SHOCKtober! Halloween
Can you believe we’re at the end already? And what better way to celebrate than with the greatest slasher film of all time, and perhaps the greatest horror movie ever made?
I’ve been trying to stay away from the obvious horror movies this month, but I couldn’t resist culminating with my all-time favorite. John Carpenter’s original Halloween set the bar for the barrage of copycat slasher films that would follow. Michael Myers is the perfect killer and the movie itself is perfect in every way.
Jamie Lee Curtis plays Laurie, a nice young girl who, along with her friends, is terrorized one Halloween night in Haddonfield in 1978. You see, exactly fifteen years earlier, young Michael Myers butchered his older sister and was hauled away to a nut house. Tonight, he’s escaped and returned back home with one thing on his mind: killing.
Everything clicks in Halloween. Donald Pleasance as Dr. Sam Loomis, Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode, her high school friends who are easy prey for Michael, eerily dressed in a mangled Shatner mask. There are so many spectacular kills and terrifying moments. Remember that bit where Laurie looks out the window and sees Michael standing behind a hanging sheet and the next minute he’s gone? That scene scared the piss out of me for months. I was seeing him everywhere I went.
And how about that music? That awesome, simplistic, spooky fucking music?
Halloween is a fucking classic that any horror fan should see and own. When the trick or treaters go home tonight, sit down with the family and get the piss scared out of you. I know I’ll be watching it.
I hope you all enjoyed SHOCKtober! I’ve had a good time revisiting some classic horror flicks and seeing some for the first time. I hope you were able to find some good recommendations this month, not to mention a few movies to avoid (*cough*MountaintopMotelMassacre*cough*).
Have a great Halloween tonight!
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Tags: halloween, horror, John Carpenter, michael myers, shocktober, slasher
October 31st, 2009 at 9:53 am
I finally bought it this year, and watched it last night. This movie is truly a classic, especially as it gets all those “spectacular kills” without the use of fake blood. Now, I’m not against seeing blood and gore in movies, but I appreciate movies like this that don’t need to try and gross you out in order to freak the hell out of you.
It isn’t just a great slasher movie: it’s a great movie in general.
October 31st, 2009 at 2:35 pm
It should be mandatory that people sit their asses down and watch this movie on Halloween.
October 31st, 2009 at 6:37 pm
First I want to thank John for all his hard work during Shocktober! The best part is there are plenty of good flicks still out there for next year.
I am also glad we wrapped up the series with the BEST slasher film of all time; John Carpenter’s Halloween. Considering they made this film for less than a million dollars, it’s suprising how well it stands up, AND how good a movie it is. I am blown away at just how GOOD every shot isd in this movie. When you watch it, pay attention to how well Carpenter uses misdirection and establishing shots. It’s a film 101 course. Also notice how you almost never see any gore, that’s what makes this film so scary; my imagination is far more terrifying than anything that could be put on screen.
Finally, what makes this movie especially Bad Ass is how they use a painted William Effing Shatner mask as the iconic Michael Meyers mask! That’s such cool old school geek shit for you right there!
With that, I hope everyone has a safe and Happy Halloween!