Screenplay: John Carpenter, Debra Hill
Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasence, P. J. Soles, Nancy Loomis, Nick Castle, Tony Moran, Will Sandin, Charles Cyphers, Kyle Richards, Brian Andrews
Cinematography: Dean Cundey
Music: John Carpenter
Producer: Debra Hill
Compass International Pictures, Aquarius Releasing
You know it's Halloween. I guess everyone's entitled to one good scare.
William Shatner has never been so scary.
In the quaint town of Haddonfield, Illinois, Halloween night takes a chilling turn when 6-year-old Michael Myers brutally kills his older sister. After 15 years of confinement, Michael escapes from a mental institution, on the day he is supposed to be transferred to a maximum security prison. Myers, fixated on his childhood home, returns to Haddonfield, where he begins a murderous spree, stalking high school student Laurie Strode and her friends. As Laurie becomes the focus of his obsession, she must confront the embodiment of evil itself on a night meant for harmless tricks and treats.
Before John Carpenter became synonymous with
Halloween, he was already making waves in the film industry. Carpenter's early works showcased his unique approach to storytelling and his ability to create tension. His debut feature,
Dark Star (1974), a low-budget sci-fi comedy, revealed his talent for blending genres and exploring unconventional narratives. He then directed
Assault on Precinct 13 (1976), a gritty urban thriller that demonstrated his prowess in creating suspenseful atmospheres. These films laid the foundation for his foray into horror with
Halloween in 1978.
In the 1970s, the horror genre was predominantly defined by its reliance on explicit violence and gore. Films like The Exorcist, A Bay of Blood, I Spit on Your Grave, and the controversial Faces of Death often equated horror with the shocking visual impact of blood-drenched scenes and gruesome special effects. However, in 1978, John Carpenter’s Halloween emerged as a deviation from this norm. What set Halloween apart, was its profound understanding that true horror doesn’t reside in the gallons of blood spilled onscreen, but rather in the minds of the audience, a trait it shares with another surprisingly gore-less (relatively) 1970s horror film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
Carpenter’s genius lay in his ability to tap into the primal fears nestled deep within human consciousness. He understood that the unknown, when handled with finesse, could be far more terrifying than any excessive display of violence. Instead of relying on gratuitous gore, Halloween focused on the unseen, the lurking presence of evil just beyond the frame. This absence of graphic violence heightened the suspense, allowing the audience’s imagination to run wild, conjuring up horrors far more terrifying than anything explicitly shown. That isn’t to say Michael Myers didn’t commit brutal acts of violence, he certainly did, but the lack of gallons of red-tinted corn syrup is noticeable.
One of the main culprits of terror is the scariness of the blank pale mask worn by Michael Myers. What
was originally a William Shatner/Captain Kirk rubber mask painted white, became an iconic symbol of death, deeply rooted in its simplicity and the uncanny effect it produces. Unlike masks with exaggerated features or grotesque expressions, the blank, featureless visage of the Myers mask creates an unsettling aura of ambiguity and emptiness. It's a canvas devoid of emotion that conceals the malevolence within. The absence of facial expressions robs the audience of any cues to understand or empathize with the character. Human faces are the primary way we connect with others, read their emotions, and gauge their intentions. When a face is devoid of these signals, it is profoundly disconcerting. This absence of identity amplifies the fear and Michael becomes an enigma, a shape (if you will) lacking any humanity, and therefore, an entity beyond comprehension. The contrast between the mask’s emptiness and the brutality of his deeds accentuates the horror.
Michael Myers stands as an anomaly, a character whose mystery is as integral to his terror as his actions. While many classic horror villains like Norman Bates, Jason Voorhees, or Freddy Krueger have clear, sometimes tragic backstories or motives rooted in revenge, Myers defies such categorization. He exists outside the realm of comprehensible human motivations, and that is what makes him so profoundly unsettling. From the moment he escapes the mental institution at the beginning of the film, Myers embarks on a relentless killing spree. Unlike other antagonists who might seek vengeance or harbor a deep-seated grudge, Myers has no apparent reason for his actions. He doesn’t seek revenge for past wrongs, nor does he have a personal connection to his victims (well, not in the first film anyway. This is later retconned in the 1981 sequel, when it’s revealed Laurie Strode is his sister). This lack of motivation defies the audience's attempts to rationalize his behavior, leaving us with a chilling realization – evil, in its purest form, needs no reason. This is what the Rob Zombie films, in my opinion, got all wrong. Zombie tried to explain why Michael is evil. He tried to rationalize it. But Michael Myers has no rationality, or explanation, or justification… he just IS. Sometimes, evil just IS. Michael Myers embodies the concept of evil. We fear what we cannot understand, what exists beyond the boundaries of logic and reason. Myers becomes a representation of this fear, an entity so alien to human understanding that his very existence challenges the fundamental order of the world. He is a force of nature, devoid of empathy, compassion, or remorse – a walking embodiment of malevolence. By portraying this inexplicable malevolence, the film forces its audience to confront the unsettling idea that evil is arbitrary and irrational.
John Carpenter pays homage to Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho not just by replicating suspense and psychological horror but also by a subtle nod through casting. By casting Janet Leigh's daughter, Jamie Lee Curtis, in the film, Carpenter established a direct link to Hitchcock’s most famous film. Janet Leigh's portrayal of Marion Crane in Psycho is etched into cinematic history, especially the infamous shower sequence. Her scream echos in the memories of everyone who has ever seen the film, how fitting then, that Jamie Lee Curtis went on to become the greatest “Scream Queen” of all time? By casting Leigh's daughter, Jamie Lee Curtis, Carpenter created a bridge between the classic Hitchcockian suspense and his own modern take on the genre. The passing of the torch from Janet Leigh to her own daughter mirrored the generational impact of the two classic films.
One of the defining characteristics of slasher films, including
Halloween, is their tendency to function as morality plays. In these movies, the victims are often young, sexually active individuals or those engaged in other taboo behaviors. The punishment they receive at the hands of the killer becomes a form of moral retribution. This theme has deep roots in traditional folklore and urban legends, where those who defy societal norms are met with supernatural or horrific consequences. This concept was entertainingly satirized in the 2012 film
The Cabin in the Woods. Within this framework of punishing the “morally corrupt”, the "Final Girl" emerges. The Final Girl trope is typically a female character who manages to survive the killer's rampage and ultimately triumphs over evil. This trope gained widespread recognition through Halloween and other films of its era. The Final Girl is not only the last one standing but often embodies virtues like innocence, intelligence, and resourcefulness. She is the antithesis of the victims who succumb to their vices, thus reinforcing the morality play aspect of slasher films.
Halloween played a pivotal role in popularizing the Final Girl trope. Laurie Strode epitomizes the archetype. She is intelligent, responsible, and notably more chaste and innocent than her friends, who fall victim to Michael Myers. Laurie's survival becomes a triumph of virtue over vice, reinforcing the idea that those who adhere to societal norms and virtues are the ones who prevail in the face of danger. The Final Girl trope subverts traditional gender roles. In many films (not just limited to horror) prior to Halloween, women were portrayed as helpless victims, often in need of male rescue. Laurie Strode, however, turns this stereotype on its head. She is not just a survivor; she runs from Michael, yes, but she also tries to protect the children under her care, and when backed into a corner: she fights back. She showcases courage and determination traditionally associated with male protagonists. This subversion of gender norms contributed significantly to the empowerment of female characters in the horror genre and beyond. The think-pieces on whether The Final Girl trope is misogynist or feminist are plentiful, but I won’t delve into that here. Suffice it to say, it was certainly influential. The success of Halloween and its portrayal of the Final Girl influenced a generation of slasher films, including the Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Scream series.
Forgive me in advance for my lack of musical knowledge in this next section. John Carpenter’s musical score for
Halloween is nothing short of legendary, standing as a testament to his innate understanding of atmosphere and the profound impact music can have on a film’s tone. Carpenter's decision to use a synthesizer for the score was unique. Much like John Williams’s
Jaws score, the minimalist approach he took, focusing on a few simple notes, added to the sense of foreboding. The haunting melody, consisting of repeating notes, created a feeling of repetition and inevitability, mirroring the relentless pursuit of Michael Myers. The simplicity of the score burrowed into the viewers' subconscious, becoming a trigger for fear. What makes Carpenter’s musical accomplishment even more astonishing is the fact that he couldn’t read sheet music. His ability to create such a haunting and iconic score without formal training underscores his intuitive grasp of mood and emotion. Carpenter relied on his instincts and creativity, crafting a score that resonated with audiences on a primal level. His music became an auditory embodiment of fear, lingering in the minds of viewers long after the film had ended.
While Halloween stands as one of (if not THE) best horror films of all time, the franchise itself unfortunately does not. After becoming a smash hit, producers and studios wanted cash in on Michael Myers. Unlike the Evil Dead franchise, which I consider to be the most consistent horror franchise in terms of quality, Halloween’s sequels, remakes and reboots fall short. Halloween II gets a lot of hate for clumsily introducing the fact the Laurie Strode is Michael’s sister (which was later erased in future films), but on its own merits its a perfectly acceptable horror movie… just not as good as the first film. Halloween III: Season of the Witch is, charitably, its own… thing. Initially angering audiences by not even featuring Michael Myers, it has since gained a cult-like appreciation. Myers returned, fittingly, in 1988’s Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, followed by Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers in 1989 and Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers in 1995. Jamie Lee Curtis returned as Laurie Strode in the terribly named soft reboot Halloween H20: 20 Years Later in 1998 and its follow-up Halloween: Resurrection in 2002. None of those films ever reached the quality of the original, so in 2007, the whole franchise was rebooted by horror director and rock star Rob Zombie. The remake and its 2009 sequel have their defenders, but those defenders do not represent the unanimous opinion of the films. Finally, we got another reboot in 2018, directed by David Gordon Green, that ignored all previously established mythology and was instead a direct sequel to the 1978 film. Simply titled Halloween, the remake was a hit and entertained critics and fans alike. Its two sequels, Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends have proven extremely divisive, however. It’s only a matter of time before studios remake or reboot the series AGAIN, but until then, enjoy the original unparalleled 1978 classic.
I spent eight years trying to reach him, and then another seven trying to keep him locked up, because I realized that what was living behind that boy's eyes was purely and simply... evil.
