This week,
HALLOWEEN (1978)
Starring- Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis, P.J. Soles
Directed by John Carpenter
Of all the slasher/serial killer/thriller movies, this is my favorite. Made with a tiny budget, a relatively unknown cast, and a William Shatner mask, Halloween set the standard for a new wave of scary movies. Forget Freddie and Jason, I'm a Michael Myers fan. Admittedly, there is a lot of cheesey stuff in this movie, but I'm sorry to say it still scares me.
Set in Haddonfield, Illinois, this film chronicles the return of Michael Myers to his hometown to finish a killing spree he started as a small boy. He is the epitome of evil, and is hunted by the very knowledgeable expository character, Dr. Loomis (Pleasence). Jamie Lee Curtis plays the prime target of Myers' murderous rampage, and makes her scream-queen mother proud in her breakout performance. The amateurish look of the film adds to the scariness, and there are few things more haunting than the eerie score, composed by director and writer John Carpenter.
Forget the compromised new Halloween by Rob Zombie, or the many craptacular sequels like H20 or whatever, and watch the original again, or for the first time. Even though there are a few predictable and even annoying parts, there are enough good scares to make this my favorite Halloween movie.
Things to watch for-
Sexy teenagers who meet untimely ends
Wire hangers/knitting needles save lives
The bitchin' van
A potential sequel?
"Was that the Boogey Man?"