Viscerally-bludgeoning with slow tension-building, atmospheric macabre, pure dread in omen-dark (iconic) piano theme, and bone-chilling slasher design, John Carpenter’s 1978 Halloween remains one of the top horror films of All-Time. 9.1/10.
Full Review Coming Soon
On a cold Halloween night in 1963, six year old Michael Myers brutally killed his older sister Judith. After being sentenced and locked in an insane asylum for 15 years, he escapes during a transfer. Returning to his quiet hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois, Myers searches for new victims on what’s sure to be another chilling Halloween night.
*Possible spoilers ahead*
Pros: Absolutely UNBELIEVABLE scoring and theme – perhaps the best slasher theme in Horror movie history with those iconic ominous piano riffs, slow tension-building and real scares – no cheap horror tricks or gimmicks, opening POV sequence flashback in Michael’s childhood horrific and innovative, a stern seriousness about it in mood and atmosphere and “silence is more” motif as it refreshingly takes itself and its genre/scares seriously, Michael Myers an absolutely horrifying slasher with fantastic character design and mask – bleakness and simplicity surprisingly effective, psychological and Asylum angle naturally fascinating and done right especially with Donald Pleasance’s Dr. Loomis – if even he as a man who studies and knows the mind is so terrified of him that says something, career performance by Jamie Lee Curtis as plucky Laurie Strode – a survivor girl you can root for, Myers’ stalking of Laurie terrifying although a bit overdone and blown out of proportion looking back in things like broad daylight, brutal and intricately designed slasher scenes and Booggeyman angle genius and just makes him more horrifying, wild ending with the immortality and unkillable angle that takes his scare factor up to 11, strong Horror imagery and cinematography, wild final act with theatricality and pure horror in like how the bodies are set up
Cons: Pacing a bit slow at times especially by today’s standards, some poor decisions by filmmakers like Myers killing an innocent dog, missing Laurie twice at point blank range after intricate kills, and how Michael escaped in the first place (really – just letting him take a car that easily?)
Official CLC Score: 9.1/10
