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Movies / On DVD / Halloween
Halloween

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Halloween (1978)

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Reviews Counted:5

Fresh:4

Rotten:1

Average Rating:8/10

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

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Halloween

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1 - 5 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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John Carpenter and Debra Hill's film is a genuine landmark in the horror-thriller genre.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
09/21/07
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Regardless of how silly you think it all is, this will have you scared witless by the time the end credits roll; low budget horror hog heaven.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
08/27/07
Chris Hewitt (UK)
Chris Hewitt (UK)
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Perhaps not quite so resonant as Psycho to which it pays due homage, but it breathes the same air.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Derek Adams
Derek Adams
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

After a promising opening, Halloween becomes just another maniac-on-the-loose suspenser.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment 32 Comments
08/27/07
Variety Staff
Variety Staff
Variety
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Halloween is an absolutely merciless thriller, a movie so violent and scary that, yes, I would compare it to Psycho.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment 2 Comments
10/23/04
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
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1 - 5 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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