By Geno McGahee
“He came home.”–Dr. Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasence)
When you speak of classic horror films, John Carpenter’s Halloween has to rank right up there. This is a great movie all around, featuring a great pace, great camera work, excellent dialogue and superb acting all the way around. Donald Pleasence as “Dr. Sam Loomis” really stands out in this film, and I cannot say enough good things about this late and great star.
We begin with a young Michael Myers, butcher knife in hand, killing his sister. When he parents arrive home, they find him standing in the front yard with a blank expression on his face, and dressed like a clown. When it is discovered what he had done, he is sent away to a mental hospital, staying there for fifteen years. His doctor, Sam Loomis, tried to reach him until he realized that he was “simply evil,” and he wanted him permanently locked up. During a routine visit, he and a nurse drive up to the hospital where all the patients are walking around aimlessly. Out of nowhere, the adult Michael Myers carjacks the vehicle and drives away, prompting Loomis to scream: “The evil is gone!” I love that line.
The intended victim is the other sister of Myers, Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis). Strode is working as a babysitter and has no idea of the horror in store. As she watches the children, Myers is on a killing spree, cutting through many of her friends. Jamie Lee Curtis is perfect for this part as Strode. She is an ordinary girl (although some rumors dispute that) and plays the part normally. She is not over the top, and until the end of the movie when everything is exposed, she is basically downplaying her fear as just an irrational silly thing.
Michael Myers is the perfect killer. He is quiet, emotionless, and there are certain things that he does that are memorable and really add a lot to the film. He takes a guy, picks him up by the throat, stabs him with a knife through the chest that leaves him hanging on the wall. While hanging, Myers just looks at him, examining him, as if he didn’t understand what was happening. When you think he’s dead, he just sits up like Dracula, and is back for the attack. He creeps out of the darkness, with the only visible things a lot of the time is the white mask that he is wearing. It is really creepy.
A lot is made out of the conflict between Strode and Myers, but the true story is between the killer and the doctor. Dr. Loomis, with his lines and delivery, turns this movie from a good flick to a great one. Donald Pleasence found his signature role in this movie and nobody could have done it better. I also don’t think that Jamie Lee Curtis has ever been more convincing in a role. This is just a case of all the right elements coming together at the right time and creating a classic. John Carpenter and Debra Hill wrote a great screenplay with dialogue unmatched by most horror films. When Dr. Loomis says: “I met this six-year-old child, with this blank, pale, emotionless face and, the blackest eyes… the devil’s eyes! I spent eight years trying to reach him, and then another seven trying to keep him locked up because I realized what was living behind that boy’s eyes was purely and simply evil,” to the police officer, I still am amused. It is the writing, mostly, that makes this movie. There are a lot of slashers out there, but most of them focus on the death scenes and body counts because they can copy style, but you cannot copy talent and this crew that made this flick are extremely talented and understand horror movies.
Halloween is one of the best horror films of all time, and set the standard, inspiring many other horror films. This film is a true gem and I cannot recommend it enough. As I have said, all the right elements came together and created a memorable classic that horror fans will be talking about forever.
Scared Stiff Rating: 9/10. A horror classic.
