Customer Reviews
Trick and Treat - By: Eddie, 11 Nov 2008 
Halloween surely remains, thirty years on, the definitive `Teensin peril' film. I use this term because `Horror' or `Slasher' do not apply here. Halloween is economical, if not entirely bereft, of either horror or slash & it is this economy which gives the film most of its strength, although many may consider it dated. There is very littlein the way of story, special effects, characterisation, gore & even the body count is surprisingly low. The killings do not start until well into the film, apart from one at the start of the film, which sets up the story, such as it is.
There's a killer on the loose of course & the late, great Donald Pleasance is wonderfully sinister as the psychiatrist who is on his tail. In addition there is a supernatural element to the killer which is nicely underplayed & reinforced at the end. Unfortunately the ending leaves the door open for a sequel & many more to follow, as well as a considerable number of imitations, all of which pushed the genre well beyond its sell-by date.
But Halloween is Director of Photography Dean Cundy's film as much as Carpenters. He creates a wonderful atmosphere of menacein the first section of the film, shotin daylightin the autumnal town of Haddonfield but once night falls, the creepy atmosphere moves from strength to strength. Using wide shots, perfectly composed frames & economical but highly effective lighting & colour, he has you searching each shot for a sign of the killer. Sometimes he's there, sometimes he's not & the effect is to crank up the tension to an unbearable & exciting degree.
It's a film which doesn't demand to be taken too seriously & I imagine that this was Carpenters intention. One character says, `It's Halloween, everybody is entitled at least one good scare', & you'd be hard pressed not to be jumping out of your seat at least once. Carpenter plays tricks with his audience (`Halloween is the night when people play tricks on each other', says another character), & he creates a good deal of jump moments. He knows his audience (and his films), & judges these moments with perfect timing. Frequently they happen when you're not expecting them & often don't happen when you are.
Halloween is knowing enough to almost exist as a parody of all the tripe which followed it, more so than the overrated Scream which appeared many years later. It won't satisfy those fans who like their horror steepedin gratuitous violence & buckets of blood but it should remain a satisfying experience for those who like to see the job done properly. On the strength of that, it's not dated at all.
Well made, but extremely silly - By: B. D. Wilson, 27 Oct 2008 
"Halloween" is, of course, a classic movie of the horror genre. It established a number of traditions & conventions (some good; some bad) that remain to this day. For that, it should be credited.
Halloween is a well-made film. I liked the opening scene, which is shot almost entirely from the killer's point of view,in one shot, & ends with a nice twist. Throughout, the film is well shot, & the score is effective & atmospheric.
But let's point out the obvious here: the movie is ridiculous. Michael Myers is just silly. This is not remotely a supernatural movie, but there are numerous aspects of it which seemingly cannot be explained without delving into the netherworld. Michael Myers is supposedly just a crazy guy who escaped from a mental hospital. But he is surely not human. He has the ability to bein one place one moment, & then just vanish without a trace the next. And he is also apparently indestructible. During the course of the film, he is stabbed twice, impaled through the eye with coathanger wire, shot half a dozen times & knocked out of a second story window. And he just keeps coming, unaffected each time (well, that's not strictly true: he always appears dead to begin with, until the camera dramatically pans back to reveal that - duh duh duuuuuh! - his body is missing, etc). None of this is ever explained, giving the whole thing an ultimately cheap, gimmicky feel.
Nevertheless, this is an effective horror thriller. But it's not scary, & it's not realistic, either.
Halloween - By: Mr. M. G. Dempsey, 14 Sep 2008 
Classic horror. Simple plot, simple style, small budget... a real gem. This particular edition comes with an improved soundtrack. Go buy! And be afraid... be very afraid.
Suspence filled slasher - By: Langdon Ulder, 06 Aug 2008 Halloween is regarded by many as the greatest horror film of all time & although I don't agree it is the greatest horror of all time (in my opinion the greatest is The Shining), I do agree that it is an amazing film. Halloween goes to show that you don't need a huge amount of blood & gore or a enormous budget for a film to a top class horror flick.
Good budget film - very much of it's time though - By: T. Clarke, 04 Aug 2008 In an age were society has more or less become desensitised to gore or violence, it's always refreshing to watch a film like Halloween that focusses on the primary motives of a true horror; the tension, & the build-up. Not how cringing a massacre could look like.
What's astonishing is that this film exceeded all expectations on a budget of just 150,000 GBP, whichin todays market is astonishing, given that the latest Batman film "Dark Night" (which I don't care for, as itin no way competes with Tim Burtons comic-book directing) cost over 37 million pounds to make. Yes, you heard me correct.
And does it have the same effect as Halloween?... Nah.
If anything, I find it quite naff when I hear about how a new Hollywood "blockbuster" has had millions spent on it. Are the critics suggesting you have to be able to spend millions to buy a good film? The root & soul of a timeless, effective film comes from it's directing, no matter how poor/wooden the acting is.
This is evidentin Halloween, because contrary to what others say, I do feel Jamie Lee Curtis' role isn't as firm as the other characters. Nether the less, because of the superb directing, it's almost impossible to flaw the acting or anything about the film.
The story is also solid which is something else missing these days. It's laughable to watch such films as Snakes on a Plane, where to make up an excuse for people dyeing because a snake ate their crotch, they bung up a 5 minute story at the start about some fella witnessing a dodgy deal. This then allows over an hour of belly-aching deaths that are supposed to be intense!
Michael Myers, who you will see plays the role as our speechless but insane killer, is without the doubt the most interesting film character you'll seein years, if any horror/thriller film (along with Hannibal Lector, the original course...). The way his presence is captured through the camera looking through his freaky white mask, & the excellent use of breathing helps you to absorb his presence. His actions also lead to you make your mind up about his mentality. Some scenes look as though he's proud of the way he killed a victim, some not so...
The reason I sayin the title it's "of it's time" is because I believe, obviously, the film would have had more of an impact on you backin 1978 than 2008. This is understandable; the tension building horrors that incorporated use of violence, such as Alien which was released around the same timein the 70's, was a whole new type of filming. But now because film's are released every 5 minutes & were given endless sequels of worn our gorey films, such productions as Halloween are a rarity, & should be treasured not just for their original impact & influence on the film industry, but as a refreshing change from what we have now.
This isn't the only reason I missed a star. For the product 'itself', I found the DVD quality no where near what it should for the apparent "THX Mastering". Given that their are still specs of white dots & dirt appearing on the film on some frames, it's apparent that George Lucas' men at THX have not put any effort into cleaning this up. From what I can gather on the back of the case, it merely states that mastered it on a new roll of film... What's the pointin that?
Allin all, Halloween is a classic horror; It does without too much graphic violence & gore, & focusses on putting you on the edge of your seat. Looking at the prices from 3rd party dealers here on Amazon, this really is a must!
