Halloween (1978) **** [Halloween-o-Thon 2021 Pt. 1]

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.

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.

You can find my Top 20 Directors list here.