Halloween

Halloween is widely known as the mother of what we now know as a slasher film. On today’s standards it would probably be dismissed as a thriller because slashers are now associated with brutal scenes of murder and rape. Halloween differs because it cleverly disguises it’s killings with darkness and allows the viewer to use their imagination. In that sense it largely resembles what I consider the best horror movie ever made, Psycho. Both films leave the blood stains on the audience’s memory rather than the victim’s body.

The movie begins with a simple backdrop. Michael Myers has just finished murdering his sister for reasons that are left unexplained. This normally would be a problem, but as Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasaence) explains throughout the movie, Michael is not normal. He normally refers to him as an “it” instead. This blocks almost any plot hole that someone can come up with while watching. You might ask why he even cares to kill these teenagers. That’s easy; he doesn’t know the different between good and evil.

Another way the film covers up any loose ends is by referring to Michael as the “boogie man.” Numerous times you think (or want to think) he has finally died. But Tommy (Brian Andrews) puts it best: “…you can’t kill the boogie man!” Even after the film ends you have a sense it’s still playing because many people have their own image of the boogie man.

Time is something you start to hate while watching Halloween. After Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) walks up the haunted Myers house Michael begins stalker her and her friends. Director John Carpenter begins building tension with Annie’s babysitting scenes. You know she could be killed at any moment but Myers instead haunts the viewer to the point of insanity. After you see her get locked in the laundry room you think her time in this film has ended but the relentless stalking continues. He appears in the background many times before anyone actually comes into contact with him. Above all, these scenes are consumed by great natural lighting. The visual appearances are combined with occasional breathing from behind Michael’s mask - just like the beginning of the movie when he kills his sister. This keeps the viewer on edge at all times.

The film also plays with the idea of everyone being a little bit evil. Even Dr. Loomis has his fun with some kids daring each other to enter the haunted Myers home. You get the sense that everyone who has died had a reason for being killed. I guess you could say Michael is the judge and there is no jury. Naturally every story must have a character the audience can fight for. This is where Laurie comes in. Early on in the movie she is regarded by her friends as a “girl scout.”

All of these aspects combined create an effective horror film. It will stand the test of time because of the numerous connections it makes with American culture. Just as the story of the boogie man will live on, so will Halloween. Audiences will continue to find themselves in the film either as Laurie or one of her friends but hopefully not Michael Myers.