You almost feel sorry for the psychotic little bastard in that picture above. Make no mistake about it though, Michael Myers is pure evil. Anyone who takes the time to dig up his sister’s gravestone, whom he murdered years earlier, and then place it on the bed of your most recent victim just for shits and giggles is not all there. I really hope Rob Zombie loves this film the way I do. It’s not about the cheap scares with loud noises. True horror isn’t flashy kills and buckets of blood. Christ, all you need is Bill Shatner and a piano.
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John Carpenter turned a $320,000 budget into the most successful independent movie of it’s time, raking in over $50 million. He didn’t see much of the profits (which led him to sign on for HALLOWEEN II) but his career skyrocketed and led us to other great films such as THE FOG, ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK, and another title in my top five favourite horror films, THE THING. He seemed to help some other aspiring filmmakers too as the slasher genre, spawned from this film, led to Jason Voorhees and Freddy Kruger (to name a few) getting a spotlight all their own.
This film isn’t even close to being this scary without that damn piano thumping in the background. Director, John Carpenter did his best to fill in the silence by scoring the movie on his own. It saved him a shit load of cash and gave him one of the most recognizable themes in the history of film. I was watching the movie just prior to writing this article and my wife walked in. She heard the music, stopped dead, and said, “Oh, I hate that sound.” and ran off screaming. That’s some powerful stuff.
As much as Michael seems intent on killing Laurie, Loomis is even more determined to stop him. Donald Pleasence’s intensity in his portray of Loomis is the real reason we’re so scared of what Michael is capable of. He spent eight years trying to cure him as a boy and then another seven trying to keep him locked up because of what he seen behind those eyes. Fifteen years of watching a kid stare at a wall? I’ll take your word for it Doc.
She’s a good student, wears nice slacks, doesn’t worry about having the sex, and seems to take her babysitting pretty seriously. Laurie’s an all around good girl with her head on straight, which makes her ass kicking of Michael Myers all the more surprising. She takes him down twice with nothing more than a knitting needle and a coat hanger. It must be in her blood.
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This could very well be my favourite shot in movie history. After Laurie shoves a hanger in his eye and stabs him with the knife, she believes it’s really over. She sends the kids down the street screaming and takes a moment to catch her wind. That’s when Mr. Myers decides he’s not dead yet. This is filmmaking perfection. A scene that brings goosebumps every time you watch it. A scene that lacks dialogue and barely has any movement to it and yet, devours you with the shear horror this girl has been through and the further punishment she’s about to experience.
It’s hard to tell but that is, in fact, a mask of William Shatner’s STAR TREK character, James T. Kirk. The eye holes were cut a little larger, sideburns were shaved, the hair was teased out, and the whole thing was painted a bluish-white. Apparently, production designer, Tommy Lee Wallace bought the mask at Burt Wheeler’s Magic Shop on Hollywood Boulevard for $1.98.
The man behind the mask for most of the movie contributed plenty of subtle mannerisms that made the Michael Myers legend terrifyingly disturbing. The slow pace at which he hunts his prey, the tilting of the head when he pins Bob (John Michael Graham) to the wall with a kitchen knife, the stare-down he gives Dr. Loomis after he shoots him in the face. All these thing add up to give a simple murderer a deranged personality.
It’s not too often you find an up and coming serial killer so willing to expose himself in broad daylight. In fact, if you were looking for him, The Shape could be seen walking around the school yard, parked outside the high school, driving past crime scenes, hanging out in the neighbour’s bushes (above), and even doing some laundry in your back yard (below).
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Both show off a little skin. Both are trying to get Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) laid. Both get choked to death. Annie (Nancy Loomis) is too busy bitching about her boyfriend to realize she’s being stalked and Lyn (P.J. Soles) is too busy being a slutty cheerleader to accept the fact that her storyline basically set up the entire premise for the FRIDAY THE 13th franchise. Have sex – die.