• Director: John Carpenter
• With: Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasence, Tony Moran, P.J. Soles, Nancy Kyes, Charles Cyphers, Kyle Richards, Brian Andrews
• Duration: 93 min
• Music by: The Bowling Green Philharmonic Orchestra (aka John Carpenter)
• My rating: 7,5/10

Synopsis:

The year is 1963, the night: Halloween. Police are called to 43 Lampkin Ln. only to discover that 15 year old Judith Myers has been stabbed to death, by her 6 year-old brother, Michael. After being institutionalized for 15 years, Myers breaks out on the night before Halloween. No one knows, nor wants to find out, what will happen on October 31st 1978 besides Myers’ psychiatrist, Dr. Loomis. He knows Michael is coming back to Haddonfield, but by the time the town realizes it, it’ll be too late for many people.

Review:

I am having a little Halloween movie marathon the coming weeks in preparation for the final movie ‘Halloween Ends’, coming later this year and in celebration of the slasher genre and John Carpenter, still one of the best horror directors.

It all started in 1978 when this movie was released. I was born the year after so unfortunately I never got to experience it in theatres.

Jamie Lee Curtis was cast as a tribute to her mother, who played a part in Psycho. Jamie got the title ‘Scream Queen’ because of this movie, which would later lead to a part in the tv-series ‘Scream Queens’. (Later she would be called ‘Thé Final Girl’) Jamie Lee Curtis would pick up her role as Laurie Strode again in six more Halloween movies (more on those when I review them, after (re)watching those…

I know this movie is a favourite for many many people (it ìs a classic!) and I concur, it’s a great slasher movie, a great stalker movie as well and for me the soundtrack is one of my favourites (I listen to it very often!) but I would not call this my favourite horror or slasher movie, neither my favourite John Carpenter movie either (that would be a tie between The Thing and Christine)

A lot had to do with the very, véry dark scenes in the movie. At times you just can’t see what’s going on and you have to use your imagination. I’m sure people will tell me that’s just the thing that makes it very scary and adds to the suspense… I think Carpenter should have invested just a little bit more into lighting… the other reason is that there’s no real motive to Myers’ actions… (wasn’t Laurie a forgotten sister of Michael? I thought they mentioned that in this movie but apparently I got that all wrong or mixed up with another Halloween movie?)

But apart from those two reasons, this still is a very suspenseful movie about a crazy stalker, who preys on innocent (or not so innocent?) girls. (Spoiler alert now! If you haven’t seen the movie yet, a classic, then you’re a nitwit… sorry but this should be watched by everyone at least once!) There could be a hidden message because only the virgins survive this movie and the girls (and boy) that aren’t end of killed! My my 😱 (now what did Randy tell us in Scream?)

I would love to express my love for one other thing in this movie: the credits at the beginning of the movie with the carved pumpkin burning and the camera inching closer towards its eye and ‘nose’, that is one of the eeriest beginning of a movie ever made! (Have you seen that pumpkin’s grin?!) 🎃

At the end of my marathon (Halloween Ends won’t be until I buy it on blu-ray, I’m afraid), I’ll give all movies a ranking… I will also watch ‘Season of the Witch’ and the two Rob Zombie reboots… so keep a watch out for those reviews as well! 😉