Halloween: The Start of Something New
Contains spoilers!
Fun fact: that’s my wife and I with Nick Castle in the picture for this review!
Directed by the legendary John Carpenter, 1978's Halloween is, I would argue, one of the most important slasher films of all time; I would argue it falls to second place, after 1974's The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. While Texas Chain Saw established the tropes of what slasher movies utilize (a masked killer stalking and killing teenagers), Halloween is the one that brought the genre to the forefront and truly launched (through its critical reception and box office success) the Golden Age of Slasher Films. The film follows Michael Myers (Nick Castle for most of the film, Tony Moran as the older unmasked Myers, and Will Sandin at age 6), who is sent to a sanitarium after murdering his sister. Myers escapes years later and starts stalking Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her friends. It's up to Dr. Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasence) to stop his evil patient's spree.
Michael is one of the most interesting characters of any horror film. While some villains' motives can be explained from a tragic backstory (John Kramer from the Saw franchise) or something like revenge (Daniel Robitaille from the Candyman franchise), Michael defies both characteristics. From what's presented to us, Michael, at age 6, is as ordinary as any child appears to be. His parents, the little we see of them, seem to be perfectly normal people, as does his sister Judith (Sandy Johnson). We quickly learn that he's, as Loomis puts it, "purely and simply evil."
My wife and I with Nick Castle, Indiana Comic Con 2025
As humans, we are drawn to understand how the world around us works, including our fellow man. In a twisted sort of way, we are drawn to Michael as we try to understand what makes him the way he is, but Carpenter pulls the rug from under our feet. We're dropped right into Michael's point of view and given no explanation as to why he's like this, making Michael that much more terrifying.
Donald Pleasence's Loomis is Michael's doctor who observed over the course of the fifteen years he was institutionalized. When his patient escapes, Loomis steps into shoes of Van Helsing, determined to stop the monster that now stalks Haddonfield. It's through Loomis that Carpenter pulls that rug, giving us an insight into the fifteen years of Michael's incarceration. He serves to emphasize just how dangerous Michael is, but we can't help but chuckle when he scares a group of kids away from Michael's childhood home.
Laurie Strode, portrayed by Jamie Lee Curtis, is a poor victim of circumstances, unwillingly put on Michael's path. When confronted with Michael, she takes an active role to stay alive, using whatever she can-a knitting needle and a hanger- to fend him off. We're on the edge of our seats as Laurie goes door to door as she (unsuccessfully) tries to get help. It's clear that Laurie will do whatever it takes to defend the children in her care from the boogeyman, and we love her even more for it.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the score, written and conducted by Carpenter. The score, in particularly the main theme, ranks as one of the best across any genre of film and truly brings the tension to the forefront of each scene. When the main theme starts playing, it's impossible to stop the goosebumps from creeping over your arm.
I hadn’t seen this movie until after I graduated from college, yet this instantly became my favorite slasher film. Admittedly, it's a film with a simple premise that easily could've been run of the mill, but Carpenter's score, writing, and techniques behind the camera result in a film that's beloved all these years later.
