Day 20: Halloween

20. Halloween (1978
Dir: John Carpenter
Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasance, P.J. Soles, Nancy Loomis, Nick Castle

The seventies was quite a time to be alive for independent filmmakers. Where notable upcoming directors like Martin Scorsese, Brian De Palma, or even the blockbuster duo of Spielberg and Lucas had become part of a new wave of inventive and fully independent directors, the same thing was happening on the other side of the pond for the horror genre. People like; George A. Romero, Tobe Hooper, Wes Craven, Dario Argento, David Cronenberg and John Carpenter had broke onto the scene and found an audience. I give you this introduction due to the fact that the independent film I speak of today was at the time the most successful independent film ever made, yes I speak of the 1978 slasher classic Halloween.

After viewing Carpenter's 1976 film Assault on Precinct 13 independent film producer Irwin Yablans and financier Moustapha Akkad sought out Carpenter to direct a film about a serial killer that stalked babysitters. With a working title of "The Babysitter Murders" you wouldn't think this film would of came together like it did, but by god they managed to make movie history.

Changing the name to Halloween to go with the holiday setting, Halloween's production costs were tight, but Carpenter and company found ways to work around the difficulties. Carpenter himself would direct, co-write and compose the film's iconic score while working with a few cheaper actors, including newcomer Jamie Lee Curtis and screen veteran Donald Pleasance.

The setting is Haddonfield, Illinois where we first learn of the Myers residence. Formerly a seemingly normal household until the families' young son Michael murdered his sister on Halloween. Years later we follow the life of high school student Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her group of baby-sitting friends. Soon enough a now adult Michael has escaped from the sanitarium and donning a white mask (Which in actuality was a painted William Shatner mask) returns to his old stomping grounds to stalk Laurie and her friends while his former psychiatrist Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasance) hunts him down.



This film is all about mood and building a feeling of uneasy tension. You're never quite sure when you might spot Michael and his slow, emotionless pursuit of the film's heroine is quite chilling. There isn't a lot of blood or guts in this film but it stands strongly enough with it's powerful atmosphere. Carpenter's best score helps create this nightmare and the film's cinematography totally flips the happy suburban setting into an eerie place, where you're never quite sure what might be around the corner.

Psycho is often thought to be the birth of the slasher film, but Halloween gave us most of elements we still see today, these include; teenagers who have sex getting killed, the emotionless psycho stalker, slow ascents on the victim and the inconclusive ending perfect for setting up a sequel. Halloween has easily become the film best suited for this frightening fall season and still lands a mighty wallop of terror on to it's viewers.

Fright Fact: Donald Pleasance's role as Dr. Loomis was originally offered to Christopher Lee who declined. Lee claims this to be the biggest mistake of his film career.

Horror Highlight: The Final Confrontation