblins and broomsticks and ghosts, covens of witches with all of their hopes. You may think they scare me. You're probably right. Black cats and goblins on Halloween night. Trick or treat!
Halloween intro, 1978.
I've probably seen Halloween at last twenty five times during my lifespan, and I'll tell you one thing about this film. It never get's fucking old. Ever. Christ, I could sit and watch the damn thing, turn off the DVD, see it playing on cable, and still feel compelled to watch. John Carpenter's simple, made for peanuts movie about a psycho killer terrorizing a bunch of teens on Halloween night for no real reason other than he can, just has that proverbial "something". It's rightfully considered one of the most important horror films of all time, and even some thirty-two years later (damn!) it's still a highly effective film, as a recent viewing can attest.
After slicing up his older sister on Halloween night, young Micheal Myers is sent off to the loony bin. His therapist Dr. Loomis (the eternal Donald Pleasance) becomes convinced the little shit is "pure evil" and does his best to make sure Mikey stays locked up for a loooong time. Flash ahead some years later, Halloween night in fact, when a grown up Myers breaks out of the asylum and, like any good boy would, heads home for the holidays. Cue Carpenter's classic score now.
Halloween was a first of it's kind in many ways. Before the slasher craze of the early eighties would hit stateside, a trend sorta blamed on Friday the 13th, there was one little no budget film that set practically all the "scary movie" cliches. While the Italians, thanks to Dario Argento and Mario Bava, had been churning out stylish films (Carpenter even stated that Halloween was his "Argento" film) with crazed killers left and right in the 60's and 70's, Halloween sorta set the rules American style. Have sex and die? Check. Lone "good girl" who restrains from sex and survives? Check. POV shots complete with killer's heavy breathing? Check. You get the picture, right? However, while it set the trends for a a whole wake of inferior themed slashers that would follow, Halloween is definitely heads and shoulders above it's illegitimate offspring, especially in one area..."class".
Re-watching Halloween this past weekend the one thing that really stuck out is just how masterfully subtle this thing is. Halloween is not an overly gory or violent film, and it's not about cheap scares or pure exploitation for exploitation's sake. It's a film where you think, sorta like TCM, that you're seeing a whole lot more on screen than you actually are. Once Big Mike hits Haddonfield and starts doing his whole "Night He Came Home" thing, it's all about what you don't or just barely see out of the frame of a shot that makes it work. Whether it's a shot of Myer's standing behind a bush, peering through a window, etc. it's about creating a mood for the audience that "something" is going to happen that keeps them on the edge of their seat. The scene of of Michael stalking the character of Annie out in the laundry room is a perfect example. Through the music and the barley glimpsed images of Myer's peering through the window, it's a perfect example of Carpenter's ability to build suspense. While it's own 1981 sequel and the countless ripoffs that were to follow copped out by upping the violence/gore over suspense, Halloween reigns supreme in this area.
In the acting department, things are pretty solid for a low budget film. All the young actors are fairly decent, and, of course, Jamie Lee is rock solid as good girl Laurie Strode. Of course, hiring Donald Pleasance as the good Dr. Loomis didn't hurt and you can't imagine anyone else playing the role. You just have to love this dialogue, and the only man who can deliver it properly is Pleasance. Case in point, the following dialogue from Loomis: "I met this six-year-old child, with this blank, pale, emotionless face and, the blackest eyes... the devil's eyes. I spent eight years trying to reach him, and then another seven trying to keep him locked up because I realized what was living behind that boy's eyes was purely and simply... evil." Terrific!
Of course, there's also the man himself, Mr. Myers, or rather, "The Shape" as he's called in the credits. I still don't get where this comes from....but it sounds cool, right? Myers would set the standard for mask wearing power walking psychos to follow, and he's definitely a creepy bastard. I love all of the low shots of Michael creeping around town, where you see his upper body but never his face, especially the shot of Laurie placing the key on he "Myer's House" front steps where all you get is a rear shot of his head, allowing you to make out nothing but scraggly hair from the mask. Awesome. And speaking of the mask, you couldn't ask for a cooler or odder mask to befit Michael other than repainted William Shatner mask. Classic. Of all the "horror heroes" form the eighties, be it Freddy, Jason, Leatherface, Pinhead, etc. Michael was always my guy. Trust me, when I got my Michael Myers mask ordered directly from Fangoria magazine way back in sixth grade, it was a happy day indeed. Now I could dress in mid summer 90 degree heat, wearing my black sweats and sweatshirt, kitchen knife in hand, and stalk the neighborhood in my best Myer's imitation. Yes...my parents were worried.
In summary, Halloween is the shit. Still, some thirty years after it's release, it remains one of the most influential horror films of all time. For anyone that has never seen this film (how the fuck?) do yourself a favor. Get the movie, turn off the lights and the goddamn cell phones, turn up the volume, and give this baby your undivided attention. You'll be glad you did.