On Halloween, 1963, in the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois, six year old Michael Myers stabbed his seventeen year old sister to death. After fifteen years of institutionalization at Smith's Grove Sanitarium, Michael escapes only nights before Halloween.
He heads towards Haddonfield, with the intention of finishing off the remaining living member of his family, his sister, Laurie Strode, and anyone else who comes in his path. Meanwhile his doctor, Dr. Loomis, is hot on his heels, hoping to stop Michael before he strikes again.
Halloween was among the first true slasher films in the modern sense, and undoubtedly was the most successful of the early films, challenged only by Friday the 13th two years later. It was followed by seven sequels, a remake, and a sequel to the remake.
To this day Halloween is arguably one of the best slasher films of all time, and spawned arguably the best slasher film franchise as well. What sets Halloween apart from the vast majority of films belonging to its sub-genre is its masterful use of suspense and surprise, it higher than usual caliber of acting and writing, and its plentiful (not as plentiful as the sequels), but not unrealistic or over-the-top violence.
The film also features Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode and Donald Pleasence as Dr. Loomis, both of whom reappear in many of the sequels. Halloween remains one of the best horror movies of all time to this day, and perhaps John Carpenters greatest masterpiece.
5 kitchen knives out of 5
Rated R: contains violence, frightening scenes, sexually suggestive scenes, nudity.
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