Halloween 1978

Cast:
Donald Pleasence - Dr. Sam Loomis
Jamie Lee Curtis - Laurie Strode
Nancy Kyes - Annie Brackett (as Nancy Loomis)
P.J. Soles - Lynda van der Klok
Charles Cyphers - Sheriff Leigh Brackett
Kyle Richards - Lindsey Wallace

‘Halloween’ was made in twenty days on a budget of just three hundred thousand dollars, and went on to gross over $50 million in the US alone back in its premiere theatrical run in 1978 (that’s about $150 million to today’s terms). The film not only started the careers of many of the cast and crew, but led the revolution of horror films through the 1980’s and was a clear influence on the serge of teen horror flicks in the late 1990’s.

The premise of the film is simple and is probably what made this film so successful - the babysitter/teenage aspect of the film certainly made the film identifiable to a certain crowd. But it is the execution that has made the film a cornerstone of classic American cinema. The film is technically flawless, despite the massive ambition, lack of an experienced crew and funds. The opening scene is indicative of the entire film – a simple scene, made unforgettable by its execution. The scene – a four minute single shot that shows the brutal murder of a teenage girl – is perhaps the greatest opening to a film ever. The real kicker, though comes when the shot ends and we are shown that the murderer was a young boy. I would have loved to have been one of the first to see this in 1978. That scene must have been absolutely shocking back then. Unfortunately, having seen endless parodies of the film before even seeing it, the effect was ruined on me.

The camera-work and lighting are what keep the film a fresh experience even today. They capture mood brilliantly. They capture the anxiety of knowing someone is following you. They capture the sense of not knowing what is behind the corner. Most importantly, they capture the essence of Hallowe’en. Night falls fast and Carpenter films the night like none before him. The second half of the film is drenched in blue. This blue obscures our view – it doesn’t allow us to see into every area. Evil lurks in every corner and can jump out at any moment. In one of the film’s most famous moments Myers slowly reveals himself a pitch black spot behind Laurie – his haunting white mask the only thing emerging from the blackness.

The film set in motion the Puritanical, psycho-pathological principle that one’s survival was directly proportional to one’s sexual experience. It also asserted the allegorical idea that sexual awakening often meant the literal ‘death’ of innocence (or oneself). With the title character Laurie (Curtis) a virgin, she is able to escape mostly unscathed (as does the asexual Dr. Loomis and the young pre-teen Tommy Doyle), but others who are more promiscuous and sexually-charged are less fortunate and suffer deadly consequences as victims. In this film, murders often occur after sexual encounters when victims are distracted and off-guard.

Director Carpenter used anamorphic Panavision framing (2:35 aspect ratio) for the film to make it appear classier than its low-budget status. When the film was aired in 1981 on commercial network television (available in a 1999 re-release DVD version), Carpenter was obliged to shoot about 12 minutes of additional footage to replace the gory and violent scenes, due to the numerous cuts made.

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