At
last we arrive to the culmination of all things Hallows eve; John Carpenter’s
Halloween. I want to say that this isn’t going to be so much of a review as it
is going to be a all out declaration for how much I love this movie. By now,
there is nothing I can say that hasn’t already been said about this brilliant
film, all I can do is declare my love. So, here I go, it’s about to get mushy
in here.
If
you have never watched Halloween on Halloween night then you have never
experienced the holiday the way it should be. Everything about this movie
harkens back to a simpler time when Halloween wasn’t so commercialized and kids
really did trick or treat all over town. It reminds me of being little and my
parents taking me to various neighborhoods all over town. I remember the
neighborhoods were full of ghosts, ghouls, goblins, and witches parading
through the streets with pumpkins full of candy. But I also remember having a
repressed fear in the back of my head the whole time; what if one of these
costumes was really hiding something evil? What is the boogey man was real?
That
is the essence of Carpenter’s film. Michael Myers is the embodiment of pure
evil. He doesn’t have a face, other than that ultra-creepy mask, he doesn’t
speak, and for this first film, he has no motive. His only goal in life is to
murder and if you just stop and think about it for a second, that is truly
terrifying. More than Jason Vorhees or Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers carries an
air of menace about him that elevates him above every other slasher villain in
history. The image of him simply standing on the street corner, watching silently,
is so unnerving that I think about it every time I look out the windows at
night. He does this thing where he fades into the darkness and it takes a few
seconds to realize he is there, only moments later to fade out and disappear. I’ve
never seen it done that well in any other film I’ve ever seen.
To
those of you who watch this film and call it “dated” or "cliché”, I would like
to remind you that this is considered the first pure slasher film. John
Carpenter did it first and he did it the best. Unlike the countless slasher
films that came after Halloween, Carpenter chose to use very little onscreen
blood and gore. In fact, I would consider it nearly bloodless. Instead, Carpenter
makes use of lighting, shadows and camera angles to give us an eerie frame for
the murders committed. He keeps Michael mostly in the shadows as well, only
making himself seen right before he does someone in. This use of darkness,
shadows, and how he uses the camera help create an atmosphere that is unknown
to nearly 99% of the slasher films that came after it.
Carpenter
also created the classic score for the film. It is simple and redundant but
highly affective. I love the sweeping shots of the neighborhoods streets with
the fall leaves all over the ground as the score quietly ratchets up the tension
as we watch. It is a testament to what music can do for a film.
Top
it all off with Jamie Lee Curtis (the first scream queen) as Laurie Strode and
a blazing climactic showdown that ends up in Laurie’s closet and we have my favorite
movie of the season. I’ve watched it every Halloween for a very long time and
it puts a perfect cap on the season. It is essential for getting the most out
of your holiday.
This
wraps up my picks for our Highbrowloween season. I hope that some of you who
read this got to watch one of these films and caught on to some of the fun that
we get from watching them. Halloween may soon be over, but it’s Halloween
nearly 24/7 for Chris, Jonah and I. Stay tuned.
-Dave
Poster by Micah Moseby.
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