Halloween (1978) ****
While I do love John Carpenter's Halloween (1978) and acknowledge its classic status and influential standing, it is neither my favorite Carpenter film nor my favorite slasher. Those honors go to The Thing (1982) (my review here) and Bob Clark's Black Christmas (1974) (my review here).
That said, there's lots to love about one of the most successful independent films of all time—Carpenter's indelible score featuring that pulsing theme, Dean Cundey's iconic cinematography which includes impressive early use of the Steadicam, plenty of "totally" quotable dialogue, and a tone that successfully blends suspense, scares and humor.
I was surprised to note that the last time I watched the film was almost four years ago to this day and that was the extended (television) version (which is an interesting curiosity but a weaker film). The last time that I watched the film proper was the day after Halloween in 2013! Watching the film for the first time in 4K (this was the first UHD disc that I bought back in September 2018) was a treat, with the film looking and sounding better than ever.
In closing I will say (and I mean this as a compliment), Halloween is the type of movie you can watch intently or half pay attention to and it's just as good either way—the sign of a timeless film.
You can find my John Carpenter Films Ranked list here.
You can find my Halloween Franchise Films Ranked list here.
That said, there's lots to love about one of the most successful independent films of all time—Carpenter's indelible score featuring that pulsing theme, Dean Cundey's iconic cinematography which includes impressive early use of the Steadicam, plenty of "totally" quotable dialogue, and a tone that successfully blends suspense, scares and humor.
I was surprised to note that the last time I watched the film was almost four years ago to this day and that was the extended (television) version (which is an interesting curiosity but a weaker film). The last time that I watched the film proper was the day after Halloween in 2013! Watching the film for the first time in 4K (this was the first UHD disc that I bought back in September 2018) was a treat, with the film looking and sounding better than ever.
In closing I will say (and I mean this as a compliment), Halloween is the type of movie you can watch intently or half pay attention to and it's just as good either way—the sign of a timeless film.
You can find my John Carpenter Films Ranked list here.
You can find my Halloween Franchise Films Ranked list here.
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