Halloween will always be my favourite horror movie. Don't know what it is that makes it so special, but everything just gel's together so perfectly from the plot to the haunting piano keys in the iconic theme to the emotionless mask of Michael Myers.
The story is pretty straightforward, which is what makes it so frightening because it's relatable and is not outside of the realm of possibility. I can see myself reading about this in an article online about a boy stabbing his family to death after a night out trick or treating, spending the majority of his life in a mental institution, escaping and going back to finish off the job.
The scene that haunted me when I first saw this film (8 Years Old) is where Michael obliterates the closet door and the light flickers on and off while Laurie screams for her life and tries to fight her brother off with whatever she could find, and why????? Because I had the exact same looking closet in my bedroom at the time and I could see myself in Lauries situation. And that's where the horror lies. It's being able to relate to the characters and putting yourself in their shoes. You feel for Laurie, and you want her to live, you care about what will happen to her because your invested in the character thats portrayed. So many horror films of today rely on cheap jump scares and gore, I wish horror directors/writers would look and study Carpenter's Halloween.
What tie's all the horror together is the music. When I first heard the Halloween theme, It stuck in my head for weeks and I slept with the light on with talk-back radio turned up. The key strokes are simple, its only 4 notes, but it does the job, and it sums up everything about this film. It's simplicity is what makes it a terrifying thrill ride. Halloween came out at the perfect time, 1978, it's 2015 and still stands the test of time.
The story is pretty straightforward, which is what makes it so frightening because it's relatable and is not outside of the realm of possibility. I can see myself reading about this in an article online about a boy stabbing his family to death after a night out trick or treating, spending the majority of his life in a mental institution, escaping and going back to finish off the job.
The scene that haunted me when I first saw this film (8 Years Old) is where Michael obliterates the closet door and the light flickers on and off while Laurie screams for her life and tries to fight her brother off with whatever she could find, and why????? Because I had the exact same looking closet in my bedroom at the time and I could see myself in Lauries situation. And that's where the horror lies. It's being able to relate to the characters and putting yourself in their shoes. You feel for Laurie, and you want her to live, you care about what will happen to her because your invested in the character thats portrayed. So many horror films of today rely on cheap jump scares and gore, I wish horror directors/writers would look and study Carpenter's Halloween.
What tie's all the horror together is the music. When I first heard the Halloween theme, It stuck in my head for weeks and I slept with the light on with talk-back radio turned up. The key strokes are simple, its only 4 notes, but it does the job, and it sums up everything about this film. It's simplicity is what makes it a terrifying thrill ride. Halloween came out at the perfect time, 1978, it's 2015 and still stands the test of time.