Halloween

Rating:
Summary: One of the best...
Review: This film initially triggered my interest in the genre of horror. Quite simply, it is chilling. No matter who you are, where your from, the theme music is guaranteed to drive one mad. But if we had to preserve in a timeshell Carpenter's true prowess in the film, we'd save the "subtleties". Scenes representing that best were the creepy figures on the side of the road and Meyers standing in the clothesline. Like the 1973 "Texas Chainsaw", this film's gritty atmosphere is half the effect. At times a little unrealistic, but still in my top 3 in Horror. For now, it has safely secured the 2 spot behind the aforementioned "SAW".

'5 more days til Halloween'

Rating:
Summary: The night HE came home.....
Review: Halloween is hands down the greatest horror movie of all time, and, in my opinion, the best movie of all time from any genre. I am a horror movie buff, and this is the movie which started it all for me. Though there is a lack of blood and nudity, which are the two greatest parts of a horror movie, as we all know, Halloween makes up for it in sheer suspense. While it may not be the scariest movie ever, I have explained many times to many people that the knowledge of the existence of the Shape is enough to create a scare. In short, this is the best movie ever.

Rating:
Summary: Halloween's Still Enough to Scare
Review: After twenty some odd years you might expect that Halloween's lost it's appeal but to the contrary, it's as scary today as it was when it was first released. Directed by a young John Carpenter, staring a budding star in Jamie Lee Curtis and made for practicly nothing it's no wonder Halloween's made it into the yearly retation of scary movies come October. Curtis plays an awkward teen whose intellengence ostracizes her from most of her other classmates, a character trait that been beaten into the ground since. So she finds herself without a date, watching The Thing (which Carpenter went on to remake) as she babysits for one of her neighbors. The most frightening aspect is that Michael Myers intrudes on her daily life, she doesn't even have to leave home to find herself stalked by a knife-weilding manic. Dr. Loomis chimes in at the last moment to save the day but most of his part's a wash. He could've been utilized to ellaborate on Michael's condition, his sexual identity, his predatory instincts but instead is refined to telling tales of nothingness. Still for those of us interested in the dynamics of a serial killer it's worth analyzing, especially when you've seen it so often, it keeps things interesting. The DVD offers two versions of the film, but the twelve extra minutes serve little purpose but to break the pace of the film and is without of the 5.1 sound of the original. The digital sound and remastered picture quality make this well worthwhile, even for those of us duplicating the disc.

Rating:
Summary: A horror masterpiece
Review: This movie has a suspenseful horror feel about that really keeps the viewer wrapped up, then knocks him out of his seat. The creepiness and "what-happens-next" atmosphere will keep you guessing all the way through. The fact that a stalker has invaded a small Illinois town with one goal, to kill his sister, makes this movie so much better than your regular, predictable kill-fest. For an excellent scare, you cannot go wrong with this movie.

Rating:
Summary: The Greatest Horror Film of All Time; A TRUE Classic!!
Review: Recently I was at a the movies when a preview came up starting with "The scariest movie of all time...." and I was trying to guess what is was, and I said "Halloween?" instantly. Of course as you might know that movie ended up being The Exocist, another great movie, but I think Halloween is by far the greatest horror film ever. It has all the elements and then some more that are quite original; what I really like about Halloween and all the Halloween series is the concpet of pure evil. Michael has no reason for being the way he is; there is no tortured child sceanario. Just pure evil; that in itself is a frightening concept, and in this movie it is brought to the screen ingeniously. I think the addition of the plain white mask has such a great effect; it's almost an example of what is inside Michael's soul; nothing. The mask to me has a really, really creepy affect. Then of course, as no one reviewing this movie can leave out, there is the music. The theme song for this movie is PRICELESS. Have you ever heard a more ingenious score for a scary movie? It's literaltey fear in audio form. You have the fast paced melody in the forfront, that almost could stop like the beating of your heart and your pulse racing when you are afraid. Then you have the low, slow notes in the back, that just totally illustrate the psycho coming slowly to get you and the impending doom to come. And then on top of all this, you have this fast clock sound in the background, just making you think of how much time you have until it's over. The song is just unbelievable genious. I have to say that one of my favorite scenes in this movie is when Jaime Lee Curtis sees Michael through her window and between her drying sheets. *shiver*, it is so creepy. And this movie pulls it off so well without having a massive amount of blood and gore. It really gets to the root of human fear & evil. Nothing beats it.

Rating:
Summary: October 31, 1978...the horror begins...
Review: "Halloween" is by far a more effective and frightening horror film than some of the stuff that has come out recently. John Carpenter's use of angles, darkness and music come in full force to really scare the person who is watching the film, making it seem like they are there experiencing the events that are on screen.

The story: 6 year old Michael Myers stabs his sister, Judith, to death on Halloween, 1963. Fifteen years later in 1978, he escapes the institution and returns to his hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois where he sets his sights on three teenage babysitters (Jamie Lee Curtis in her first role, Nancy Loomis and PJ Soles). His longtime psychiatrist, Dr. Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasence) joins forces with Sheriff Leigh Brackett (Charles Cyphers) to find Myers before it is too late.

How anyone can hate this movie is beyond words. Everything is perfect ranging from the atmosphere to the music (especially the music!). Carpenter uses a simple piano medley to invoke the terror of Halloween night and "stingers" at the right moments to scare the audience to death. The acting is great. Donald Pleasence is made for his part, I couldn't even picture anyone else. Jamie Lee Curtis plays the virginal Laurie Strode quite well and uses her wits to outsmart the killer, while the two "ditzy" girls you know would be getting knocked off sooner or later because of their "bad" thoughts. This movie was, at one time, the most successful independent motion picture of all time until it was beaten out by "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles". Six sequels followed it, not coming anywhere close to what this one accomplished in frightening people.

Rating:
Summary: The Legacy of Halloween
Review: I have found the annversary edition of Halloween a must-have for aficianados of this movie. I have watched this movie countless times throughout my lie and it never ceases to amaze me how frightening it still remains to me. I would be hard pressed to come up with one single element that makes this movie the horror classic that it is. In truth, it is a combination of many things; the credibility given to the Michael Myers character through the dialogue of Donald Pleasance's character for one. The resourcefulness of the small budget cinematography crew to bring us the feeling of eerines. The classic musical score so recognizeable and enthralling. The writer's keen eye for believable character development from the naivete of Jamie Lee Curtis to the shallow prattle of the doomed girls...to the very silence and foreboding of Myers' character, itself. There is not one element that makes this movie the classic that it is; but a compilation of several things that come together for the end result. As a teenager watching this movie in 1978, I could not help but try to understand the mind of a young boy with such homicidal tendencies....and then follow that same boy into adulthood and the seemingly pointless butchery of so many. But in my search i came up empty handed and realized that the Myers character is not meant to be understood or analyzd. And that is one of the mystiques of the movie that has given it its staying power. And the 20 year legacy to us as moviegoers? For the masses who can remember when it first came out, halloween's legacy is the coming to terms with the fact that a millioon dollar special effects budget does not a classic horror story make. It is,rather, a labor of genius of the human nature and what truly and permanently scares us. My hat is off to Mr. Carpenter and Hill for this crowning achievement.

Rating:
Summary: Anchor Bay gives you all the extras
Review: There is no need to review the movie. It's a masterpiece. Enuff said. The real reason for my review is to inform you of the great extras Anchor Bay has added. There is a half hour documentary called Halloween Unmasked that features insightful interviews with Carpenter, Curtis, et al in which they reveal great trivia. (Did you know there is a real Mike Myers? Did you know the mask is really a Captain Kirk mask spray painted white?) There are also tons of publicity stills, trivia facts, trailers, etc. Definitely, a bargain. Go get it. This package is the best, period.

Rating:
Summary: Halloween It Isn't!
Review: Excellent DVD quality! The "extra" explaining how the film was made via the production crew, actors, and even the eyes and throat (unslahshed of course) of one of the "victims" actually rivals the movie itself! It's interesting to note that director Carpenter looked so young during the filming but has aged even less gracefully than the poor fellow left dangling on the wall. This movie is a horror classic with some major shortcomings. However, the spooky atmosphere and Carpenter's music score are so strong that it retains the overall "5 star" rating. The movie would have been much classier by starting the film with the psychiatrist's (the wonderful Donald Pleasence) drive to the mental hospital, and eliminating the truly sickening visual of such a young child doing something so hideous! In any case, the shot of the child's face should have been eliminated--This would have left much more to the audiences imagination instead of such a vivid and sickening image of (the face of) a child dressed in a clown costume. The third option would be to keep the clown mask on the child--Again to intensify the spooky atmosphere and audience imagination (which is less and less in effect these days). By seeing the child's face, it also make it less mysterious and scary. Likewise, the face of the stalker/mangler/boogeyman/psychopath should never have been revealed either! Ironically, the face shown as the stalker is not even really the same person who had actually done the stalking throughout the movie! On the contrary, the "ghost wearing glasses" scene is the epitome of a fantastic, imaginative, creative, scary, and even humorous (imagine successfully combining all those elements!) idea that was perfectly executed. The sequence of events that followed were fun and surprising, and pulled out all the stops! The movie pulls into full gear from that point on, and what follows the rest of the way (until the mask comes off) is perfect execution by the genius of Carpenter with some help from Debra Hill, the technical crew, and a fine cast of young actors. During the "extra", I was alarmed to see a previously dormant or undetected (two decades ago), small, uneven, very dark black mole on the chin of one of the actresses--It suggests to this reviewer a potential condition of skin cancer that should be checked and removed immediately by a trained medical professional (unfortunately, I have known people who have died seemingly overnight from a "harmless" mole that caused their bodies to deteriorate faster than Michael's big sister). By the way, for those who enjoyed this movie, I would strongly suggest attempting to purchase a little gem from 1974 entitled "Black Christmas". It is a more effective horror film (leaving more to the imagination) although it remains relatively unknown. It is currently unavailable from the plentiful amazon.com but you can request to be notified when it's back in print. Just do a search, typing in DVD (or VHS), Black Christmas, and go from there. Then you will have two memorable party favors to help create a screamingly festive atmosphere during two of your favorite holidays. One last thought about the amazingly frightening movie we call "Halloween": Why did trick or treaters fail to show up at any of the two featured houses? This is a noticable flaw that begs the question: "Was it really Halloween or do we need another sequel?"

Rating:
Summary: A Classic Movie!
Review: This is one of my all time favorite horror movies. This is a story of a young child who kills his sister and her boyfriend.He is put into an institution and is about to be released. A doctor (well played by Donald Pleasance) rushes to the institution to stop the release of Michael Myers. The doctor is too late and the monster is loose. Myers returns to his hometown on Halloween. A group of teenagers fall victim to him one by one. One of the children who is being babysat tabs Myers the "Boogie Man". After killing off the teenagers there is a final confrontation between Myers and Jamie Lee Curtis. Myers is stabbed by Curtis but rises from the dead. In the meantime the Doctor discovers where Myers is. The doctor shoots Michael Myers with a high caliber pistol anf blows him off of the balcony. The young boy asks the Doctor if Myers is the "Boogie Man". The Doctor says that yes Myers is the "Boogie Man". The young boy replies that you Can't kill the "Boogie Man". The Doctor looks over the balcony and Michael Myers is gone. This has to be one of the scariest endings to a movie that I have ever see. Be sure to see this movie,it is indeed a classic.