Halloween (1978) | Haddonfield Movie Club
Do you hate scary movies but are tempted by their allure? Are you curious about why the horror genre remains as popular as ever? Or do you need an excuse to rewatch the creepy classics?
Haddonfield Movie Club is a monthly Least Important Things article series focused on the foundational movies in the horror genre. So, whether you're a scaredy cat or a hardened veteran, together, we'll dissect the history, impact, and throughlines of the genre. So grab a pillow to hide behind and pop a fresh bag of popcorn. It's time to get scared.
I just got off the phone with my Dad.
We talked about the Least Important Things Scary Movies episode that dropped this month just in time for the spooky season. He still remembers seeing Halloween in theaters all the way back in 1978.
"I couldn't sleep for weeks," he said.
If you've listened to the episode, I had the same reaction from seeing the movie 30 years later. Decades removed, the movie's impact remained–the haunting anonymity of The Shape, a masked killer in a suburban setting, and of course, the music.
We chatted about other scary movies he remembers as a kid, like the black and white Universal monster movies made famous by Boris Karloff and Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds. But for my Dad, Halloween still remains the peak of horror cinema.
"Everything begins and ends with 1978," he exclaimed.
But Halloween didn't end the night he came home. The franchise's 13th installment, Halloween Ends, came out this year and finalized the reboot trilogy (or legacy trilogy, or whatever you want to label it) helmed by Joseph Gordon-Green.
If you've never seen Halloween or haven't delved into the swirling timelines, reimaginings, and the anthology spin-off Halloween 3: Season of the Witch, then let this be your refresher of the indie slasher turned horror classic that cuts through the cultural zeitgeist.
The Story
A man escapes a psychiatric hospital to wreak havoc in his small Midwestern hometown on Halloween night. He especially takes notice of a gaggle of young babysitters. Meanwhile, his doctor is hot on his trail, warning everyone in shouting distance that his patient is pure evil and cannot be contained.
Is it too late to stop the lunatic shrouded in a William Shatner mask and overalls? Can the girl-next-door fight off an unstoppable force with household items like a hanger and quilting needle?
It's time for a fright on Halloween night.
Why You Should Watch
Fall Vibes: Although it was shot in Pasadena, California, the cinematography from Dean Cundey perfectly captures the coziness of a Midwestern town in the fall. It's a perfect contrast to the sinister dark shadows in the film's final third.
The Opening Oner: While 1958's Touch of Evil is regarded as the pioneer of the one-shot (a single camera shot sequence with no visible editing), Halloween elevated the technique with the film's opening, featuring a young Michael Myers murdering his sister on Halloween. Director John Carpenter invested a majority of the film's meager six-figure budget into new tech called the Steadicam that made the sequence possible.
The Score: John Carpenter's synth 5/4 time score is as tied to the film's legacy as John Williams' JAWS score, and for good reason. Without it, there would be no Halloween. It's also why Carpenter was called back into active duty to score the most recent franchise installments.
Deborah Hill's Writing: The score and cinematography get most of the credit for Halloween's success, but co-writer and producer Deborah Hill's dialogue of the majority female cast made the audience feel like they were watching real suburban teens. In a modern world where cinema is chock full of high-brow or quippy writing, the authenticity of Halloween's characters makes you feel like you're smack dab in the middle of Illinois in the late 70s.
The Original Scream Queen: Jamie Lee Curtis' performance as Laurie Strood immediately catapulted her to stardom and set the standard for the eventual "scream queen" character type.
Scare-O-Meter = 2
1 = Watching a creepy Disney cartoon from the 60s and wondering how they got away with that.
5 = You can't finish the movie because you're so scared.
If you saw this movie at a young age as I did, you'll still be captivated by its tension and jump scares. But if you're used to the violence of Game of Thrones, this will be similar to when I watch the original Star Wars with friends who've never seen it–they just don’t get it.
Member Takes
"Halloween is so scary because it's realistic. It was so groundbreaking because it was the first time a scary movie was associated with Halloween.
There are so many elements to it, [but specifically] the idea that a person walking around a normal American neighborhood with a mask on could be a kid or a killer.
The 70s were the best of all horror. It's when all the pioneers came out in the genre that we know today."
-Curtis Felten, founding member of the Haddonfield Movie Club
Homework
Watch Halloween 3: Season of the Witch.
Halloween was supposed to be an anthology series, with a new storyline for each installment in a long-standing horror canon (FX's American Horror Story is the closest example). Halloween 3: Season of the Witch was the first and only attempt at this concept decades before Marvel popularized world-building.
Since then, the often-ignored spin-off has grown in popularity, with fans rediscovering it and appreciating its comparative tone to the original. I recently watched it for the first time and appreciated its spiritual connection to Carpenter's tone compared to the following installments in the series.
What do you think about a potential Halloween world-building franchise? Where would you take the series if Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers didn't exist? Or do you think a Halloween movie without the pale-faced Myers isn't worth watching?
Comment below or reach out here.
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But if you're interested in knowing the movie we're covering next month and want to watch it ahead of time, please email leastimportantthings@gmail.com or direct message me @lukehferris on Twitter or Instagram and type "Hey Luke, what's the next watch for the Haddonfield Movie Club?"