Halloween

Horrorphile

follow this blog

975 followers

4455 daily readers

rank of 1

E-mail Subscription

Receive an e-mail notification of new posts on this site:

Halloween

October 30th 2007 23:52

“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!”

Haddonfield, Illinois, Halloween night, 1963. Through a POV we experience a figure stealthily approaching a house and through a window secretly watching a teenaged couple making out. The couple move upstairs. The figure then moves around to the back of the house, in the open back door, and acquires a large kitchen knife. Pausing unseen near the staircase the POV watches as the teenaged boy says goodbye to the girl and leaves the house. The POV then steadily climbs the stairs, stopping briefly to put on a white mask left on the staircase. The POV then approaches the girl’s bedroom and enters. She is half naked, combing her hair in front of her vanity mirror. She recognizes the POV, but it is too late. The masked figure begins savagely stabbing her. The figure then quickly retreats downstairs and out of the house, but is confronted at the gate by the parents arriving home. They pull the mask off and we see the figure is a six-year-old boy, clutching the bloody knife, a dazed expression on his innocent young face.

Will Sandin's ten seconds of fame as young Michael Myers

John Carpenter’s Halloween (1978) is without a shadow of a doubt one of the most influential and respected modern horror movies of all time. Yet its origins are modest, the production values incredibly economical, and the set-pieces decidedly restrained. Yet, time and time again - like Blade Runner in Greatest SF Movie lists – it features in the top five of critics and horror fans. It defined a sub-genre (stalk’n’slash), even though this type of flick had already been established at the start of the 70s (Twitch of the Death Nerve), while its central character went on to become one of the most infamous horror villains of all time.

Halloween Jamie Lee Curtis, PJ Soles and Nancy Loomis

Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis), Lynda (PJ Soles) and Annie (Nancy Loomis) on their way home from school

After brutally murdering his older sister young Michael Myers is incarcerated inside Smith’s Grove Warren County Sanitarium under the care of Dr. Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasence). Fifteen years have passed, and one stormy night on the eve of Halloween Michael Myers escapes the mental institution, and Loomis witnesses it. He travels immediately to Haddonfield, knowing for certain Myers is returning home … to kill again.

Donald Pleasence as Dr. Loomis

While Myers begins stalking naïve teenager Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her more precocious friends Annie (Nancy Loomis) and Lynda (P.J. Soles), Loomis tries to warn the local sheriff of the abject evil that has arrived in Haddonfield, but of course, no one quite believes the eccentric Dr. Loomis, and so, Myers begins his reign of terror.

Laurie senses something dangerous close by

Like Don Coscarelli did with Phantasm (1978), John Carpenter made Halloween for around $US300,000, of which about half was spent on the Panavision camera equipment to ensure the anamorphic widescreen image was as impressive as could be. Carpenter also employed the precursor to the Steadicam, the Panaglide, which his cinematographer Dean Cundey used to elegant, yet sensational effect.

Somthing dangerous IS close by

And, like Coscarelli, Carpenter handled several of the most important aspects of the production; he co-wrote and co-produced (with then partner Debra Hill), directed, and, very importantly, composed the electronic score. The music, especially the main theme, of Halloween is undeniably a major player in the movie. The unusual 5/4 time staccato piano riff with the big bottom end synth underlying it is genuinely spooky. Like John Williams' Jaws (1975) theme, it buries itself in the subconscious, mercilessly hammering on your primal fears.

Michael pins Bob (John Michael Graham) to the wall

There’s the doom-laden atmosphere, the creeping camerawork, the musical variations on the ominous main theme, but it is Carpenter’s exceptional compositions which maintain the movie’s palpable anxiety and paranoia. The way Carpenter frames Michael Myers, often having him out of shot, then edging in, accompanied by an electronic audio stab, that provides such a frightening sustained mood. The Shape is credited to these silhouettes, and it’s creepy as all hell.

Michael-as-Bob-as-ghost, and Linda has the last laugh

The movie was actually called The Babysitter Murders up until shooting began, with the action taking place over several days, however budget constraints meant they had to compound it all into a single day and night. One of the co-producers suggested Halloween as the setting, with its scary connotations, and what a brilliantly simple decision it turned out to be.

Michael's shrine to his murdered sister

Obviously due to budget reasons Carpenter couldn’t have any major special effects make-up sequences, and so opted for most of the violence to happen off-screen. This is one of the movie's numerous trump cards. The lack of graphic bloodletting is unsually effective, the movie constantly playing on the fear of the unknown. Michael Myers has no voice, no real motive, no sense of reasoning, he appears to be unstoppable. Laurie is babysitting young Tommy (Brian Andrews) who has seen Myers across the road carrying a corpse into a house. He is terrified; “But I saw the boogeyman! I saw him!” “Okay, what did he look like,” Laurie asks. Tommy pauses and thinks for a moment, “Ummmm … The boogeyman!”

Jamie tries to hide in a closet, but Michael finds her

Yup, Michael Myers is the boogeyman, evil incarnate. And Dr. Loomis knows this, which is why he isn’t that surprised at film’s end when after pumping Myers full of bullets that the body has vanished. “It was the boogeyman,” a dazed and traumatised Laurie utters. “As a matter of fact … that was,” replies Loomis.

Halloween Jamie Lee Curtis and Tony Moran

Just when Laurie thinks its all over ...

Many of modern horror's cliches were etched in Halloween, including the tricks of audience manipulation, which were abused to the point of buffoonery in the countless slasher flicks that followed. Yet, there is something inherently “pure” and unbridled about the way it is presented in Halloween. The victims aren’t really obnoxious (well Lynda is a little annoying) but they’re nowhere near as deserving as the hundreds who will follow. Michael Myers is on a mission, which involves poor Laurie Strode and those around her. He will stop at nothing, and it seems nothing will stop him.

Dr. Loomis makes a token effort

Halloween became the most successful independent movie ever made (if you exclude skin-flick Deep Throat), and remained at the top until The Blair Witch Project (1999) stole the trophy. There is a spare, minimalist style to Carpenter’s seminal cinema “Boo!” machine that transcends the genre. It is High Art masquerading as Grand Guignol, and although I have yet to see the remake, there is no way Rob Zombie’s re-imagining could ever hope to match the original’s sublime intensity. Halloween is the nightmare to end all nightmares; realism on the edge of the supernatural. It is a masterpiece of murder and manipulation.

Here is the US network television version teaser trailer, which is actually better than than the full-length theatrical trailer (but I could only find a lo-res clip):

154

Vote

subscribe to this blog

follow this blog on Orble

start your own blog

[ Link ]

Posted By: Bryn - Category: movie reviews

Related Posts:

Relate This Post

[ Previous - Halloween II ]

[ Next - Alien ]

Comments

11 Comments. [ Add A Comment ]

Comment by KylieW

October 31st 2007 06:17

Celebrity Obsession

A timely review. Bloody great movie too.

Comment by JohnDoe

November 1st 2007 01:05

Film & TV on DVD

Another top review Bryn, (Though I'm sure writing about this pleasure was no burden but to do it justice)

Good god that chilling music combined with the forced perspective ,sneaking background appearances of Michael still get me.

It is an incredibly economical film and not just financially. It takes a skill to limit the blood while building your killer up with that chilling story of him sitting silently in his room.

Despite on the copy cats that came later, there is still a genuine terror in viewing this film alone at midnight on October 31 with all the lights out.

Comment by JohnDoe

November 1st 2007 01:08

Film & TV on DVD

PS - That TV spot really captures the essence of the film, though i don't recall that shot of the boy in the room at the start.

Comment by Bryn

November 1st 2007 01:25

Horrorphile

Kylie, yeah, go Carpenter.

JD, cheers dude, it's been a year coming this review. The image of young instituitonalised Michael Myers was shot during Halloween II and was inserted along with a few other bits and pieces into the US televised version of Halloween, and was a less violent version as well. Yeah, the TV spot is great though!

Comment by Miswanderlust

November 2nd 2007 13:32

Killer Beats
Ramble On
Hipnotherapy

Bryn
Great review. The first time I watched this movie, my friends and I were totally blitzed when we saw this movie in the theatres. When I watched it again years later, it was a totally "different" movie. HAHAHA
Mis

Comment by Bryn

November 3rd 2007 01:17

Horrorphile

Mis, I envy you, I'd have loved to have seen this at the cinemas when it came out, but alas, I was too young (10-yrs-old), instead I saw the sequel when it came out, then saw Halloween on VHS (the damn pan and scan version) ... Finally years later I got to see the full aspect ratio (2.35:1) widescreen version and realised just how much I'd been missing!!
... btw I'm not holding my breath for Rob Zombie's version.

Comment by Miswanderlust

November 3rd 2007 04:05

Killer Beats
Ramble On
Hipnotherapy

Bryn
You know I am so going to see Rob's version. It might disappoint but I will be open minded!
Mis

Comment by Damo

November 5th 2007 04:16

Donald Pleasence is still one of my favorite actors for horror flick. This gut was just plain creepy and charismatic at the same time.

I am so glad he was used in this film.