Halloween Review

 Number 411 on the top 1000 films of all time is John Carpenter's slasher-horror classic 'Halloween.'

In 1963 Illinois, six-year old Michael Myers stabs his older sister to death. Fifteen years later, he escapes from his psychiatric institution and begins hunting down a group of high school students including Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis.) This is all while he is being pursued by his psychiatrist Dr Loomis (Samuel Pleasence.)

There is definitely something to be said about modern horror films over-relying on tacky CGI and jumpscares to terrify their audiences. The 2018 It Chapter Two was particularly guilty of this. However, John Carpenter was far more subtle. Instead, he made brilliant use of silence and a brilliantly simple piano score to boost up the tension. And similar to what Spielberg did in Jaws, Carpenter made careful use not to show Mike Myers too much. He only appears when he is needed and yet his menace is felt throughout the film. A simple shot of him staring at Laurie by a car is far more effective than him going on a ten-minute killing rampage. 

And, of course, Mike Myers, spends the entire film in his trademark grey boiler suit and white, expressionless mask. This anonymity only made him all the scarier. It could be anybody hiding behind those clothes, even a seemingly invincible serial killer. Despite how Laurie supposedly kills him twice, he comes back every single time with a vengeance. His only weakness comes at the film's conclusion where in Laurie's desperation, she tears off his mask. He scrabbles to replace it, distracting him enough for Dr Loomis to shoot him. But not even this is enough to kill Mike Myers.

Although despite being so invincible, Mike Myers isn't the most effective of slasher horror villains. Okay, he kills his sister and Laurie's friends, but despite getting the jump on Laurie on many occasions, he botches it every single time. But how else would Halloween fit the "final girl," horror film trope? Also I'm not really sure why Myers waited right until the film's climax to try and kill Laurie, but I guess it was nice that he made sure he tried to kill her at such a pivotal moment.

Those small quibbles aside, I did enjoy this film. John Carpenter put forward a truly scary ninety minutes, not with a million jumpscares and tacky CGI, but by creating an atmosphere worthy of Halloween night.