Halloween

Once upon a time, during a long ago (but certainly not forgotten) era, a horror film's radio trailer would feature the chilling voice-over of a male commentator, whom, after presenting a teaser synopsis for the slasher film's plot (over intimations of both sound and speech from the movie of course), would conclude the radio spot with the following words: 'Coming soon to a theater near you.' And, 'Rated R. Under 17 not admitted without a parent.'

(Laughs) ...

Those classic horror film radio trailers used to scare the weebie-jeebies out of me! But boy, did I love them wholeheartedly.

(Pondering ... in remembrance)

Where John Carpenter's independent cult opus "Halloween" is concerned, the radio trailer had been no less terrifying. ...

Halloween's a classic movie. No doubt about it. One of the seminal films of the slasher genre, and a more-than-worthy inclusion to any Halloween season horror movie marathon. But I think people give it a reputation in terms of quality that it doesn't fully deserve. The opening ten minutes, and the closing ten minutes, are both brilliant. But everything in between? It's kind of... Somehow, both boring and annoying. The kills are good if that's your sort of thing, but everything in the meat of Halloween is old hat. Now of course it wasn't at the time, but when I've spent my formative years watching other movies doing it better (and acting it better), it doesn't really matter who did it first.

Final rating: - I liked it. Would personally recommend you give it a go.

The Boogeyman cometh

A soulless killer, Michael Myers, escapes from the asylum and returns to the Illinois town where he murdered his sister 15 years earlier to wreak havoc on Halloween night. Donald Pleasence is on hand as Myers seriously concerned doctor.

John Carpenters Halloween (1978) is hailed as the progenitor and blueprint for the slasher craze of the 80s with staples like the unstoppable masked killer, fake scares, the final girl and the undead dead. Of course, Halloween was influenced by earlier slashers or quasi-slashers, like Psycho (1960), Dementia 13 (1963), A Bay of Blood (1971) Torso (1973), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) and Black Christmas (1974). Friday the 13th (1980) and its sequels took the Halloween te...

It really doesn't look like Illinois does it? Sorry, just had to say that, it's where I'm from and all...

...but still, leaves on the ground and green leaves in the trees. Not at all Illinois, probably because it was a low budget film, but it works. It gives it a very, I don't know, Nightmare on Elm Street surreal feel? And I think, if memory serves this is the start of the virgins survive sex is punished horror-slasher staple.

Anyway, it's one of my oldest and dearest friends favorite slasher films and I can see why.

It is most atmospheric. It is the one that has the most paranoid and bone chilling feel to it.

It really is the ultimate slasher film, it's even better than my favorite...but that's neither here nor there.

The f...

I really enjoyed seeing this on the big screen again, 40-odd years after John Carpenter introduced us to his brand of slasher-horror with Jamie Lee Curtis great as the flighty young girl "Laurie" who finds herself caught up in the revenge antics of the faceless "Michael Myers" that perhaps only Donald Pleasence ("Loomis") can save her from. The pace and tension build really well - helped by some good use of sound and light (I didn't much care for the over-synthesised score), the supporting screams from PJ Soles and Nancy Kyes and the occasional intervention from Pleasence. The sequels never reached the heights of this, original psychological horror - there are precious few special effect to laugh at or even speak of, really - and if you get...

A competent film, with a killer who doesn't seem that ferocious when we read what's in the daily newspapers.

Well, before writing a review of this film I have to make a declaration of interest that I think is appropriate: I absolutely hate Halloween, it's one of the days of the year that I can't stand. It's not a festival that belongs to my culture, it's completely foreign to the Portuguese tradition, and a poor excuse for stray teenagers to go to strangers' houses, at inappropriate hours, to bother those who are calmly in their own business. I've already had to expel a group with some rudeness and I have no doubt that, one day, I'll still have problems because of this stupidity. Furthermore, for Catholics, the feast day is the follo...