This movie is the original and best Halloween movie of the series. I count this film as one of my all time favourites and I would watch it any time, not just at Halloween. It is directed by John Carpenter and stars scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasence.
I think that everyone on the planet should know the plot of this movie but just in case I will do a short synopsis. A young boy called Michael Myers kills his sister. He is sent to an institution. He escapes. A young girl called Laurie Strode(Jamie Lee Curtis) is babysitting on Halloween night and she is unaware that the escaped lunatic Michael Myers is watching her from afar and he is waiting until Halloween night to get her. He kills her pals and then they have a confrontation and she injures him, but when she looks for the body, it isn't there...Hence the sequels!
I love this movie and I always have because it doesn't rely on gore or effects. There is the brilliant music which gives the movie a creepy feel. Dr Loomis, played by Pleasence is desperate to get Michael back behind bars where he belongs. You can see his desperation on his face. Michael Myers is the bogeyman and the weird mask makes you wonder what is under that mask. Is it so horrific that we wouldn't want to see? What is Michael's motivation? There are some things better left to the imagination. I like that Michael doesn't get to Laurie until the end. The tension is building throughout the movie and then the climax is well done. Some people don't like the subtlety of this movie and they prefer the remake, but I think that the remake is fine,but I prefer this original movie.
Movies these days rely too much on gore for attracting viewers and I have to admit that I don't mind that, but I would much prefer a horror movie with a good story and some tension. I like the cat and mouse element to this film and I enjoy the fact that you have to wait until the end for the showdown. This movie has everything that you would want in a horror movie. There is a bad man, a weak victim who turns out to be stronger than she could ever have imagined and a creepy atmosphere. What more could you ask? The remakes of this movie are okay, but there is never going to be another movie like this one. The days of tension and subtle terror are long over. I am going to watch this on Halloween as I do every single year and I will enjoy it..If you can, you should check it out. If you haven't seen it, then you are in for a treat and if you have, well, you will know that you are going to enjoy it!
John Carpenter's Halloween is my favorite fright Flick of all time.
ReplyDeleteThere is so much I love about this film. What you said about the subtle use of gore was right on.
One wonders how the movie would have turned out if J.C. would have had a larger budget to work with. They say sometimes "less is more", well I think that's exactly what J.C. was able to do.
He took a nice little interdependently made movie with a budget of just over $300K and when it was all said and done it not only grosses over $47 Million, but goes on to be one of the best made and most scariest horror movies of all time.
I also write about the movie on my blog if you would like to check it out.