Friday 13 June 2014

Friday the 13th! - Halloween (1978)

Welcome to another review on another awesome 70's horror classic perhaps proving the 70's to be very significant in terms of horror films. You may believe this is only a horror to be watched specifically on Halloween (31st October), but since it is Friday the 13th, I feel it is a must-watch class. Also, it contains one of my favourite horror characters being Michael Myers!
I feel it is a brilliant film, lasting 91 minutes, and is also well-known in my opinion for a mysterious, and eerie atmosphere due to the intense, and thrilling silence sustained throughout the film.
The movie is directed by John Carpenter and begins with the background of Michael Myers (Tony Moran) as a young child in 1963, on Halloween, who returns trick-or-treating, and for some crazy reason, stabs his sister - Judith Myers (Sandy Johnson) - to death with a knife, and is stared at by his parents who are immersed in shock. From this, the film then shows us that he was sent to a special mental hospital, where he spent the next 15 years of his life, and seemed to make no progress at all after the attempted teaching from Dr. Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasance).
The movie jumps into the month of October again (1978), and something triggers Michael and during a storm, he manages to steal the car of Dr. Loomis. He furthermore manages to escape the hospital, and returns to Haddonfield where he gains the famous white mask. Back in his hometown, his sister - Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) - discovers soon that she is being stalked by her older psychotic brother after noticing him various times in one day. From this, Dr. Loomis understands it is clear he will murder again through the aim of his main targets - Laurie Strode - and her friends Annie Brackett (Nancy Kyes), and Lynda van der Klok (P.J. Soles). With the aid of the town sheriff Dr. Loomis eventually begins to plan an end to Michael Myers and his killing spree conquest.
In my opinion, for all horrors fan, this is definitely regarded as a 'must-watch', as I genuinely believe it to be the best horror movie to allow us to feel fear through a dead silence. Of course, at several moments it is broken by intense music creating suspense, but at key moments, the silence is absolutely exceptional and is furthermore executed even better through the use of minor pop-ups, and/or 'jump scares'.
Now, I sometimes know when jump scares are coming in horrors nowadays, but due to the variation within this film, there was no repetition, and therefore the jump scares were rarely expected. As well as a film for a weekend, I would highly recommend this for Halloween, as it is a very famous horror classic, and similarly to other horrors, I feel it is the best film out of the lot. In other words, I feel that in the 70's (and even at present day), this is one of the best horrors full of suspense, terror and thrilling moments.
I also believe the creation of Michael Myers as a horror character was a phenomenal idea as it set the white mask item of clothing as traditionally belonging to Michael Myers. Also, I feel that  he was a huge inspiration to other characters such as Jason (Friday the 13th), and The Miner (My Bloody Valentine).
Overall, Mich Myers is an exceptional horror character due to his relentless plot to hunt down and kill his sister Laurie Strode. The film also has a very good plot alongside the horror, which therefore increases the rating of the film in my opinion. Therefore, if you haven't seen this film, I reckon you make some popcorn, switch ALL the lights off, and take a nice comfy seat to ensure you get the best out of the Mich Myers horror experience. P.S - You may wish to lock all your doors firmly, as after this film, he will be the character you will never be able to forget!

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