Halloween (1978) is one of the most influential horror films of all time. Sure, it didn’t technically start the slasher genre; Peeping Tom (1960) gets that credit, and it didn’t create the modern horror genre either, that one goes to Psycho (1960), but it did bring horror movies into the contemporary mainstream. Halloween was made on a budget not much bigger than a rich kid’s allowance but ended up making $70 million, the equivalent of $321 million today. The film’s budget was minuscule even compared to other horror movies at the time. Its $325,000 is slightly over half of Friday the 13th’s $550,000, and under a third of A Nightmare on Elm Street’s $1.1 million.
The film tells a painfully simple but effective story—one of a masked, seemingly immortal madman terrorizing babysitters on Halloween night. The madman himself is one of the most infamous villains in cinema history, Michael Myers. Myers was given various backstories later on in the franchise, but for the purpose of this film, we don’t know where he came from, what he is, his motives, anything. It’s absolutely bone-chilling.
Halloween was directed by legendary horror director John Carpenter. It was a breakthrough in his career. He had previously released Dark Star and Assault on Precinct 13, but both were unsuccessful. Halloween was an absolute smash hit. People flocked to the theater to see Michael Myers and his brutal killings, making it, upon its release, the most successful independent film of all time. Carpenter would go on to have an incredible career, releasing Escape from New York in 1981, The Thing in 1982 and Christine in 1983. His other famous works include Big Trouble in Little China (1986), In The Mouth of Madness (1994), and They Live (1988).
In addition to jump-starting John Carpenter’s career, it also launched its star, Jamie Lee Curtis, into the spotlight. Halloween was Jamie Lee Curtis’s first-ever film credit, and she is nothing short of incredible. She plays Michael Myers’s primary victim, high school babysitter Laurie Strode and delivers a wonderful performance marked with her famous scream that sets the standard for acting in horror films.
Curtis credits her parents’ fame as a significant reason for her getting the role. Her mother, Janet Leigh, famously played Marion Crane in Psycho, and her father, Tony Curtis, also had an incredible career. In a 2019 interview with The New Yorker, she said, “I’m never going to pretend that I just got [the role] on my own like I’m just a little girl from nowhere getting it. Clearly, I had a leg up.” Curtis would go on to have an incredible career, starring in Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022), Knives Out (2019), The Fog (1980) and True Lies (1994).
Donald Pleasence plays Dr. Sam Loomis. A psychiatrist who was obsessed with Michael and his habits since Michael’s childhood. Pleasence also excels in his role, although he was already an established actor at the time.
The film is one of the most technically impressive of all time. Not because it’s jaw-dropping, but because it does so much with so little. Cinematographer Dean Cundey offers cinematography as simple as the plot but relentlessly effective in keeping tension and emphasizing the scares. Moreover, the music is one of the most famous soundtracks in cinema history. The opening song is iconic and used expertly throughout the film to raise tension when Myers is on screen. The sound design goes unnoticed by the untrained ear, but sounds flawless in the ears of film junkies. Outdoor scenes mix sound effects incredibly. They blend the sound of characters walking, leaves rustling and dialogue, and are sometimes accompanied by loud sound effects that highlight scares.
Unexpectedly, the film had an interesting pre-production, with Carpenter having to improvise for the lack of budget. The film was shot in the spring of 1978 in south Pasadena, despite being set on Halloween day. Because of this, Carpenter dumped thousands of fake leaves on the set and used a variety of orange filters to create a fall look. The small budget also limited the cast. For instance, all of the extras are just people walking around their neighborhood.
Halloween is considered by many to be a perfect horror movie. Simple, but effective, scary, but nuanced. It launched two legendary acting careers and started one of the most well-known horror franchises. Starting as a small indie film on a tiny budget, and growing to a smash hit cultural sensation, Halloween is one of the most influential films the horror has ever seen.
Rating: ★★★★★
