Halloween (1978)

Halloween (1978)

Dir- John Carpenter

What most slasher flicks lack are the classic elements of horror; suspense, terror, and the sheer emotion of fright. Considering this, John Carpenter presents what may be one the best slasher movies ever made. The movie starts with a flashback; a boy finds a mask and walks over to his sister's room, and commits a brutal murder. We soon see him unmasked, and the shock that such a young boy committed this heinous deed sets the tone for the movie. After many years he escapes the asylum and returns home to commit even more murders. We then meet up with Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), who is forced to babysit on a night when she would rather be out with her friends. Little do they realize that this will be their last Halloween? The Shape (That is his nickname) is stalked by his psychiatrist Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasance), a man who tried to help him and now wishes to put him away once and for all. What makes Halloween so great and original is that the movie makes excellent use of the Bogeyman theme, which we all find scary. We also have a great musical score and excellent use of widescreen in what is a true low-budget movie. Making over 80 million when it was released, and with it came the sudden rush of even cheaper imitations.