It is intriguing to think about why some films seem to imprint themselves on the collective psyche of genre lovers and others don't. In the case of Halloween it seems to have been a perfect blend of circumstance, creativity and novelty. These three elements combined seem to have provided a perfect breeding ground back in the day for one of the most iconic and influential horror films ever made.

Due to the extreme budget limitations, Carpenter couldn’t afford to use that many special effects. As a result the film often opts for the power of suggestion over actually showing things, thus relying on the audiences’ ability to fill in the gaps. Horror shown is almost never as powerful as horror…

Michael Myers is actually a pretty incompetent killer when you think about it.

He isn't very good at hiding his bodies... They always seem to be springing out of cupboards or swinging down from the ceiling. He doesn't like to run, and he stands out in the open. He also can't seem to kill Jamie Lee Curtis for the life of him... C'mon Michael! That was a pillow, not her! But nice stabbing form! And Jesus, Myers... Punching through the closet door should've been your first instinct. What the Hell were you trying to do? Shake it down? You so silly, Micael Myers.

But you are also fucking terrifying...

I only half joke about your incompetence... Your ghostly presence and…

I've watched this film dozens and dozens of times over the last (at least) 25 years and written much about it, so this time let me just share one of my favorite moments in a movie full of great moments.

At just about the 54 minute mark, little Tommy Doyle and Lindsey Wallace are deeply entranced by a horror movie marathon on TV (and really, what is Halloween night without catching bits and pieces of old horror movies on basic cable?) when Tommy decides to scare Lindsey by sneaking behind the curtain and whispering her name.

Then, for whatever reason, he decides to look out the window behind him. What he sees (and it is wonderfully unscored by a burst…

Trailer

I was no older than 7 or 8 when I first got to experience Halloween. Having endured, and been utterly petrified by, Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers a few weeks earlier, thanks to sitting downstairs with my Mother in the dead hours of the morning and her having no respect for BBFC guidelines, I have to admit that this particular film bored me. It was all so slow and nothing really seemed to happen until the last fifteen minutes. It was only as I got older that I began to appreciate that not only was Halloween one of the most ground-breaking horror movies of all time, surpassed only by Psycho and The Exorcist but that it was…

It's only because of postmodern movies like Scream and Cabin In The Woods that I started watching the earlier slasher films. And then there's no better movie to start with, than Halloween from John Carpenter.

I must admit, Halloween made me jiggle my legs and I pratically shit my pants. The cheap effects and lack of blood didn't make it less scary or whatever. On the contrary. Nowadays - for instance Scream 4 - there has to be a massive amount of not only blood, but also victims. Halloween only has four and it really builds around these four killings. Their guts are not shattered all over the place, but they are either strangled or he cuts their throat, and…

I wanted to like this a lot better than I did, but I couldn't bring myself to. The movie run time is only 1 hr 30 minutes. For 75% of this movie I had to endure "teenage" girls talking to each other and watch them baby sit 8 year olds. Occasionally Laurie would see Michael Meyers outside the window or in the bushes. Big Whoop! May I add the actresses who were portraying these teenagers all looked over the age of 35. Especially the woman who plays Laurie. It just seemed like there was no fuel in this movie. Everyone just went through the motions. Not to compare this to The Evil Dead Triology, but those movies were extremely upbeat…