Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

A soulless killer, Michael Myers, escapes from the asylum and returns to the Illinois town where he murdered his sister 15 years earlier to wreak havoc on Halloween night. Donald Pleasence is on hand as Myers' seriously concerned doctor.John Carpenter's "Halloween" (1978) is hailed as the progenitor and blueprint for the slasher craze of the 80s with staples like the unstoppable masked killer, fake scares, the final girl and the undead dead. Of course, "Halloween" was influenced by earlier slashers or quasi-slashers, like "Psycho" (1960), "Dementia 13" (1963), "A Bay of Blood" (1971) "Torso (1973), "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (1974) and "Black Christmas" (1974). "Friday the 13th" (1980) and its sequels took the "Halloween" template and added other elements, like the summer camp setting and an devolving supernatural killer.Whilst I prefer the "Friday" films, "Halloween" has more class than many slashers that followed, like the unimaginatively blunt "The Slumber Party Massacre" (1982). It also keeps the proceedings deadly serious unlike ones that added humor and campiness, such as "Friday the 13th Part 3" (1982). The film establishes some quality atmosphere with the raining sanitarium escape and the Halloween night sequences. The creepy ambiance is helped by the moody score composed and performed by Carpenter.Although the story takes place in a fictional Illinois town, the film was shot in the Los Angeles area (South Pasadena and Hollywood, etc.), which is okay since the neighborhood scenes could be Anytown, USA. What's NOT okay is how the trees clearly reveal that it's not late October.Other problems include a tedious lack of drive and some weak dialogue, like the girls' conversation walking home from school, which doesn't ring true. Speaking of the girls, they're decent, but not nearly as good as the "Friday" films. Nancy Kyes (Loomis) is arguably the best as Annie, followed by Jamie Lee Curtis as the main protagonist (whose mother, Janet, starred in "Psycho"). Flighty, but likable PJ Soles is also on hand. Another dubious part is the doctor hiding in the bushes by the abandoned Myers' abode speaking portentously.I appreciate "Halloween" because it's classy, atmospheric and it's a superb pick for the fall season; it also holds an eminent place in horror history. But, in light of the above flaws, it's a tad overrated by gushing fans.GRADE: B

There are a number of films that have been credited as the progenitor of the modern day slasher film. "Psycho," Italian Giallo films, and 70s's exploitation films like "The Town that Dreaded Sundown," "Black Christmas," or "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" are all often cited as early examples of slasher films, but it's really John Carpenter's "Halloween" that set the formula of the unstoppable killer dispensing with hapless oversexed teens. Those other films all had elements of the slasher film formula, but "Halloween" is the one that cemented the slasher film genre tropes (including but not limited to the final girl, don't have sex, and the masked emotionless killer). Set in the fictional everytown American city of Haddonfield, Illinois, the story takes place on Halloween night 15 years after the horrific murders by a young boy named Michael Myers. Myers (simply referred to in the credits as "The Shape") escapes from the mental institution where he's been housed since childhood to come back home with unprovoked murder on his mind. Jamie Lee Curtis (the real-life daughter of Psycho's Janet Leigh in her film debut) and her group of gal pals (including P.J. Soles) are babysitting and fooling around with their boyfriends on Hallows eve when Myers begins his rack up a body count. The story is lean and efficient, but it's Carpenter's masterful building of suspense that makes this films such a classic. Instead of relying on cheap scares and gratuitous violence (there's actually very little blood or graphic violence), Carpenter takes the time to develop his characters and to take the time to build suspense (Carpenter once derided jump scares, saying anyone can do that. Just run a hundred frames black and then insert one white frame with a loud noise and the audience will jump.) This focus on character and suspense elevates "Halloween" compared to most of it's ilk. Also worth noting is Nick Castle's performance as The Shape, giving an eerie performance that's better than you'd expect. On a side note, Castle went on to co-write "Escape from New York" with Carpenter and to also direct the very underrated comedy "Major Payne." Most slasher film simply cast a stuntman in these types of roles, but Castle brings something special to Myers (wearing what is actually a Captain James T. Kirk rubber mask sprayed white, with the eyebrows and sideburns removed). Many may discount Castle's performance and contribution to the film, but as fans of the Friday the 13th films know, Kane Hodder is by far the best of all the actors to play Jason Voorhees. Besides the excellent suspense and the frightening emotionless killer, Carpenter's score is the final crucial element that makes this film so memorable and such a horror classic. Carpenter's synthesizer heavy score is eerie, jarring, and terrifying all at once. Two of these three elements will be part of the 2018 Halloween sequel/reboot (Nick Castle returning as The Shape and Carpenter returning to score the film) and I'm hopeful the suspense will equal Carpenter's masterful touch. Subsequent sequels where Carpenter was not involved (part 4 onward) relied more on routine slasher violence and didn't bother to build much suspense, which was the downfall of the franchise, along with an overly complicated and ridiculous backstory for Myters (although I will say I was a fan of Rob Zombie's reboot films). Donald Pleasence as Myers' twitchy and terrified psychiatrist is also a standout in the film. Carpenter's also inserts all sorts of fun film nerd inside jokes throughout the picture, particularly if you're a fan of Howard Hawks films. Overall, "Halloween" is arguably THE most influential film on modern day horror cinema and although it's pacing can be slow and almost meandering at times, once it revs up, it's a suspenseful thrill ride that holds up to this day. FUN FACT! Donald Pleasence told John Carpenter the main reason he took the part of Dr. Loomis was because his daughter, who was a musician, loved Carpenter's score for his previous film, "Assault on Precinct 13."

This movie is an amazing classic horror for its time. Even if you don't like horrors this is one that's good to watch. Now with the new 2018 one coming out this year it is a direct sequel to the original. So if your looking at watching the new one I suggest watching the original one first.

Halloween is easily one of the most influential and recognizable horror movies ever made. Even people who are largely unfamiliar with horror genre will likely still be able to identify the horror cliches that Halloween started, much like Friday the 13th and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The iconic soundtrack and (unique for it's time) scene structure blend together to make a creepy and thrilling atmosphere that most movies can't pull off to this day. The story is may seem cliche now, but it's told supremely well, and adds a lot of suspense. I can't really criticize the predictability of the movie because for it's time, it was really unique. What I feel like I can criticize though is the second act of the movie. It just feels like filler, and nothing of consequence happens. I feel like it was there to add suspense, but being bored while watching a horror film isn't good. The acting is also kind of hit or miss, especially with the child actors, but I can look past that for the most part. Any fan of horror should see Halloween, even if it feels a bit dated by today's standards.