Review of Halloween (1978) by Brushedred — 30 Oct 2015

The father of all slasher films.. sure Psycho may've been it's inspiration, but it took where Psycho ended and built onto it. Halloween, the 1978 film, is an indie-horror film that was well more destined to flop than to soar. It had a budget of $300,000.. They couldn't even afford a mask for this movie so they altered a William Shatner mask.

In terms of story, we aren't told much. We know that a kid kills his sister on Halloween night and we are told that he goes to a mental hospital and we scene the scene where he escapes. Afterwards, we see him all around town and we see that he stalks a select few girls.

Part of what makes Halloween so good (and why others might think it might not be so good) is how there isn't much of a story. We don't even know that Laurie is Michael's step sister until later sequels. In this movie, nothing is explained, but to some, like me, this makes it better. We see that Michael is a psycho and stalking random girls for really no reason at all. The movie probably didn't think it would have sequels, so the psychopathic premise was genius and the later backstory was tacked on.The Halloween sequels were pretty subpar, but this original movie is amazing. The ambiance, the buildup, and the character development are awesome, and Dr. Loomis makes a wonderful appearance and adds a whole new depth to the story.

The funny thing about Halloween is that it's a low-budget horror film that ultimately doesn't feel like a low-budget movie. Sure there aren't really any special effects, there doesn't need to be. Nor does there have to be blood and gore either. It's just a fun, chilling ride that has wonderful season spirit. Sure it was the father of all slashers and started many cliches, but you have to think, before this movie was made, those cliches didn't exist, and therefore, it made a whole new type of movie. Halloween is a true classic that all must see. It's not only one of my favorite horror movies, but it is one of my favorite movies of all-time.