Halloween (1978 DCP)
Wednesday, October 17th
8pm | $10
Director: John Carpenter
Brush up on the original days before the premiere of 2018 sequel!
Possibly the most influential of all slasher films, John Carpenter's Halloween is the reason why this particular subgenre of horror even exists in the first place. Although it wasn't the first of its kind, it certainly was the game-changer for almost every other slasher flick that followed this low-budget indie horror only ended up imitating the formula that this classic originated.
On Halloween night in Haddonfield, Illinois in 1963, six year old Michael Myers brutally murdered his teenage sister after she had sex with her boyfriend. Michael is then locked inside Smith's Grove Warren County Sanitarium where he is placed under the care of Dr. Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasance), when Michael escapes, Dr. Loomis heads back to Haddonfield where he knows Michael will kill again on Halloween night. Michael begins stalking three teenagers, Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her friends Annie and Lynda (PJ Soles). With the help of the town sheriff, Loomis hunts for Michael and hopes to put an end to his grisly murder spree.
Carpenter shows great restraint in pacing the story very slowly and building likable characters; unusual for a horror picture at the time.
Even more unusual is the non-existence of blood and gore, and yet it remains one of the most terrifying films ever made.
Perhaps Carpenter's score is the crowning jewel and is synonymous with the film. While simple and at first unassuming, the powerful score manages to heighten the tension and suspense seamlessly.
Halloween also marked the film debut of Jamie Lee Curtis and a defining point in the late great Donald Pleasence's career. A true classic.