Photo: The New York Times
The 1978 classic horror flick directed by John Carpenter has become a staple of spooky season. In the film, audiences are introduced to the creepiest slasher in the void of horror movie slashers.
Michael Myers (Nick Castle) and his haunting mask prowl the streets of Haddonfield with Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and company in his sights.
The atmosphere established in the film by Carpenter is great at setting the audience up for a dreaded jump scare.
A scene that comes to mind is when Laurie is in class and the camera cuts to Myers staring at her from behind his trademark brown sedan. Talk about creepy.
In a similar scene, Laurie is at home looking outside the window, then the camera cuts again to Myers outside staring in. There’s also the scene where Myers can be seen driving while out of focus and then gradually in and out of the shot.
These scenes encompass much of the horror aspect of this film for me, as these moments serve to create a lingering dread as the events of the film unfold. This is a practice that I wish more horror movies would follow. Less gore, more atmosphere.
The score here is also iconic. Most people would be lying if they said they hadn’t heard the opening theme of the film’s beginning credits. The score was also composed by Carpenter, which I find to be pretty impressive.
It’s also worth noting how influential this film is and was to the slasher-movie genre, given the way it addresses atmosphere and the “stalkery” nature of the slasher.
This movie owes a lot to the Alfred Hitchcock film “Psycho” but does a good job in creating its own aesthetic.
I genuinely feel like “Halloween” is a perfect Halloween-season film. It nails the feel and creep factor that movies of its ilk have become accustomed to. It houses an amazing score and even the old-timey visual effects don’t make the scares any less scary.
If you’re looking for a movie to watch on Halloween, look no further. I mean come on, it’s in the name.
