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Halloween

Starring: Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: John Carpenter
Genre: Horror
Year: 1978
Rating: 2 / 5

John Carpenter's Halloween is generally considered to be one of the defining works of the horror genre. Unfortunately, at the onset of the twenty-first century, that statement says more about the state of horror films than it does about Halloween itself. Halloween may have once been a pioneering piece of entertainment, but in an era where films like Scream have made us reexamine horror films as a whole, it seems boring and dated. I will not hold Halloween accountable for its numerous sequels, none of which amount to anything substantive. I will, however, hold John Carpenter and Halloween accountable for an less-than-thrilling plot and overly bland characters.

On Halloween in 1963, Judith Myers, just sixteen years old, is brutally murdered by her younger brother Michael. Did I mention that Michael is barely out of kindergarten? Flash forward fifteen years, where Dr. Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasence) is due to visit the adult Michael Myers in a psychiatric facility. When he arrives, though, patients are running free about the hospital grounds. One patient, Myers himself, attacks Dr. Loomis' vehicle, eventually prying it from its worried owners. Though Myers has been imprisoned for the majority of his life, Dr. Loomis knows precisely where the unstable man is heading - home.

Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) is a socially inept high school student in Michael Myers' hometown. Uncomfortable around guys and often the butt of jokes, Laurie has resigned herself to babysitting on Halloween, a night when all of her friends will be out with their significant others. Laurie's calm evening is disrupted when Michael Myers returns to town, wrecking havoc on the neighborhood. It soon becomes apparent that Myers has no intention of letting Laurie or her friends survive the night. The only question is whether or not help - in the form of Dr. Sam Loomis - will arrive in time.

Director John Carpenter deserves some credit for Halloween, but not enough to salvage the film. Carpenter's score is somewhat chilling, though it becomes rather repetitive halfway through the film. He avoids some of the cliches pointedly touched upon in current spoofs, but his characters still seem to lack a certain degree of common sense. Donald Pleasence elicits groans with each entrance, as his character invariably signals the onset of sleep for the viewer. By contrast, he almost makes Jamie Lee Curtis' scenes worth watching. Almost. Halloween offers an inspired opening, one which the rest of the film cannot live up to. It ends up as one unhappy children's holiday - a few tricks but no treats.

Cast:

Certification: Rated R for violence.
Running Time: 91 minutes.

Additional Info: Internet Movie Database
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