Directed by John Carpenter / 90 min.
The modern horror genre simply would not be the same without HALLOWEEN. Director John Carpenter’s 1978 movie began life as THE BABYSITTER MURDERS until he decided to set the film on All Hallow’s Eve. It is one of the most successful independent movies ever made, returning more than $70 million on a budget of $325,000. Jamie Lee Curtis stars as Laurie Strode who watches her friends brutally murdered as she is stalked by psychotic murderer Michael Myers. Curtis’ performance not only launched her own career as “Scream Queen” of the 80s, but also originated the horror archetype of The Smart Girl Who Lives. Heavily influenced by Hitchcock’s Psycho, HALLOWEEN is credited with originating the slasher flick sub-genre, but it values suspense over the rivers of gore that its descendants would become infamous for. Just as scary today as with it debuted, HALLOWEEN began a decade-long hot streak for Carpenter that would include STARMAN, THE THING, ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK, and ELVIS.
~C. Scott McCoy
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