Halloween (1978): Limited Edition Steelbook 4K UHD
Original price was: $64.98.$44.98Current price is: $44.98.
On a cold Halloween night in 1963, six year old Michael Myers brutally murdered his 17-year-old sister, Judith. He was sentenced and locked away for 15 years. But on October 30, 1978, while being transferred for a court date, a 21-year-old Michael Myers steals a car and escapes Smith’s Grove. He returns to his quiet hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois, where he looks for his next victims. Halloween (1978): Limited Edition Steelbook 4K UHD
On Halloween night in 1963, six-year-old Michael Myers brutally murdered his 17-year-old sister and was locked away for 15 years. In 1978 he escapes and returns to his quiet hometown on Halloween night to look for his next victims. Halloween (1978): Limited Edition Steelbook 4K UHD
Additional information
| MPAA rating : | R (Restricted) |
|---|---|
| Package Dimensions : | 1 x 1 x 1 inches; 1 Pounds |
| Director : | John Carpenter |
| Media Format : | 4K |
| Run time : | 1 hour and 31 minutes |
| Release date : | September 16, 2025 |
| Actors : | Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis, Nancy Kyes |
| Studio : | SHOUT! FACTORY |
| ASIN : | B0FCN13KLN |
| Country of Origin : | USA |
| Best Sellers Rank: | #41 in Horror (Movies & TV) |
| Customer Reviews: | (25,672) |
10 reviews for Halloween (1978): Limited Edition Steelbook 4K UHD
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DEWEY M. –
THE ORIGINAL “NIGHT HE CAME HOME”
“Halloween” (1978) was shot on an extremely low budget on an extremely tight schedule; forcing director John Carpenter to shoot with great tightness and economy. This is all to the film’s advantage. By now, we are all familiar with the murderous maniac Michael Myers and the original “night he came home.” Familiarity and time, however, do not diminish the effectiveness of this little fright-fest. The plot, in brief: On Halloween night 1963, six year old Michael Myers murders his sister Judith. Fifteen years later, he escapes from the mental institution– heading back to his fictional Illinois home-town. He is pursued by his psychiatrist Dr. Sam Loomis (Donald Plensence), who knows how dangerous Michael is and that he will kill again. Michael stalks Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her friends Annie (Nancy Loomis) and Lynda (P.J. Soles). Carpenter sets up an atmosphere of tension early on. Michael stalks Laurie and friends in broad daylight. But Laurie is the only one who seems to be aware that something is seriously off-kilter. She senses Michael while she is at school. Later, she sees him for a fleeting second in her backyard– and that one second is enough to leave her seriously, if privately, spooked. References are made to the “boogeyman” (Michael is not so much a human person as a symbol of pure, unstoppable evil– that un-named, unknowable evil force that is lurking somewhere in the darkness to grab us). At school, we hear Laurie’s teacher talking about fate and how everyone must face a day of reckoning. For Laurie, this Halloween will be a terrifying night of reckoning. “Halloween” is notable for its emphasis on suspense instead of graphic violence or gore. For a thriller about a murderous maniac that gradually builds up in intensity, the body count is surprisingly low. “Halloween” has also been criticized for originating the horror film convention that if you have sex or take drugs, you will die. That’s a bit too simplistic. Annie and Lynda aren’t killed simply because they are sexually active, and Laurie does not merely survive because she is a “repressed, virginal girl scout” of a babysitter. Annie and Lynda are consumed with sex but, also, they are not very aware of their surroundings and what is going on around them. I doubt anyone cares when Annie is killed because she comes across as a snotty, spoiled brat. At least P.J. Soles is fun as Lynda, the happy go lucky girl who can’t say one sentence without the word “totally” in it. Bob, Lynda’s boyfriend, is such a cardboard, undefined “sex partner”, it’s impossible to care when he is stabbed to death and stuck on a wall. What really matters here is Laurie’s intense “show-down and throw-down” with Michael. Laurie survives not merely because she is the virginal girl, but because she is resourseful and proactive. Yes, she is ultimately “saved” by Dr. Loomis, who finally arrives after what is perhaps the most prolonged prowl around the block in movie history. But, hey, it’s all in the service of great horror suspense. Laurie deserves to be celebrated as a great horror heroine. She saves the children she is babysitting and, in essence, she saves herself too; despite Loomis’ last minute entrance with a gun. The Divimax 25th Anniversary DVD features excellent picture and sound; the feature-length documentary “Halloween: A Cut Above The Rest”, and several more bonus features.
2 people found this helpful
pennyproductions –
Different Versions
This film is a classic and the greatest horror film ever made, and not going into that. I see a lot of confusing information out there to people about different editions, and as an avid fan that has all editions, thought I might help (I will update once the 35th anniversary comes out.) There is a lot of hate for the remastered version, mostly because of bit rate. I remember the first time that I saw the film, it was released by some company I have not heard of before or sense, and it was truly grainy 70’s grind house quality. I’m sure sure VHS copies still exist, and maybe are the truest representation of the film, but good luck finding that. In 1999, Cundey released a remastered version. I first saw it on VHS, and it was night and day from the “original” version I had before it. It became prevalent with DVD as well, though due to the horrible bit rates, I will say that the VHS version is actually crisper than the DVD release. This is due to having both the full and wide screen versions of the film on the same side of the disc. Regardless of the fault, it is the best selling version of the film, and hasn’t been taken out of circulation yet. It is the version that I see when they take snippets of the film played for halloween and horror documentaries. The film has horrible contrast and light levels and the whole thing just seems saturated in Black.The 25th anniversary version came out to “fix” the problem but took it almost too far in the other direction, increasing light and contrast levels to make the film almost completely different and taking away much of the suspense and darker elements of the mood. It is still a gorgeous looking print of the film, and presented in divimax and very high bit rates. It is also the only version of the film to offer commentary (albeit a lifted commentary from the laserdisc version that I have not seen). It also has a very good documentary A cut above the rest.There is also an extended cut that is really the NBC television version of the film, that includes a couple of additional scenes that were intended to pad the running time and were shot around the same time as Halloween II. The quality of the transfer is about the same as remastered version except for the additional scenes, that are still presented in widescreen version, despite it being a television version of the film. Also present is the nudity that was obviously cut from the television version of the film. They really looks like they took the remastered version of the film and inserted the additional scenes. I will not comment too much on the quality of the scenes, as I don’t like them (a lot of people who saw the film on tv for the first time think this is the definitive version of the film, and I’m not going to argue this point one way or the other) but I will say that they do not edit very well in terms of the visual look of the scenes. They really do stand out. There is also the inclusion of the plot point from the second film that Laurie is Michael’s sister which is nowhere in the original version. The extended cut has shown up in several places. The 20th anniversary where it was coupled with the remastered version, as well as a stand alone and the 30th anniversary. I bought the 30th anniversary because it was about the same price as the stand alone version of the extended cut and included the Blu Ray version of the film as well as the documentary 25 years of terror.Which brings us to the Blu Ray version of the film. This is the definitive version of the film for me. This film is taken from the 1999 Cundey remaster, and it looks amazing. It is crisp and clear without suffering from being overly bright. I have never seen a conversion from an old film look so good and brought out many of the details of a film that I had never seen and made the material seem fresh. It might not be the version you remember because it is so clear and clean, but I love this version. It also contains the Cut above the rest documentary. I prefer the 25 years of terror documentary, but they really do cover much of the same ground, and the commentary is missing for some reason, maybe because carpenter demystifies much of the film.For the 35th anniversary they are creating a new Blu Ray with yet another remaster. I am not sure why they are doing this, but I do know that Cundey is handling the remaster yet again, which really doesn’t make sense because he did the last one, but considering that there is a huge difference between the VHS, DVD, and Blu Ray version of his 1999 film remaster. Maybe he didn’t have much say over the digital conversions, and since this remaster is only on Blu Ray, but I will update when my preorder gets here. I do know that Carpenter has a new Commentary with Jamie Lee, so should be interesting to see what is difference.Update:I just received the 35th anniversary in the mail. I was a little disappointed in the packaging, pretty flimsy cardboard, though there is a nice booklet inserted. The special features were very lack luster. The night she came home was a huge disappointment and actually made me lose respect for Jamie Lee, and the new commentary was not as good as the one on the 25th anniversary divimax version. Trailers and such are the same. The Location featurette was short and forgettable. None of that is really that important though, because the transfer of the film is amazing. It gets everything right. This is the definitive version of the film. I can’t imagine anyone that is familiar with the film not liking it (read, they didn’t grow up with one of the other versions of the film as a child because they came to the film late). The colors are much more rich so the contrast of the images doesn’t have to be so high. It almost looks bleached out like most of the old prints, but the color is able to shine through. I actually found myself startled by some of the scenes because the dark was not as saturated that the frame position of the shape is much more stark. I couldn’t recommend this transfer enough. The others are going to just be interesting side notes for collectors.
28 people found this helpful
Sarah –
Classic
Classic. Have to rewatch in October every year. Amazing.
Greg Van Cott –
This is one of my favorite Halloween DVD editions!
I got this Divimax/Anchor Bay edition of ‘Halloween’ (1978) in the mid-2000s, and I really loved the special features. Anchor Bay made some of the best horror DVD editions of all time then. This was also the first time I heard the 5.1 track with new sound effects like the eerie thunder during the storm (replacing the 1970’s and older studio library sounds) and the much louder stings of John Carpenter’s music. Fans can have similar debates with which they like better as do Jaws fans with the 5.1 vs Mono track, but the blu-ray version of Jaws combined both tracks for fans in that version. Halloween has a similar treatment by Shout Factory. So in the end, it all worked out. Hopefully, John Carpenter gets to produce more horror films like his original intention for Halloween-based horror stories as in III: Season of the Witch and onward. -G
Dave Saladin –
A classic
This movie is a classic that has to be watched every year. Tradition.
One person found this helpful
Steven Swan –
Fun To Watch
The first Halloween to me has a special meaning to me in that it was probably the first Horror movie I remember seeing. We used to watch this and laugh and quote scenes, and it was indeed frightening also don’t get me wrong…but it had such a sense of humor and such lovable characters, there was more to this than just a slasher film.Watching it as a grown up reveals so many flaws, we all know it was shot with a low budget by a young crew for the most part. Right from near the beginning when Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) is walking down the street you see trees that have green leaves on them all around, and then there’s the mysterious rain that fell on Lauries block only apparently. Also Annie picks up Laurie at 6:30 p.m. when it’s still pretty light outside, when in fact as I type this in Illinois it’s only 6:15 p.m. and it’s pretty dark outside. I am always hoping not to see a palm tree in the background, or the Hollywood Hills or something. Too bad they couldn’t have shot the film at least in the midwest where it was set..today it was about 50 degrees and windy on Halloween, the trees that haven’t shed all their leaves are a beautiful mix of yellow, orange, and red. The ground is littered with dead leaves wind blown or raked into piles on every street. It is a very amazing atmosphere in the fall with the changing of seasons. At least in the movie they are wearing sweaters and jackets to make it seem like there is a chill in the air.Other than those minor issues perhaps, the film itself is really pretty good I think, the opening scene is the tragic night that started it all in 1963 as a young Myers stabs his sister to death. It then skips ahead to 1979 when Michael is locked up right before Halloween, and of course he manages to escape…which is a classic moment when the wonderful Dr. Loomis played by Donald Pleasance of course has had it up to here with excuses and why he was allowed to escape in the first place, Loomis is a nervous wreck throughout the film, with good reason. Him and the skeptical Sheriff are an oddball team at times trying to put a dent in Myers’ rampage. Fav moment is Loomis staking out the old Myer’s place and little Lonnie on a dare walks up to the front door and Loomis yells from behind the bushes…cracks me up every time I see it, and then while Loomis is enjoying his small victory, the Sheriff proceeds to scare the daylights out of Loomis.A very interesting look at high school life in the late 70’s also, with the trio of Laurie, Linda, and Annie. Laurie is the brains of the bunch, and one Ben Tramer is the object of her secret desire…but we never really see this character, can’t help but think Ben doesn’t know what he’s missing in a smart, beautiful, shy…yet somewhat rebelious (smoking pot with Annie) Laurie Strode. Linda (played by P.J. Soles) is a favorite character also, a wild child, who smokes, lusts after boys, drinks beers, and says “totally” about a dozen times in the film. Just another reason to love this movie.There’s some violence of course, Micheal watches his victims, stalks his victims, and overpowers all that get in his way. To me it comes together with suspense and horror, plus a dash of comedy sprinkled in that make this one entertaining and totally fun to watch I think. Halloween just wouldn’t be Halloween without seeing this one every year IMO.
8 people found this helpful
Micah –
One of the all time greats in horror!
The film: Halloween (Divimax 25th Anniversary Edition)Year Made: 1978The Packaging: 5 Stars. The outside is a classic Halloween shot that you have to just love. Inside you will find 2 discs. One has the full length movie and the other disc is full of some very nice extras. The discs are very easy to pop out of the holders, yet they also stay in place very well which is always huge plus. You also get a nice inlay book that has some classic photos from the film, along with some nice information to read about throughout the booklet. My favorite picture is the one of Michael Myers standing there with the sheet over his head, looking like a ghost! I LOVE that photo, it’s so creepy! Any Halloween, horror fan should be very pleased with this nice package.Spook Meter: 3 Stars This movie is spooky. I have seen films that have spooked me more and films that spook me less. While holding a bowl full of your favorite popcorn, you may lose a few popped kernels while you jump a time or two while watching this. This film is just full of TONS of great scenes. It’s all the nice little details while watching this that really make this so great to watch. All of a sudden you look in the distance and there is Michael standing there, then he’s gone. You think there will be a kill from him, but no he is suddenly gone. You hear the breathing from him under his mask while a lit pumpkin glows and casts a shadow on the nearby house. I LOVE THIS! This is the kind of details that can really make a horror film a all time great that stands out from all the rest for years to come. When I watch this every year I feel so pulled into the film. It feels so Halloween like when watching this gem. The blowing leaves in the breeze, you can almost feel the chill in the air. There is so much, so many things about this that I love that every time I watch this, there is always something exciting that I notice. This has always been considered one of the top all time greatest horror films by many horror fans including myself. It really is that good and it only gets better and better as it ages. Ahhh what a classic!Gore Meter: 2 Stars. There is not much gore here as far as blood is concerned. I will say that there are a few scenes that will be considered a bit violent for some viewers, but it’s nothing over the top. The Gore Meter is low because even the few violent scenes that are in the film, they show very little blood and are not that hard to handle.Profanity Meter: 3 Strikes. There is a fair amount of language throughout this film. I have seen worse, and I have seen less. I use a DVD player that will block out the profanity which I encourage others to put to use if you enjoy watching films but don’t care for the language.Sexual Meter: 3 Strikes. We see a make out scene in this film that is not very graphic. It has the usual moans and stuff while two people act like they are having sex while covered in blankets. I gave the sexual meter 3 stars because there are a few shots that we see a woman naked from the top half wearing no bra. It’s a few quick shots, but it’s something just to point out for viewers.Final thoughts: Overall this is just a amazing film. Halloween is one that will forever be considered to be one of the all time greatest in the horror hall of fame!
2 people found this helpful
Alex H –
*Great Image Transfer* But Hold On To The *2007* Blu-Ray for 1-*FEATURETTE*
This HALLOWEEN 35th ANNIVERSARY EDITION is pretty cool and features several new items in the “special features” area. The picture has been remastered for Blu-Ray and approved by the original cinematographer, Dean Cundey, as well as adding a new Dolby True HD 7.1 audio for those with high end home theater sound systems.I didn’t see this in the movie theaters, so I’m not sure why there was some controversy about the first Blu-Ray release, which I also own, but in this release the picture is really stunning! I only noticed the tiniest bit of noise in some scenes that had a pitch black background, but otherwise the image quality is outstanding. The darks are really dark, without becoming a blackout, and you can make out details in the shadows, so it really makes the movie even eerier than before.One thing that puzzles me is the scene where the Shape comes into the bedroom dressed as a ghost with Bob’s (John Michael Graham) glasses on, and Lynda (Soles) is in the bed and she says, “Like what you see?” I could’ve sworn viewers could see her breasts and she lowers the sheet, but here you don’t really see past the top part of her chest. Maybe my memory is fuzzy or it was one of those scenes where your mind fills in the blank (like the shower scene in Hitchcock’s “Psycho”). Anyway, it’s not a big deal.The only issue I had is with the special features. Missing in this 35th Anniversary Edition of Halloween is the nearly 90-minute featurette, “Halloween: A Cut Above The Rest” that was featured on the 2007 Blu-Ray release, so fans might want to hold onto that disc.However, other special features have been added in its place:SPECIAL FEATURES*** The Night SHE Came Home!! *** 59:42 -minutes 11/2012This featurette shows Jamie Leigh Curtis going from Los Angeles to Atlanta and then on to Indianapolis for the “Horror Hound” convention in a fundraising effort for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. You get to see her interact with fans of Halloween, take pictures with them, and sign a million autographs (you’ll also see a grown up Tommy Doyle [Brian Andrews] come up and greet Curtis). This is one of the very few horror (if not the only) conventions that Curtis has appeared in for “Halloween.”*** On Location 25-Years Later *** 10:25 -minutes 1993(?)Fun featurette that features writer/producer Debra Hill and actress P.J. Soles (Lynda) revisiting the real locations that were used in the film. All of the exterior shots were filmed in South Pasadena and West Hollywood, California, and viewers get to see them. The featurette shows the scene from the movie, and then shows the actual location as it looked in ’93 (or when this was shot).*** TV Version Footage *** 10:46 -minutes (SPOILERS)This shows clips that were used in place of certain scenes in the movie that were too racy for television. I’m not sure if it’s shown exactly as cut and presented on TV or not — I don’t think I’ve ever seen the TV edited version — because it’s a little confusing the way it’s presented here. It shows somewhat of the back-story of what takes place after the murder of his sister and Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasence) is having it out with the psychiatric board about the need to keep Michael Myers in a maximum security mental hospital, but they refuse. He then goes to visit the young Michael and tells him that he’s not fooled by this act and then the scene brings us back to the present (back then). Myers is an adult and already in Haddonfield, and we get to see the inside of Laurie’s (Curtis) house with a scene of Lynda (Soles) coming over and then they talk to Annie (Nancy Loomis) on the phone. This scene takes place after they get home from school and before Annie picks Laurie up in the car for baby sitting.*** Trailers & TV/Radio Spots ***The digibook also comes with liner notes about the movie and production with great behind the scenes photographs of the cast and crew.This movie is a CLASSIC and it held up well through the years, in fact it’s better than most horror movies coming out today, so I would recommend getting it. I’m not sure why this now only available from third party sellers (as of this writing 11/04/13) unless Amazon sold out because of Halloween.
13 people found this helpful
Jackie_Blue –
HALLOWEEN 35th Anniversary Blu Ray!!
I will split this review into two parts – The Movie and The Blu Ray.Part One – The Movie. Not many people will argue that John Carpenter’s seminal horror classic “Halloween” would not rank as one of the top suspense/horror films of all time. In fact, it may actually be the most influential horror film of all time (even surpassing Alfred Hitchcock’s timeless classic “Psycho” in this regard). Like ‘Psycho’, ‘Halloween’ affected the moviegoers long after initially seeing it in the theaters. It wasn’t long after that imitators such as ‘Friday the 13th’, ‘My Bloody Valentine’, ‘The Funhouse’, and ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ (among many, many others) used the ‘Halloween’ formula of a psychotic killer after helpless, unsuspecting teenagers to great effect. It has been 35 years since it’s initital release, and yet ‘Halloween’ still maintains a lofty perch on the horror landscape and is still a beloved holiday classic (despite being terribly re-made by Rob Zombie, who has no business touching a classic like this), culminating in annual holiday theater re-runs as well as finding a special place as the final film showed (on Halloween night) on AMC’s yearly 13+ day ‘Fear Fest’ horror film marathon. It’s hard to list many movies that have held their grips on the minds and hearts of moviegoers over years and decades like ‘Halloween’ has.The plot is so well known that I wont even attempt to go into it. I will instead describe my first encounter with this film. Originally I had seen the sequel ‘Halloween II’ first. So, I was already familiar with Michael Myers and Laurie Strode, but there were obviously details that were omitted from the second film because the filmmakers assumed that the viewer had already seen the original. Fast forward to Halloween night, 1992 – a saturday. After a night of trick-or-treating I retreated to my bedroom with my generous Halloween haul to enjoy some candy and some TV on my “huge” 19 inch RCA color tv (having retired my 13 in. black and white Zenith the prior year). I orignially planned a night of NES, but didn’t want to have to stop every minute or so to open another piece of candy, so I tuned in WDRB-41 (the Louisville area Fox affiliate) instead, and just before 10:00 p.m. saw that ‘Halloween’ was due to air. I had never seen it and decided to go ahead and watch (I recorded it on VHS as well). I loved it and immediately after popped in my old VHS recording of ‘Halloween II’ from an old tv airing on WGN 9 and watched that all the way through, mainly so I could see how the pieces fit together. My first impressions of the original film were that I thought it was one of the coolest horror movies I had ever seen. I couldn’t wait to watch it again on my recorded VHS, and did so the next morning. The viewing had such an effect on me that I remember it so vividly now, more than 20 years later. In the simplest of terms, ‘Halloween’ is a masterpiece of psychological horror. Carpenter drew on inspiration from not only Afred Hitchcock, but directors such as Howard Hawkes (who he pays homage to in the film with Laurie and Tommy watching Hawkes film “The Thing From Another World”) and even elements from Stanley Kubrick as well. It is an amazing movie and there’s no wonder why it is universally praised as being one of the top 100 films of all-time.Part Two – The Blu Ray. Although I expected the picture to be far better (after being spoiled by the amazing restoration jobs done on Spielberg films “Jaws”, “E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial”, and “Raiders of the Lost Ark”, the film does look better than it ever has, with deep blacks and rich vibrant colors (particularly in things like pumpkins and grass/trees, etc.). I did, however, expect a bit more from the Dean Cundey helmed HD transfer and was a bit disappointed, but not much. The film still looks amazing and maintains just the right level of film grain. The sound mix is great and really enhances the mood of the picture. The coolest thing about the Blu Ray release, however, is the Carpenter/Curtis commentary track which I will update this review with my thoughts on once I listen to it this weekend. I’ve been waiting for this for years, since listening to the Carpenter/Russell commentaries on “The Thing” and “Big Trouble in Little China”.Overall, this is a great Blu Ray release of one of the greatest films of all-time.
44 people found this helpful
FNDNreview –
The Legacy of John Carpenter’s ‘Halloween’
During the fall of 1978, the devil came home – to Haddonfield, Illinois.Upon its initial release, Halloween had difficulty finding its traction with moviegoers, but after a few positive reviews, John Carpenter’s horror flick was off and running. Even more spectacular is that fact that the film was produced on a ridiculously tiny budget of $325,000, eventually cashing in big with an impressive $70 million.By now, most everyone is probably at least vaguely familiar with the concept of the boogeyman and quite possibly even well-acquainted with the boogeyman himself – the man in the white mask that walked around stalking babysitters, Michael Myers. This cold-hearted killer has engrained himself in pop culture, creating legions of fans, endless merchandise, and several sequels featuring the character, including two reboot films. Myers is the villain everyone loves to hate, having been forged into the spitting image of evil – unrelenting in his mission to stalk and eventually eliminate his prey.The creation of the Michael Myers, one of the most iconic and recognizable characters in the horror genre, leaves little doubt that Halloween is the greatest horror film ever created.Directed by John Carpenter (Assault on Precinct 13, The Fog) and co-written with Debra Hill, Halloween stars Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode, who along with her high school friends, Anne (Nancy Kyes), and Lynda (P.J. Soles), is stalked by an escaped murderous mental patient, named Michael Myers (portrayed by five different actors, including Nick Castle & Tony Moran). Desperate to find him before he kills innocent people in the small town of Haddonfiled, Illinois, Myers’ doctor, Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasence), sets out to stop him. However, Myers’ whereabouts is unknown to everyone, except for two young children, Tommy Doyle (Brian Andrews) and Lindsey Wallace (Kyle Richards). Charles Cyphers also stars in a supporting role as Sheriff Leigh Brackett.Halloween is not only the best horror film ever created, but it’s also the most important horror film ever created – okay, maybe it’s the second most important film, slightly behind Psycho. Following in the footsteps of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, Halloween continues the trend of a modern day killer unleashing his fury on the innocent women of suburbia. Both of these films took the simple premise of a mysterious killer shadowing beautiful women – just before mutilating them, and made it, well – hip and frighteningly entertaining. There’s just something so nail-biting and downright creepy about a man lurking in the shadows waiting to strike a moment’s notice.While Halloween is responsible for elevating the career of director John Carpenter, it’s also responsible for introducing Jamie Lee Curtis – the (at the time) unknown daughter of “scream queen” and Psycho star, Janet Leigh. The amount of screen time devoted to her character was quite sizable, regardless of the fact she’d never acted in a feature role. Regardless, Curtis demonstrated the scared, vulnerable qualities required to be the leading lady in this unnerving, often unpredictable slasher flick. She’s innocent, likeable, and had the make-up of a future Hollywood star – even though it’s safe to say no one could have predicted the future roles she’d amass. She would go on to star in several popular films, including True Lies, Trading Places, and three Halloween sequels (Halloween 2, Halloween H2O, and Halloween: Resurrection).Today, John Carpenter and Jamie Lee Curtis are the top names that casual movie lovers typically associate with Halloween, but let’s not forget that back in 1978, there was only one star of Halloween (pre-release): Donald Pleasence. As the hard-nosed Dr. Sam Loomis, Pleasence has the film’s most memorable lines, including the famous “…the devil’s eyes” line. He took on a role that he was incredibly uncertain of at the time – and wasn’t even the first choice for the character. As such a low-budget production, Halloween was unable to gain the interest of original sought-after, popular actors Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. Still, Pleasence turned out to be the right man for the role of Dr. Loomis – which quickly became the role that would define the rest of her career. His professionalism illuminates this role as the overly concerned doctor, and he obviously become a fan favorite – which is never more evident in the way he returned to the role for four sequels (five Halloween films in total).The success and legacy of Halloween led to the creation of several similar, yet moderately unique horror films, including Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street. Regardless of the success of those individual franchises, Halloween still stands out as the one film that jump-started the slasher craze of the 1980s and beyond. Without Halloween, there’s little doubt that the more recent horror franchises, like Scream, Saw, and a slew of easily forgettable knockoffs, would have enjoyed the same successes that they achieved. And, while the slasher “craze” is currently non-existent (at least for the moment) from overuse and a lack of progressive originality, there’s little chance Michael Myers won’t rise from the ashes again one day to stalk babysitters (or his female relatives if you liked the direction of the sequels).Overall and on its own, the original Halloween is the best and most important horror film ever conceived or created. Even today, the story is as solid as ever, but the acting, camera shots (in which we see through the killer’s eyes), and imagination also have withstood the test of time. Sure, the film owes some of its success to Psycho, but the character of Michael Myers/The Shape/The Boogeyman has taken on a life all its own – which eclipses the wildest dreams of his creators. The fan base of Halloween is strong, despite that fact that the original conception might not be as scary to this generation as it was the previous generations. Although the inclusion of several sequels to the franchise certainly diluted the original storyline, Halloween will forever and always be one of the greatest films (and not just of the horror genre) to ever grace the big screen.GRADE: AFNDNreview.com
11 people found this helpful