Fledgling producer/director John Carpenter never had any notion, even after the premiere of Halloween (1978) that what he had created was a pop culture blueprint for all slasher flicks to follow. To be sure, the formula by now seems quaint at best and hopelessly dated at worst. However, in its’ day, Halloween was an exceptional fright fest about psychopathic killer, Michael Myers (Nick Castle), his bloodlust for Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her band of wanton sexual revellers.
John Carpenter's initial zest for the project was fuelled primarily by his need for creative control - a request eagerly granted by producer Irwin Yablans who convinced producer Moustapha Akkad to put up the film's $300,000 budget.
From the outset, Carpenter assumed a daunting task - to shoot, edit and score a film in under four months, working primarily with a cast and crew who had never made a movie before. To improve his prospects, Carpenter secured veteran screen actor, Donald Pleasance for the pivotal role of Dr. Sam Loomis (Carpenter's homage to Janet Leigh's lover in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho 1960).
Originally the role was offered to Peter Cushing, then Christopher Lee. Both actors rejected the part as too small. In truth Pleasance accepted his role with reservations that were only partially quelled by Carpenter and Hill during the shoot. After Halloween's assemblage of raw footage was screened Pleasance recognized what a fine job Carpenter had done. As for the film, it steadily grew in prestige and box office revenue to earn more than $70 million on its initial theatrical release.
Although no one could have guessed at the time, the other feather in Carpenter's cap was in casting Janet Leigh's daughter, Jamie Lee Curtis as his fearful, sexually repressed heroine, Laurie Strode. With Halloween, Curtis, who had never made a movie before, was instantly catapulted into the hallowed echelons as a certified movie scream queen. Despite countless imitators since, changing audience tastes and a truly abysmal remake by Rob Zombie, the original Halloween can still be appreciated for Carpenter's impeccable pacing - excruciatingly methodical - as well as his chilling film score, the latter written on the fly in less than a month.
The screenplay by Carpenter and co-collaborator, Debra Hill opens in the small hamlet of Haddonfield, Illinois (an homage to Hill's own small town heritage. Actual locations were shot mostly in and around Hollywood). On Halloween night, Michael Myers (Will Sandin), a child with an unhealthy Freudian sexual appetite, murders his half naked babysitter in her upstairs bedroom. Discovered by his parents with the bloody knife still clutched in his hand, Michael is locked away in a minimum security mental facility where psychiatrist, Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasance) struggles to reach him. Realizing that Michael is evil personified, Loomis secures the facility's complicity to move him to maximum security.
Unfortunately, on the rainy eve of that transfer, Michael (now played by Nick Castle in a modified Capt. Kirk Halloween mask and briefly glimpsed as Tony Moran without his mask) escapes using Loomis' car. Arriving in Haddonfield, Loomis attempts to warn Sheriff Leigh Brackett (Charles Cyphers) of the impending slaughter, declaring “Death has come to your town, sheriff.” No one takes Loomis seriously, however, and Michael becomes fixated on shy introvert, Laurie Strode (Curtis) and her oversexed friends; Annie Bracket (Nancy Kyes) and Lynda Van der Klok (P.J Soles).
Laurie is the first to see Michael, eerily lurking behind bushes and looming in between clothes lines. Yet, she manages to shrug off her fears long enough to start for the Doyle's house. Seems Annie and Laurie will be babysitting across the street from one another. Meanwhile, Lynda and her boyfriend, Bob Simms (John Michael Graham) just want to some fun and are hoping Annie will let them have the run of the upstairs. After Annie convinces Laurie to watch over her young charge, Lindsey Wallace (Kyle Richards), she becomes the first of Michael's victims en route to pick up her boyfriend, Bob.
Wisely recognizing that what can only be seen in half shadow is infinitely more terrifying than what is presented in full light, Carpenter’s low budget slasher comes across today as more high brow, slick and stylish than it actually is, and, although only the latter third of the film really concentrates on Michael's methodical stalking of his victims; as an audience, we get the sense that his demonic presence is everywhere from the film's onset. None of the subsequent sequels in the Halloween franchise have been quite so viscerally unsettling. Trick or treat anyone?
Starz Entertainment/Anchor Bay have made Halloween available in countless repackaged and outstanding DVD incarnations over the last decade, but all of them pale to the absolutely gorgeous transfer rediscovered on Blu-Ray. Colors are infinitely more robust and eye popping on the Blu-Ray. Fine detail that was only hinted at on standard DVD is meticulously realized herein. The image is razor sharp with perfectly realized contrast levels. Black levels are deep, even during the darkest sequences there is more minute information present than ever before. This, truly is the way Halloween was meant to be seen.
The audio is Tru-HD remixed to stereo and remarkably aggressive for a film soundtrack originally releases as Mono. Extras include the comprehensive documentary, Halloween - A Cut Above The Rest and audio excerpts from Carpenter, Hill, Curtis and Soles waxing about their involvements. The one regret herein is that the powers that be did not see fit to also release the TV version of Halloween made previously available on a limited edition DVD (featuring several scenes Carpenter was forced to insert by NBC for continuity during its television broadcast). Otherwise, highly recommended!
FILM RATING (out of 5 - 5 being the best)
5
VIDEO/AUDIO
4.5
EXTRAS
3
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