One of the first and the flat-out best of that ghetto of the horror film genre, the slasher movie.
Halloween (1978)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:42
Fresh:39
Rotten:3
Average Rating:8.4/10
Consensus: Scary, suspenseful, and viscerally thrilling, Halloween set the standard for modern horror films.
Runtime: 1 hr 44 mins
Genre: Horror/Suspense
Synopsis: Perhaps the most influential and successful independent film ever made, HALLOWEEN is the movie that put director John Carpenter on the map as a viable filmmaker. An exercise in simple, pure horror,... Perhaps the most influential and successful independent film ever made, HALLOWEEN is the movie that put director John Carpenter on the map as a viable filmmaker. An exercise in simple, pure horror, HALLOWEEN takes us into the world of a mad killer, Michael Myers, who at a very young age stabbed his older sister to death. Locked away for many years in a mental hospital Michael escapes one night and returns to his hometown to continue his killing spree. Jamie Lee Curtis, in her first role, plays the resourceful babysitter who is chased by the killer on Halloween night. Produced for very little money and a tight shooting schedule, HALLOWEEN was a stunning success when it was released. Written by John Carpenter and his longtime producer Debra Hill, the film set their careers on fire, with both of them working together many times over the next 25 years. The film also made a star out of Jamie Lee Curtis and turned the slasher movie into a viable, successful genre. HALLOWEEN has been copied, parodied and even turned into a franchise of its own, but the original is still considered the best of the bunch. HALLOWEEN was John Carpenter's first foray into horror, and remains the standard to which all other modern horror films are measured. [More]
Starring: Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis, P.J. Soles, Nancy Loomis
Starring: Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis, P.J. Soles, Nancy Loomis, Charles Cyphers, Kyle Richards, Arthur Malet, David Kyle, Nick Castle, Peter Griffith
Director: John Carpenter
Director: John Carpenter
Screenwriter: John Carpenter, Debra Hill
Producer: Debra Hill
Composer: John Carpenter
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Reviews for Halloween
It's hard to get behind a main character who's so unexciting. But maybe Michael Myers is the real main character. In which case, mission accomplished: I'm freaked out.
Even after repeated viewings, Carpenter’s minor masterpiece holds up as a staunchly effective thriller that will always stand head and shoulders above the cinematic progeny it spawned.
It’s freaking scary. After a recent viewing, I was charged with going through the house and turning on all the lights.
very possibly no other seminal seventies film--not The Godfather, not Star Wars, perhaps not even Jaws--has had a greater influence on popular culture.
They should have broken the mold when they released Halloween, for when it comes to escaped-maniacs-on-the-loose films this one’s the real deal.
One of the more successful indie forays into the slasher/horror film genre.
The most significant triumph Halloween achieves is measured by the bulk of films that follow and emulate it.
flawless for what it is: a completely immersive, visceral dynamo of stylistic belly-jiggling and spine-shivering.
Halloween remains untouched -- a modern classic of the most horrific kind.
If you’ve only seen it on network television or it’s been more than a few years, do yourself a favour and rediscover this one soon.
Latest News for Halloween
October 24, 2008:
Get Spooked With RT's Best Horror Movies!
Well, would you look at that? It's almost Halloween again. But before you have to fill up the candy bowl and set the plastic cauldron of dry ice out on the porch, your good... More...
September 06, 2007:
Box Office Guru Preview: Crowe vs. Bale in Box Office Shootout
Batman takes on Cinderella Man at the box office as the Russell Crowe-Christian Bale Western remake 3:10 to Yuma heads into the multiplexes over what is traditionally a... More...
August 30, 2007:
Box Office Guru Preview: Halloween Strikes on the 31st
The four-billion-dollar-plus summer comes to a close over the long Labor Day holiday weekend with three new wide releases all targeting male moviegoers. Slasher fans get to... More...
August 29, 2007:
Total Recall: Halloween Director Rob Zombie's Favorites
Under the "Hellbilly Deluxe" trappings, Rob Zombie is a true cinephile at heart: he's as likely to find inspiration in the works of Martin Scorsese and Sam Peckinpah as he is in... More...
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 66% 66% | Public Enemies |
| 83% 83% | Harry Potter and the H… |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| 75% 75% | Julie & Julia |
| 32% 32% | Terminator Salvation |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 88% 88% | Inglourious Basterds |
| 78% 78% | The Hangover |
| 49% 49% | Taking Woodstock |
| 26% 26% | The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard |
| 47% 47% | The Girl From Monaco |
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