Halloween: Review By Null and Void.

An analysis of the formal properties of John Carpenter's "Halloween" is probably wildly unnecessary at this point. Going back to it at this point there's a sort of pilgrimage to Mecca feel that one experiences when viewing it. You're seeing the template from which a f*cking crazy amount of slasher and horror films in the decades to follow have culled from, and luckily "Halloween" still feels as invigoratingly intense today as it must have when it was first released thirty-one years ago. Carpenter's work here both with the camera and also his score (a great deal of what makes this movie is that unforgettable music cue that still manages to unsettle no matter the setting) create a sustained level of tension that one simply doesn't see in today's so-called horror flicks: generally you're going to get a jump scare or two as a pressure release in most sequences, but Carpenter generally stays the course here and his early camerawork which kept the Shape just obscured enough in each shot he appeared in (on the fringes of the frame) that later on when his presence is hanging over the final act like a spectre. You truly believe he is milling about just beyond the edge of what we as the viewer can see, constantly keeping us on our toes.

Carpenter is also smart enough to leave the majority of the blood and gore off screen, knowing full-well that the monsters we conjure up in our heads will always hold more power than those fully exposed to us (take note, guys). This is all well-worn territory, however. Such is the fate of seminal films whose form and content seem to show up again and again in lesser pictures, not devaluing the original work, but making it a part of the public vernacular, perhaps stealing some of the thunder that came along with it when it first came out. However, it's where you have to start if you're a fan of the slasher genre (proof of less is more starts here), and it's an essential piece of the puzzle as to why John Carpenter will always be revered, no matter how many "Ghosts of Mars" pop up throughout his career.

Perhaps there's an extra resonance to the idea of The Shape in our current social/political landscape. We, like Loomis, are not surprised by the immediate disappearance of Michael at the end of the picture. When you're fighting a battle against a concept or giving a single person the immense power of embodying an idea, the battle has already been lost. And that's the sign of a classic film, speaking to any generation regardless of when it was made. And "Halloween" is most certainly one of those classics, showing a sureness of hand one rarely sees in genre work anymore.

"Halloween is a prime example of film makers turning resource limitations into creative opportunities. In low budget film making small casts, minimal props, minimal special effects and cheap locations are usually what have to be worked with. Halloween takes these limitations and turns them into original and effective fear devices. The film is so effective in this respect, that it doesn’t even need to rely on the usual gore and blood splatter approach of low budget horror."*

I- "Halloween" (1978)

II- "Halloween II" (2009)

III- "Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers" (1995)

IV- "Halloween: The Revenge of Michael Myers" (1989)

V- "Halloween" (2007)

VI- "Halloween: The Return of Michael Myers" (1988)

VII- "Halloween III: The Season of the Witch" (1982)

VIII- "Halloween II" (1981)

*: "Fear in the First"- An in-depth analysis of John Carpenter's HALLOWEEN (1978)