Note: This should have went up yesterday, on Halloween. I apologize for the delay. Some circumstances came up that unfortunately didn't allow me to get on here and post this. I hope you still enjoy!
#1– HALLOWEEN (1978)
Dir. John Carpenter
As you've probably already figured out by now, coming in at number one on our first ever horror countdown to Halloween is the 1978 classic, John Carpenter's Halloween. Could any other film really take this spot? I mean this was a no brainer, right?
The Master of Horror's first foray into the genre started with this film as he introduced audiences to the most frightening, relentless killer ever - Michael Myers. On Halloween night 1978, He came home. And the residents of Haddonfield haven't been the same since.
Carpenter secured legendary status with this film and rightfully so. He delivered a tour de force in terror. The opening credits, with an eerie jack-o-lantern and the frighteningly fantastic Carpenter score, send chills down your spine and the rest of the movie never lets up.
15 years after killing his sister on Halloween night, Michael breaks out of the loony bin with murder on his mind. He heads back to his sometime to terrorize a new group of teenage girls, led by a young Jamie Lee Curtis in her first feature film. Luckily for Curtis, Dr. Loomis, played brilliantly be the amazing Donald Pleasence, is on top of things and ready to save the day. He's the only one that knows just what kind of monster Myers truly is.
Where does one begin with this film? It launched the careers of both Curtis and Carpenter. It was the most profitable independent film for roughly thirty years. It set the standard for which all other slashers would achieve to be, and few (none in my opinion) have ever been able to reach. There were similar films before Halloween, Black Christmas in particular comes to mind, but it's Halloween that really defined the slasher flick.
The beauty of Halloween is that it still holds up, both for original fans and new audiences. I've watched this film countless times. I know exactly what's going to happen every time. Nothing is every a surprise. Yet, on every viewing, I'm terrified. That says a lot about this film and especially Carpenter.
The pacing of Halloween is a thing of amazement. Ranking up there with the likes of Hitchcock, Carpenter slowly built the tension throughout the movie leading up to a chilling climax. The suspense and mood is where most the scares come from.
While more modern slashers focus on the blood shed and gore (which I certainly love), Halloween has virtually no blood. Does this take away from the fright and dread? Absolutely not. In fact, it's all intensified because of it. All a mark of a director's brilliance.
No matter how many horror films I see, and I see a lot, none have yet (and I don't think one ever will) been able to compare to Halloween. No film is scarier. No film is more frightful. No film is more creepy. Halloween is the perfect horror film. It should be watched every October. It will always be number one.
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