Halloween

Halloween is an absolutely merciless thriller...I would compare it to "Psycho."

From a shock-and-suspense point-of-view, Halloween is the rival of Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho." With only a few arguable exceptions (such as "The Exorcist"), there isn't another post-1970 release that comes close to it in terms of scaring the living hell out of a viewer... A modern classic of the most horrific kind. more

Turn off the lights. Put on the widescreen version, showcasing Carpenter’s masterful framing and chill-inducing, Michael Myers-concealing use of shadows. Crank up the sound, and be scared witless by horror’s greatest director. more

Carpenter displays an almost perfect understanding of the mechanics of classical suspense; his style draws equally (and intelligently) from both Howard Hawks and Alfred Hitchcock. more

There's nary a drop of blood on screen in this rollicking funhouse of a movie but there is enough sheer cinematic ingenuity on display to coax screams out of the most jaded gorehound. more

Not entirely without some laughable or dated scenes, Halloween remains an original that continues to inspire a genre and probe middle America's fears about what's really lurking in the laundry room after midnight. more

This low-budget horror film, sophisticated far beyond its budget, is the work of John Carpenter, an authentic prodigy whose style recalls both Martin Scorsese and the Brian De Palma of "Carrie," but who has a metaphysical, sophomoric sense of humor both of those directors lack. more

Carpenter's brutally efficient exercise in tension and release. more

After a promising opening, Halloween becomes just another maniac-on-the-loose suspenser. However, despite the prosaic plot, director John Carpenter has timed the film's gore so that the 93-minute item is packed with enough thrills. more

Most horror fans will say that this movie is an essential classic, one of the best 70s slasher films ever, but I didn't think it was that great. Not that it isn't a good movie, it does have some suspenseful scenes, and the music is fantastic, but other than that, it's not any better than other slasher movies of the 70s. Good, but I wouldn't say it's one of the best. more

Watching this on the actual date of October 31st isn't the best idea. I know because I've done. The suspenseful soundtrack, breathtaking screams, and twists of fate make Halloween is horror time classic like none other. more

If I was going to pick one movie that should be considered the greatest horror movie of all time, this would probably be it. It gave birth to the slasher, exposed people to John Carpenter and made horror a profitable genre. The story is simple, yet effective. It pretty much sums up American suburbia fears, a psycho escaping from the local looney bin. It does so much for analyzing American culture. The best part is, it can be enjoyed by nearly anyone. It is amazing in the shear fact that it reaches out to so many different movie-goers. It's not a gross-out, but it plays on horror fans... more

Dr. Sam Loomis: I met him, fifteen years ago. I was told there was nothing left. No reason, no conscience, no understanding; even the most rudimentary sense of life or death, good or evil, right or wrong. I met this six-year-old child, with this blank, pale, emotionless face and, the blackest eyes... the devil's eyes. I spent eight years trying to reach him, and then another seven trying to keep him locked up because I realized what was living behind that boy's eyes was purely and simply... evil. Watching this movie again, for the umpteenth time, knowing every scare that will happen,... more

Classic, it?s the best man-in-a-mask-where-is-he-who?s-going-to-get-killed (Slasher) horror film ever. Carpenter is the best horror director by far, his music alone puts it miles ahead of the rest. The sight of Micheal Myers popping his head out from behind a bush is enough of a creepy scene to make any hardened horror film fan spill their tea and make a mess on the living room rug! Donald Pleasence is, as always, a pleasure to watch too! more

The 1978 horror/slasher classic that stands alone in the midst of films attempting to capture it's eerie essence. A remarkable film of it's genre. Donald Pleasence gives the film it's necessary humor as the killer's psychiatrist Dr. Sam Loomis as he moves about Haddonfield, Illinois in pursuit of the homicidal mental patient wearing a modified 1975 Captain Kirk mask. John Carpenter really stamped his name into the horror genre with this brilliant piece of cinema. more