For anyone who has ever been interested in diving into the hellish world of becoming a filmmaker; there is always that one film that really pushed you to wanting to purse that field. For me that film was John Carpenter’s Halloween. Now, I had always been a movie buff, and of course a horror fanatic. But I remember seeing Halloween for the first time when I was in the 2nd Grade, and knew there was nothing else I wanted to do. From the simplistic nature that the film had, and the low-budget(for the time), the fact that this film is still noted, and shown yearly in theaters; there is a reason why this film pushed me in the industry I am now entering.
For those of you who don’t know; On Halloween 1963, the small town of Haddonfield is shocked when six-year-old Michael Myers returns from trick-or-treating and for some unknown reason stabs his older sister to death with a big kitchen knife and is found by his parents staring into space with the bloody knife in his hand. Sent to a mental institution, Michael spends the next 15 years just sitting, still staring into space despite the best efforts of his Doctor, Dr. Samuel Loomis. Now, on October 30th 1978, something triggers Michael off and during a storm manages to steal a car from Dr. Loomis and Nurse Marion (who was coming to take Michael to court to keep him locked up) and goes back to Haddonfield where he steals a white mask. There, Laurie Stode, Micheal’s younger sister, finds that Michael is stalking her during the day (at school, at her home etc – but she doesn’t know who he is.) As Dr. Loomis arrives and with the sheriff frantically looks for Michael he doesn’t know that Laurie is baby-sitting Lindsey and Tommy and that Laurie’s friends Annie, Lynda and Bob are disappearing one by one.
As I said, this film has a very simplistic storyline; but it is a premise that everyone could identify with. Every town has their own story of the one person that went crazy, and now they are locked up in a padded room somewhere. But what would happen if that person escaped, and went back to the only place they knew? That is the question John Carpenter answered, and put fear in the nation. In all actuality, this film wasn’t a big success initially. It was slammed by critics, and the box office numbers were sub-par at best. But after one review hit the market, and by the power of word of mouth, the numbers started to grow. And before too long, people were lining up around the blocks to see this film. That was something that didn’t happen for horror films. At this time, you went to the drive-in to see this kind of horror flick. But the success only got bigger, and a generation of fans was born.
For writer/director John Carpenter, this film was the huge success he need to put his name on the map. Before Halloween, Carpenter had only done a handful of shorts, and two features; Dark Star and Assault on Precinct 13. Surprisingly, those two films were vastly different than Halloween, or to the horror genre that he would inevitably becoming a staple in. To this day, John Carpenter is one of my favorite directors. There is nothing he releases that I don’t see or own. It’s just too bad that he hasn’t released too much as of late; but when he does, you can know that I will be there to see it.
It is a little sad to see Carpenter, sort of, divorce himself from the franchise he started; but to a point, I can understand. Nobody wants to be typecast, and be only known for one thing. So the fact that when he was asked to be apart of a few of the sequels, and he declined; I can respect that. Because even if he wants to separate himself from it; even he can’t deny that he was responsible for one of the biggest horror icons in history. One of the new “modern” Universal Monsters if you; in the character of Michael Myers.
Michael Myers is the character you fear coming to your house every Halloween. The expressionless shape, that can take you out at a moments notice. In this first film, he really didn’t have any motives for his actions. He was just that psychotic killer that killed for one and only reason…because he liked to kill. He was good at it. But, we all know, you can’t do that for too long, and in the later films we learn that Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) is actually his sister; and the films trend down the line that Michael just isn’t a “family man” and wants all of his family to die. I was honestly fine with all that. It made for interesting story-lines, and some fun sequels. But then they killed off his entire bloodline, and the franchise hit a roadblock. That roadblock would be the reason for the Rob Zombie remake…but that will be a post for an entirely different day.
But this creation, from the mind of John Carpenter and Debra Hill, has spawned many loyal fans, and a mess of imitations. I’ve heard people argue that Jason Vorhees is “way better” than Michael Myers. I’m not going to bite. I love Jason as well. But at least give credit where credit is due. If the was no Michael Myers, there damn sure wouldn’t be a Jason; or even a Freddy for that matter. Now, Halloween wasn’t the first slasher film by any means. Hell, Psycho and Black Christmas came out years before this. But this film solidified the genre, and is truly the reason for the huge slasher boom in the 1980’s. And that is really saying something. The fact that this “little” film, that no one thought would do anything, inspired so many filmmakers to flood the market with imitations, is really a mark in favor of John Carpenter and everyone else attached to this film.
Yes, I am a Halloween fanboy, and proud of that fact. I just love the film and try to get as many people as I possibly can to watch it…if they haven’t of course. This film was one that I held a little tradition with. Every Friday night I would pop up some popcorn, kick back and throw this movie in. I have seen this movie hundreds upon hundreds of times, and it never gets old. That is the staple of a great, iconic film. So do yourself a favor. If you have been living under a rock for nearly 40 years…get out from under that rock, and watch this film. It might not be everyone’s cup of tea…but even the most hardcore haters can admit that it is responsible for so many other films that people love.
-Till Next Time Kiddies…
The Movie Pit 