On October 31st 1963 whilst most children his age were out trick or treating, 6 year old Michael Myers was busy brutally stabbing his older sister to death. Michael was immediately taken to a psychiatric ward where he was held for the next 15 years of his life. In 1978 now aged 21 Michael has escaped from the institution and is intent on recreating the horror from 15 years ago.
Michael returns to his old neighbourhood to wreak his havoc on anyone and everyone possible, this includes Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) who is a student and babysitter in the area. Hot on Michael’s heels is his doctor (Donald Pleasance) who knows Michael better than anyone and is determined to stop Michael in anyway possible. Will he stop Michael before it’s too late?
This is a classic horror movie that has spawned an impressive 7 sequels to date and has inspired several horror and spoof films over the years including Friday the 13th, Scream, Scary Movie and Nightmare On Elm Street. This is the film that sparked the notion that sexually promiscuous and drug takers deservedly meet a sticky end whereas the virgins and all around good girls in which Jamie Lee Curtis portrays will survive over and over again.
Halloween is rated an 18 however the film doesn’t revolve around
gore like the horror films of today do, instead Halloween makes it’s mark by centralising around tension and the sheer terror that Michael Myers brings to the town of Haddonfield. Michael Myers has an eerie onscreen presence, even when he’s not actually in a shot. His presence echoes throughout the film with the use of shadows and reflections that means that even when he’s not there you’ll feel that he is, which in my mind is the essence of the great horror. The character of Myers is nothing spectacular, he’s essentially a stocky man in a painter suit wearing a creepy white mask but with the exception of the mask this is just an ordinary man, you can walk down any street and you’re likely to see a man in a boiler suit which gives Michael that air of normality about him, of course we the audience know that he’s not normal but the way that he’s dressed suggests that director John Carpenter in a way wants to make Michael appear like any Joe Bloggs on the street and the fact that he could be anyone makes him even more frightening.
As the film begins we are immediately gripped with the point of view shots where we follow a man, later revealed to be a 6 year old Michael up the stairs to butcher his sister with a carving knife. The scene, coupled with the eerie music sets the tone of the film excellently and fortunately the film does manage to retain the tension captured in the opening scene throughout the duration of the film.
The way that John Carpenter builds tension seemingly from nowhere is fantastic and with very little bloodshed in the film seems to be an even greater achievement, a lot of this is down to the aforementioned music, which is simplistic but effective much like the spine tingling music from The Exorcist and it is always seen as a signal that Michael is lurking somewhere.
The first half of the film is very docile and is heavily consumed by the setting up of tension and the atmospheric value, this is done very well however I feel that the film does drag a little with the tension setting, I feel that things could have progressed a bit quicker. We see Michael lurking around ominously numerous times and I did get a little frustrated waiting for things to happen, there’s a fine line between tension building and milking it and I feel that John Carpenter waits a little too long before the first killing happens.
As mentioned earlier, there is a distinct lack of gore featured in the film, therefore if you’re expecting something similar to Saw or The Hills Have Eyes you’re likely to be disappointed. As this was released little over 30 years ago I wasn’t expecting anything spectacular in the special effects area. If you’re used to the special effects that are present in the films of today then you’re going to find this film ultimately laughable, the fact that we never actually see any gore whatsoever doesn’t make this film worthy of it’s 18 rating, infact if it was released today it would be lucky to even be rated 15. Despite it’s lack of gore this film is still a huge success; these days an 18 rated horror film wont be considered a success unless it includes a plethora of gut wrenching gore however Halloween remains a successful horror film based on the atmosphere that it evokes, it manages to be genuinely frightening without a hint of bloodshed to be seen. This is a really jumpy film and there are many unexpected (and expected) moments throughout which leave the film understandably predictable but the journey is very unpredictable. It’s one of those films where you find yourself shouting at the scream, urging a character to turn around much like at a pantomime.
Jamie Lee Curtis is excellent as the pure and innocent Laurie, it’s obvious what’s going to happen to her but the sequences where she’s desperately trying to get away from Michael are excellent and she actually seems to be genuinely terrified. Her co-star played by Donald Pleasance is also brilliant as the eccentric doctor who is the only one who really knows how evil Michael is and he reminds everybody possible (including the audience) on a regular basis, this again adds to the scare factor that Michael encapsulates perfectly.
This is a superb horror film, drags a little in the middle but picks up the pace quickly and leads to an fantastic and very apt ending. This is one of the only genuinely scary horror films I’ve witnessed which didn’t include an over the top amount of gore. This film relies solely on atmosphere and is all the better for it.
The DVD is currently available from play.com for £3.99.
Production Year: 1979 - Horror - Director: John Carpenter - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: John Houseman, Janet Leigh, Hal Holbrook, Adrienne Barbeau, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Atkins, James Canning
Production Year: 1998 - Horror - Director: Steve Miner - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Michelle Williams, Adam Arkin, Adam Hann-Byrd, Janet Leigh, L.L. Cool J.
I prefer a film that has tension and fear as opposed to dollops of gore. You say the film would be laughed at in terms of special effects but today's movies are so full of gore that it's unnatural. People's eyes don't fly out when hit on the head (Drag me to hell), this to me is more laughable than classic horror that doesn't need to rely on computer graphics and overuse of blood and guts, lol Nuff said! :) Anyway, try watching The Burning.
Advantages: Score, FX, Acting, Not A Straight-forward Re-Make... Disadvantages: Acting, Repetitive Obscenities, It Will Always Remain Inferior To The Original...
iGayParis 29.04.2008 (29.04.2008)
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Review of Halloween (DVD)
![Halloween [1978] [DVD]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78486290.jpg "Halloween [1978] [DVD]")
Nov 4th, 2009
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