Halloween: The Ultimate Collection (Six Disc Box Set) [DVD]

Why is John Carpenter's film a classic? I think a lot of the credit goes to the two stars in front of the camera. Donald Pleasence certainly brings legitimacy to the role of Dr. Loomis, who keeps warning people who simply refuse to listen. But Jamie Lee Curits is perfect for the role of Laurie Strode. Compare here to the virgin character (i.e., the girl who survives) in all the other splatter flicks (e.g., any "Friday the 13th"), and she is just so much more real than they any of the rest of them. You certainly believe she would be a damn fine baby-sitter. It is almost hard to believe she goes out to be a femme fatale in films like "True Lies" because she is so much the good girl next door in this one.

As a director John Carpenter definitely has fun, as evidenced from the opening tracking shot, a homage to the opening of Orson Welles' "Touch of Evil." Actually, "Halloween" is replete with homages to various films ("Sam Loomis" was a character in "Psycho"). But what Halloween does better than any other film in this genre since "Psycho" is use music, which Carpenter wrote. Yes, it is very primitive (compare the music used for the climax of "Halloween" with the more sophisticated stuff used for the same scene when it is used to open "Halloween II"), but it is used effectively throughout the film to create a consistent sense of unease. You have to wonder if Carpenter was thinking in those terms as he shot the film. The film is remarkably free of blood and gore.

"Halloween" was shot in 21 days on a budget of $300,000 and then went on to become the highest-grossing independent film ever made. I remember the massive word of mouth that this was actually a "good" horror film, something rare to be treasured like "The Exorcist" while Hollywood puts out all those schlock films. You might think there are better horror films that have come out since "Halloween," but most of you are not going to get to your second hand to need fingers to count them.

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Is the movie scary? Yes, emphatically so. All these years later, with audiences having a number of other slasher films under their belt, Halloween may not seem as frightening as it had to have been when it was released, but it is deliciously scary nonetheless. The groundbreaking point of view shots Cameron employs only adds to the incredible suspense of the story. Watching this movie alone in a dark room is probably a pretty bad idea, as is going to bed immediately afterwards. Nick Castle's portrayal of Michael is brilliantly subtle, and the photography and soundtrack are superb. The image of the featureless, pasty-white mask hovering above a dark set of clothes is unnerving, and the early sightings of him in Haddenfield are amazingly effective-even when you know he is there, it is sometimes difficult to spot him. One of the best scenes later on has Michael creeping out of a darkened room; it is as if the mask just somehow emerges out of nowhere from the shadows. Even Michael's walk and method of suddenly sitting straight up out of a prone position are amazingly impactful. He really does seem to represent true evil, a force of nature that keeps coming and coming all the time yet is entirely human. He is everywhere and nowhere. The musical score is beyond outstanding; the famous Halloween theme is immediately recognizable whenever you hear it, taking you directly back to Haddonfield. Halloween was the first true horror movie I ever watched. I was probably around twelve at the time, and I decided I was going to watch my first horror film the proper way-in the dark, late at night. I am embarrassed to say that I never even made it through the opening credits. That jack o'lantern and incredibly creepy music scared the daylights out of me.

While Michael is horror's most terrifying killer, Halloween would not have seen nearly as much success had it not been for Donald Pleasance's character Dr. Loomis. Loomis' brilliant acting and forceful presence gives Halloween something its imitators don't have, and his almost philosophical musings on Michael's innate evil give this killer a depth that other slasher villains just don't possess. Jamie Lee Curtis, of course, was also fabulous in this, her first movie role. No other scream queen can boast of such advanced acting skills. I didn't think the acting jobs of the other teenagers were very good, but those characters were in the movie for one reason only, and it wasn't to steal the show.

The extra features on the limited edition release are pretty good. The "Halloween Unmasked" featurette from 1998 delivers interviews with cast and creators (including an unmasked Nick Castle, who looks more like a professor than a "killer"). The extras also include several scenes shot in 1982 and added to the television version of the movie. The first of these provides more detail about Michael's original transfer to a minimum security institution and Dr. Loomis' attempts to prevent it from taking place. The second one is a great scene featuring Loomis telling the teenaged, pseudo-comatose Michael that he may have fooled the hospital administrators but he hasn't fooled him. The third offers a bit of unnecessary data on Michael's motivations. The fourth scene features some extended dialogue between the movie's three teenaged girls and is forgettable at best. What I found most interesting was the story of Halloween's origins. Many have forgotten or never even knew how much of a surprise hit this movie was in 1978. It was filmed over the course of just three weeks with a total budget of little more than three hundred thousand dollars. Donald Pleasance filmed all of his scenes in a mere five days. The history of Halloween is really remarkable, especially when you consider the importance and influence of this movie on the genre. John Carpenter managed to bring together everything a horror film needs to succeed, and the entire industry has been trying to match his efforts without complete success ever since.

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