The air is chilly, the leaves are changing, and stores are stocking up on candy. This can only mean one thing: it’s Halloween season. Now that it’s late October, it’s really time to get down and dirty and get into the spooky spirit (pun intended) and watch some good ol’ horror movies. And if you really want to get into a good Halloween spirit, you gotta watch some classic 80s slashers: the ones that made horror a legitimate genre and really become identifiable. But which one is the best?
Well, according to my totally-not-biassed opinion, it’s the original Halloween, directed by John Carpenter and released in October 1978. This movie created the iconic slasher Michael Myers (for other horror newbies like me, that’s the one in the mask but not the hockey mask). Though this movie is included in the slasher subgenre of horror (and why wouldn’t it be, with all the people Michael kills), it honestly plays more as a psychological thriller–the OG psychological thriller. From the beginning where the audience looks through Michael’s eyes as he kills his sister, to the ending of seeing him disappear from the back lawn, the plot is solid and keeps audience’s attention for the entire runtime of 110 minutes.
Another reason why the movie is amazing is that it inspired the most iconic horror genre of the slasher. Halloween was made first, which was followed two years later by Friday the 13th, a direct and honest ripoff of the original film. The following year, 1981, was the year of the slasher: over 50 movies were released within that single year, two of which being sequels to previous successes such as Halloween II and Friday the 13th: Part Two. Halloween kicked off the genre that many horror fans love, which many fans today don’t really know. For a movie to pioneer a new branch of a genre, especially in a genre that doesn’t usually get much love or appreciation in the cinematic world, is a huge accomplishment.
One thing that I mentioned above is that Halloween has a solid plot behind it. For me, I like movies that can keep my attention the entire time through storytelling, and not just big explosions or hot actors. The film follows what happens when an insane and terrifying killer named Michael Myers breaks out of the psych ward he’s been staying in since he was a little boy (back when he murdered his older sister). He returns to his hometown and wreaks havoc, while the rest of the town of Haddonfield thinks it’s just a normal Halloween night. The cinematography is spot on, and all the teenage characters, whether they exist only to die or have solid roles in the movie, are relatable and realistic, even when watching it today. The main characters are Laurie Strode, a teenager babysitting her neighbor’s kids, and Dr. Samuel Loomis, Michael’s psychiatrist at the psych ward. Loomis gives some awesome monologues about good and evil, and gets really philosophical and poetic about evil coming to Earth. If the film ever hits some boring or stagnant parts, you don’t really notice because of either the awesome cinematography or incredible dialogue the characters have or give.
This movie is phenomenal, and proves it even more by being able to stand to this day as a solid movie. It’s enjoyable to watch, easy to spook you, and just what the doctor ordered for a nice, spooky October movie night.
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Some fun facts about Halloween:
Michael Myers’ mask is actually a cheap Halloween mask of William Shatner’s head that was painted white!
Jamie Lee Curtis played the leading lady, Laurie Strode; this was also her first big role in the film industry, and would lead her to a solid career in horror movies and take up more roles in the genre (this is why she’s the Dean of Scream Queens: she’s a literal–and the OG–scream queen).
The sequel, Halloween II, takes place literally right after the first movie ends, showing what happened to Michael Myers after he falls off the balcony.
Next year will be the 40th anniversary of the film that kicked off the slasher genre, on October 25.