Halloween

Rating:
Summary: Of Course A Classic!
Review: Way Better Than What Some Of The Reviews Are Saying! Some review is saying that there is no plot. That is true but in haloween 2 it sort of explains everything. I defintly recommend this movie. I also recommend getting both 1&2 so you understand everything. "Halloween" , A Horror Clasic!

Rating:
Summary: probably the scariest damn movie ever
Review: When I think of scary movies, I think of this movie, along with PSYCHO, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, THE SHINING, TENEBRE, PRINCE OF DARKNESS (another Carpenter movie), and an old, obscure low-budget horror film called the BOOGEY MAN (directed by Ulli Lommel). These are probably the ones that scared me most in my childhood. There are many more that scared me, to be sure, but these films comprise the barometer by which I measure a horror film's success. This is still, to me, one of the scariest, if not the scariest, horror movie I've seen; it is by far one of the most creative in terms of the coreography of its violence (a trait it shares with PSYCHO, TENEBRE, and THE SHINING). But I think that this film has one thing all those films don't: the atmosphere is so thick it's almost solid. PSYCHO and THE SHINING come to mind here as well, but Carpenter makes his horror more terrifying by not only placing his characters in a modern setting, but one which appears to be safe and wholesome and most of all, utterly familiar. The suburbs of Illinois are the perfect setting for this unbearable exercise in terror. The plot, as we probably already know, is about a little kid who stabs his sister to death one dark Halloween night and escapes from an asylum fifteen years later in a scary white mask and dark coveralls to kill perky, virginal young babysitter Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis in her breakthrough role) and her sexually active young high school classmates, while being pursued by his half-crazed shrink Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasance provides needed but approriately subtle tongue-in-cheek humor). But the star power is matched by Carpenter's visual imagination, which somehow seems fresh today even after years of UNBELIEVABLY AWFUL sequels and imitations. Dean Cundey's cinematography and Carpenter's own score are enough on their own, even when filming scenes in bright daylight, to generate a sense of dread and unease. The story may not be brilliant, but in a true balls-to-the-wall horror movie, that doesn't matter. This is truly a film that fits into that category. What else can be said? It's a really good movie, and it's scary as hell.

Rating:
Summary: You can`t kill the boogey-man!
Review: "You can`t kill the boogey man". That`s what little Tommy Doyle says in the movie; and it`s true. "Halloween" has survived with style the test of time, and is truly one of the best horror movies ever.With their limited budget, John Carpenter and Debra Hill have done an excellent job in creating suspense, chills, and terror in this classic masterpiece.

The plot of the film is simple. Six year old Michael Myers brutally murders his older sister on Halloween night, and is locked in a mental institution for 15 years...until he manages to escape and bring the small town of Haddonfield in danger once again.

The main actors of the film are Donald Pleasence and Jamie Lee Curtis, both of which do a fantastic job. The factor that struck me most in this film, however, is its creepy, gothic soundtrack which is played brilliantly on and on throughout the whole movie; thus creating a good amount of suspense.

The only critisicm I have to make towards this film is the fact that Michael`s face is revealed for just a second in the later part of the movie. This undoubtly blew away much of the mystique sorrounding the maniac killer. Other than that, I recommend this movie to anyone who likes horror movies. Forget "Scream" or "I Know What You Did Last Summer". this is truly the creme de la creme of terror.

Rating:
Summary: Grand Daddy of all Slasher Flicks -- A Masterpiece!
Review: "Halloween" is the best example to date that you can get 40 million people to flock to the cinema without spending a lot to produce the film. Money isn't everything. A cinematic masterpiece like Halloween only took a simple premise, a (then) unknown cast, great directing and less money than needed to produce a tv commercial. -- The terrified Jamie Lee Curtis character is still in my head, as she frantically seeks refuge in a closet, which is slowly smashed in by "the masked one". The final scene is the perfect opener for a sequal. -- Almost all "slasher movies" to follow (other than several sequals of "Hallween") have been influenced by this horror classic. "Halloween" finally gave birth to a new generation in the horror genre, a generation no longer looking to Hitchcock's "Psycho" as the ultimate in achievement. -- Although the gore in this film may be considered "no biggie" by today's standards, you may want to avoid showing "Halloween" to pre-teens.

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely terrifying
Review: Ths movie was the scariest thing i have ever seen. Screw Friday and nightmare this is the real deal. what else is scarier than escaped mental patients who are out for blood. i have seen this movie over ten times and i still get scared every time i watch it. Michael myers is the king of all horror.

Rating:
Summary: A Horror Masterpiece.
Review: When Halloween was released back in 1978 few would have imagined it would become one of the most successful independent movies of all time and perhaps the most important horror film since it's release, for good and bad reasons. First the good: Despite an anorexic budget and a group of relative newbies at the helm, Halloween has been crafted as beautifully as anything released by the major studios. John Carpenter has the horror genre in his blood and though he seems to have lost touch over the past twenty years (obvious by pretty much everything after "The Thing")undoubtedly the inspirations of a youth spent wrapped up in the classics of horror let loose a creative torrent. Besides the often mentioned homages to "Psycho" and the somewhat precognative inclusion of scenes from the original The Thing, Carpenter creates a tapestry of horror that pulls directly from the everyday, late night fears that seep into our subconcious Witness the overwhelmingly creepy sight of Michael Myers carrying one of his victims into the house across the street, as viewed through the window by little Billy, all aurally framed by the harshly disturbing score emanating from the creature feature on t.v. Who hasn't walked by that dark window at night, hearing something and wondering whether you should look outside, afraid you might actually see something. And who hasn't felt that creepy feeling of being alone outside at night, seeing the lights from other houses, knowing that there are people at home, but if something horrible happened no one would know, or want to know. Laurie experiences this first hand, althought she has already met the terror. There are many other moments as well, that transend the cliches that Halloween so deftly created. Smartly written and well acted and stylish in alternately obvious and subtle ways, (a relentlessly sweat popping score, The garish, behind the mask murder by a young Michael contrasted by the decidedly unharsh natural lighting, extremely familiar teens and the quiet suburbia.) The Dr.Loomis character is as much of a contrast to these quiet surroundings as the killer himself. The two seem to have escaped from their own little world in a figurative sense as well. The Loomis aspect of the story is necessary and well done but it's not where the heart of the film lies. That point would be with Laurie, her two best friends and her charges for the night. Shockingly real when compared to the teenager cliches that populate the later flicks of the slasher genre. The three girls speak to each other naturally and without the constraints of being saddled with obvious stereotypes. The true fear generated by this film lies in the fact that we genuinely like these girls and really hate to see anything bad happen to them, probably because we so identify with their lives. The scene that best sums up this feeling and the overall brilliance of the film happens about half way in. Laurie and one of her friends drive to their babysitting jobs, they talk caringly about simple things, getting a date for Laurie and whatnot, Michael follows them but it's in the back of our minds, that beautiful natural lighting comes in as the sun slowly sets, foreboding. The cinematography is elegant and thoughtful, The stop start jolts of the set pieces constantly leaves you on edge, as it does the characters. Undoubtedly the best slasher ever. Now for the Bad: It's nothing about the film itself. Like I've said, it's a masterful work. It has more to do with what the film rought. Not only did it create cliches but it immediately mastered them, leaving little room for brilliant copies. The next decade would see one of the weakest creative periods in horror history. The genre was plentifull but the offspring was genetically weak. Clones of clones of clones of an original. Each new film wallowing in a deeper pile of stagnation and irrelevant gore. Most evident by the constant deevelution of every new franchise. Nightmare on Elm Street, a great film and one of the few high points of the eighties divolved into an increasingly pathetic imatation. And initally poor films got sequels that simply beat the living crap out of a dead horse. The backlash of all this was a near abscence of horror throughout the 90s. Scream redeemed things but only fleetingly as it began to compound the situation. The "wink. wink. nod. nod." we're in on the joke point of view slipped into the genre and all depth was drained away as the people making the films lost respect for the horror they we're trying to create. As a horror buff I enjoy all of these films, nothings more enjoyable than a lousy horror movie...except maybe a good one. So Halloween is a great film, but it changed the face of horror as we know it. If you want truly revelutionary horror one must go to the seventies, and often even before. It will take another great milestone to set things right. Until then I'll savor the past.

Rating:
Summary: The Top Classic Of All Time
Review: What can you say?. Halloween is the granddaddy of horror/slasher films. This film started it all. You have to hand it to John Carpenter and Debra Hill. They took a simple premise that has been done before and made it new and scary. Very, very, very scary. Everything about the movie, the musical score, the acting, the look of October,is gripping and classic. No other film has been as frightening or memorable as this. Donald Pleasence is a master. His Loomis character is, may I say it, the anchor of the films. Not Michael Myers. His performance is so graceful in this that it's a shame his career and Loomis character had to end with the travesty that is Halloween 6. Jamie Lee Curtis is great. She comes across as a real teenager doing a very normal thing that all teens do. Babysit. This is the scariest movie i've ever seen. The original "Nightmare On Elm Street"comes in second. Halloween is so scary because it's real. Turn on the news and this is more of what you'd see. This can happen to anybody. The sequels, except for H2O, are another story. The film focused on suspense and terror. That's what sets it apart. It doesn't cheapen it by senseless, gratuitous gore. Any hack can write that. Not that a little gore is bad. To this day, this movie still scares me. That says something. The sequels, good or bad, are still quite fun and entertaining. Michael Myers still has his scariness in all of them. That doesn't happen often. I can't stress enough the fact that Halloween is a masterpiece of cinematic terror. The only thing that resembles Halloween is the original "Scream". May Halloween live on to terrify trick or treaters for decades to come.

Rating:
Summary: You've Never Seen Halloween Like This Before
Review: The remastering of both the video and audio on this movie blew me away. Before I bought a DVD player, I had the VHS equivilant to this version of Halloween and the audio sucked. Finally, someone has revamped this film and even added some features to it. Trust me, the sound alone warrants a viewing. THX 5.1 Dolby Digital sound has changed this movie forever.

Rating:
Summary: Halloween gets the dusting off and re-issue it deserves
Review: Pop it in and have a look. It's still the best. Halloween set a standard that no one bothered to live up to and so it remains atop a heap of Jasons and Freddies and masked idiocy that I can't even remember the names of. The thing is, Halloween isn't an excercise in teen-slashing. It is a horror movie that explores (in the urgent rantings of Donald Pleasence) the nature and inevitability of evil. Remember, Michael Myers isn't a punk kid in a mask. He is, like the shark in Jaws, something bigger and scarier and unstoppable. With the additional 12 minutes that was added for television now restored, those ruminations are explored even more in-depth. And that's cool. My one small complaint would be that too much is shown of the young Michael Myers. When Donald Pleasence describes the young kid (evil...pure evil) you get chills. Now, when you actually see more of the young Myers, you kind of wonder where his skateboard is and if he has enough bus fare to make it back to Pasadena. But a teeny tiny complaint. This movie - now 12 minutes longer - is the real thing. The work of people who cared what kind of movie they were making.

Rating:
Summary: John Carpenter's Opus!!
Review: In the fall of 1978, little known horror/action film director, John Carpenter, unleashed upon the unsuspecting movie-going public a motion picture experience the likes of which they would never forget.

A film about a little boy, named Michael, who 15 years after killing his older sister, escapes from a sanitarium and returns to his home town of Haddonfield, IL to continue his bloody, psychotic killing spree on Halloween night.

A film so incredibly terrifying and overwhelmingly suspenseful that it led movie critic Roger Ebert to say, "...I would compare it to 'Psycho'".

The movie, a small independent horror film made for only around $300,000, entitled "HALLOWEEN".

There are many characteristics of "Halloween" that truly set it a mark above every horror/suspense movie that has followed it to date.

#1 The film itself is very well written, and, unlike the many films that have followed in its footsteps, truly does rely on suspense and atmosphere to provide the terror it emanates rather than simply a lot of blood and gore. This gives "Halloween" a very Hitchcock-ian feel, making Mr. Ebert's comparison of it to "Psycho" entirely precise and very well-placed.

#2 Michael Myers is a very straightforward presence, he really is "pure evil" and he doesn't pretend to be anything else. He is what he is, and that's it. Unlike the current trend of horror films which tend to make a guessing game out of discovering the identity of the killer, who usually turns out to be only half evil anyway, there is no pondering upon that matter here. Michael is a killing machine (much like the Great White Shark in "JAWS") whose only motivation is to stalk each of his victims methodically and systematically until the time is just right for him to make his next kill. Michael (aka "the Shape") is exactly the kind of villain that serious audiences watch horror films for, one that is so realistic that it's terrifying.

#3 Every single actor/actress in "Halloween" was cast perfectly for his/her role. Nick Castle gives the definitive portrayal of Michael Myers (his actions and emotions truly do show through the mask and mechanics suit, a feat only a true actor could ever achieve), Jamie Lee Curtis (in her motion picture debut) is excellent as the film's heroine Laurie Strode (in my opinion this is absolutely her finest performance), and Donald Pleasance turns in a stellar, Oscar-worthy performance as Dr. Sam Loomis. Those 3 are certainly the the film's stand-outs, but P.J. Soles and Nancy Loomis are quite fine in their roles as well.

#4 The musical score for "Halloween", composed by John Carpenter, is very chilling and sets the tone for the film perfectly. The "Halloween" theme is indeed the scariest and most recognizable in all of horror film history.

Everyone that was involved in the process of bringing "Halloween" to "life", knew exactly what they wanted to achieve when making this movie, and that fact shows through clearly in every scene in the film, from beginning to end.

"Halloween" is truly a horror film landmark. It has led to many inferior (not necessarily all bad) imitations including "Friday the 13th", "A Nightmare On Elm Street", and "Scream", just to name a few.

The "Halloween" series itself now includes 7 films, with number 8 set to be released in the fall of 2001. The highlights in the series are the original film, "Halloween II" and "Halloween H20". All the films (including the infamous "Halloween III: Season of the Witch"), however, are thoroughly entertaining and very enjoyable.

"Halloween" certainly is a classic. Anyone, even those who don't particularly care for horror, who hasn't seen it yet, should make it a point to do so. I promise, they won't be disappointed.