HALLOWEEN REVIEW OF THE DAY: Halloween (1978)

What makes more sense than reviewing a movie for Halloween called well, Halloween? That's a rhetorical question by the way. Anyways, like Psycho, Halloween is considered to be one of those horror movies that pushes the envelope on the "slasher" genre. And as one of the first, as expected it is not half bad. It is definitely a classic in the "slasher killing teens" genre. What makes this movie so good is both the suspenseful tone and the character of Michael Myers. The pacing of the story is rather well done as it succeeds in making the audience want to know what happens next and from the beginning of the movie, it sets an uncomfortable atmosphere that will soon fully realize itself by the time the second act rolls in. Michael Myers is a great horror icon with a mystery. Characters with mysteries are very hard to write about because either the character  could strike the audience with awe by his or her appearance, their motives, and characteristics or they can be so poorly written it will leave the audience more confused than actually satisfied. Luckily Michael Myers succeeds in this as little of his past is revealed, in a shocking scene, but still enough to like the mystery of this character and his motives. This why we can be interested in him. A lot of people's fears because of movies like this is a stranger breaking into their home and suddenly wanting to kill. The film does a great job in representing that fear as every event seems so real and gritty that it's hard not feel what Jamie Lee Curtis' character is going through. Bottom line Halloween is a decent horror movie with a goood story, good characters, and surprsingly good acting for which the franchise of it should probably be left alone, but I guess you can't help but wanting to expand on a good and thrilling horror story. Grade: P