Halloween - La notte delle streghe

I was 20 back in 1978, and saw this on opening weekend. I knew nothing of it, and after growing up on the old Hammer films, followed by a period of almost nothing, this was quite a nice surprise. It really worked! Had me checking the back seat in cars, gave me a sinking feeling when I lost my keys, etc. The low death toll and relative lack of blood, as compared to subsequent slasher films, has me really admiring how effectively it created the atmosphere & suspense that kept me on edge, and made me jump at the right places. I certainly don't jump any more at it, but I do have fun remembering what it was like watching it when the now-cliches were fresh & new. I laugh at the 'horror' flicks of the 30s & 40s, but when they were new, I bet they were something. And I bet in another 20 years, today's toddlers will find Scream/IKWYDLS, et al, to be tame and passe too, at least compared to what they'll (& I'll) be watching then!

I'm surprised at the number of people half my age who wish they could've been around to see this film when it was brand new!

Looking back, Halloween probably scared me more when it was new, than other horror movies have,when they were new. Horror films are indebted to Halloween for breaking some new ground, and I can't wait for the next horror film that will do something on a similar scale.

Halloween is a hands down classic horror film. John Carpenter made a film that was often imaited but never duplicated. The camera angles are one of the many things that make the film scary. Carpetner allows the viewer to see through the eyes of the killer with the subjective camera and then there's the classic music score. Jamie Lee Curtis had a star making role in this movie and if you've never seen the film you should.

The best slasher ever made, and arguably one of the best horror movies ever made. John Carpenter is a genius. Amazing direction, an atmosphere built upon suspense and terror, effective use of first person pov shots. Immensely influential this movie birthed the best slasher villain, the best final girl, and the best soundtrack/theme. Above average acting and great performances from Jaime lee Curtis and Donald Pleasence (RIP). Although Texas Chainsaw and Black Christmas came before, this was the blueprint that sent the 80's into a slasher frenzy.

Halloween(1978)stars a very young Jamie Lee Curtis, the late Donald Pleasance, and, among others, P.J. Soles(the cap-brat from Carrie). The story centers around the demented/catatonic-schizophrenic Michael Myers and the brutal, cold-blooded murder of his oldest sister in 1963(done by him). Now it is fifteen years later and Michael has escaped the sanitarium and is headed for Haddonfield, Illinois, home of Laurie Strode(Curtis), his sister who was adopted shortly after the 1963 murder. Laurie has no idea about her past and wanders around with her friends, seemingly free of worry, and unaware that her every step is under careful watch from hiding eyes.

In the long run I am at a loss for words. Everything is here. And it's even terrifying...and a slasher movie, what a combination. Slasher movies, to me, usually aren't scary. But Halloween is. Seriously, if you haven't seen it yet you are really missing out. It's a rare achievement in film history and is one of the best horror movies ever made. It's a perfect 10/10 all the way!!!

John Carpenter's Halloween is quite frankly a horror masterpiece. It tells the immortal story of escaped mental patient Michael Myers, who returns to his hometown on Halloween night to stalk and kill a group of babysitters.

This was the first and without doubt the best in the Halloween franchise. Carpenter shows great restraint in pacing the story very slowly and building likable characters; unusual for a horror picture.

Even more unusual is the non-existence of blood and gore, and yet it remains the scariest Halloween to date.

Halloween marked the film debut of Jamie Lee Curtis and a defining point in the late great Donald Pleasence's career. A true classic.