Halloween [Blu-ray]

     Halloween is as pure and undiluted as its title. In the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois, a teenage baby sitter tries to survive a Halloween night of relentless terror, during which a knife-wielding maniac goes after the town's hormonally charged youths. Director John Carpenter takes this simple situation and orchestrates a superbly mounted symphony of horrors. It's a movie much scarier for its dark spaces and ominous camera movements than for its explicit bloodletting (which is actually minimal). Composed by Carpenter himself, the movie's freaky music sets the tone; and his script (cowritten with Debra Hill) is laced with references to other horror pictures, especially Psycho. The baby sitter is played by Jamie Lee Curtis, the real-life daughter of Psycho victim Janet Leigh; and the obsessed policeman played by Donald Pleasence is named Sam Loomis, after John Gavin's character in Psycho. In the end, though, Halloween stands on its own as an uncannily frightening experience--it's one of those movies that had audiences literally jumping out of their seats and shouting at the screen. ("No! Don't drop that knife!") Produced on a low budget, the picture turned a monster profit, and spawned many sequels, none of which approached the 1978 original. Curtis returned for two more installments: 1981's dismal Halloween II, which picked up the story the day after the unfortunate events, and 1998's occasionally gripping Halloween H20, which proved the former baby sitter was still haunted after 20 years. --Robert Horton      Halloween is as pure and undiluted as its title. In the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois, a teenage baby sitter tries to survive a Halloween night of relentless terror, during which a knife-wielding maniac goes after the town's hormonally charged youths. Director John Carpenter takes this simple situation and orchestrates a superbly mounted symphony of horrors. It's a movie much scarier for its dark spaces and ominous camera movements than for its explicit bloodletting (which is actually minimal). Composed by Carpenter himself, the movie's freaky music sets the tone; and his script (cowritten with Debra Hill) is laced with references to other horror pictures, especially Psycho. The baby sitter is played by Jamie Lee Curtis, the real-life daughter of Psycho victim Janet Leigh; and the obsessed policeman played by Donald Pleasence is named Sam Loomis, after John Gavin's character in Psycho. In the end, though, Halloween stands on its own as an uncannily frightening experience--it's one of those movies that had audiences literally jumping out of their seats and shouting at the screen. ("No! Don't drop that knife!") Produced on a low budget, the picture turned a monster profit, and spawned many sequels, none of which approached the 1978 original. Curtis returned for two more installments: 1981's dismal Halloween II, which picked up the story the day after the unfortunate events, and 1998's occasionally gripping Halloween H20, which proved the former baby sitter was still haunted after 20 years.

Comment:
    I've watched this movie many times over the years. It's creepy and scary, yet it has no gore. If you like horror classics with a good, creepy score, rent it. You'll be satisfied. I would like to buy it and you might, too!This DVD, released last year, is an absolutely terrific representation of John Carpenter's vision of terror in a suburban setting. The picture is nice and crisp, thanks to THX, the sound and video system developed by Lucasfilm, a great restoration of this true classic of horror. In the film, Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) is terrorized by the man who later is found out to be her brother, Michael Myers, an unstoppable juggernaut of a masked killer. Myers is pursued by his Doctor, Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasance in a very memorable role), who seems to encounter hints of Myers' evil as he chases him down to attempt to apprehend or kill him. 30 years later, this film still does not disappoint to frighten everyone. But hey, as Sheriff Leigh Brackett points out, "Everyone's entitled to one good scare." Plus there is a terrific behind the scenes featurette, along with cast bio and behind-the-scenes photos. Get this one if you can. 5 stars!!!HAPPY THIRTIETH ANNIVERSARY, MICHAEL MYERS!!! Thanks to you, Halloween will never be the same. "Halloween" is a modern horror classic. To date, it has spawned seven sequels, one remake, and a host of imitations including some of the best holiday slasher fare. I was a freshman in high school when "Halloween" was released thirty years ago on an unsuspecting America. My classmates were hailing it as a great horror film; they couldn't stop talking about it. This film went down in history as one of the top grossing independent films. Expertly directed by John Carpenter and Debra Hill (who also brought us "The Fog" - a creepy ghost story), "Halloween" shocked America with its chilling plot. What would possess a six-year-old boy from a normal, middle class family and make him stab his teenage sister to death? Satan possessed him! Fifteen years later, when the grown Michael Myers escaped from the psychiatric hospital, his psychiatrist Dr. Sam Loomis (horror icon Donald Pleasance of "The Flesh and the Fiends," "Raw Meat, and "Phenomena") insisted he was pure evil, and no longer a human. This would explain his ability to survive being shot, stabbed, and set on fire. Jamie Lee Curtis (daughter of "Psycho" star Janet Leigh) made her film debut as babysitter Laurie Strode; she and her high school friends are stalked by Michael Myers on Halloween. Curtis gives an outstanding performance as the injured teen who desperately flees the maniac while pleading for help from the neighbors who turn off their front porch lights. She quickly realizes there really is a Boogeyman. It is a delight to watch the beautiful P. J. Soles when she plays her usual role as a mischievous, free-spirited girl. She was a tom boy in "Carrie" and a cheerleader in "Halloween." Granted, ""Halloween" is not a gory, high body count slasher flick. However, it does have nail-biting suspense, memorable theme music (on a par with "Jaws" and "Friday the 13th"), and history making originality. "Halloween" proved that monsters are still real. They can be the boy next door - the one who killed his sister. If you haven't seen the original film "Halloween," you're in for one of the best Halloween treats in history. I envy you!Halloween-the ORIGINAL-was released in 1978. I don't think I've ever had as much fun at a movie as I did when I first saw this. The entire audience was mesmerized by what was unfolding on the screen. We all screamed, shouted instructions to the people on the screen, and held our breath through every scene. The tension was unbelievable. John Carpenter (who has never come close to topping this one) proved he was a master at building suspense and definitely chosing the "less-is-more" type of violence. Why it was labeled as a "slasher" film is still a mystery because there is little to no blood shown. The original Halloween was an independent film and shot on a shoestring budget. With really no known actors (it did introduce Jamie Lee Curtis) and a still wet-behind-the-ears director, the film at first only received a limited distribution. But word-of-mouth took care of that, and soon the film was everywhere. Roger Ebert gave it 3-1/2 stars (out of 4) and his review said, "[I]t will have you screaming." You all know the story: babysitter Laurie Strode battles the indestructible and masked Michael Meyers, and the audience is treated to one of the best rollercoaster rides they'll ever experience. The music used in the film is just as memorable as the screeching violins used in Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho." Not to be confused with the damning remake by Rob Zombie, this is a must-see for any horror buff. Comparably tame to anything released today, the movie last 92 minutes and is rated R for brief nudity, violence, and some adult language. The true test of any classic movie is "can it withstand the tests of time?" Halloween (the original) has indeed done that. I never miss when it's on television and I also own several of the movies. As is most cases, the original is always the best. The plotline of this movie has been copied by just about everyone in the horror genre. The majority of those films failed miserably because all they were interested in was the body count. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.This is a great Blu Ray disc from Anchor Bay,it's shaper than the Divimax release a few years back,and that one looked darn good,but this one is even better, Halloween like you never heard or seen it!!!,a great early Blu title from Anchor Bay,also recommended are Blu's of Dawn Of The Dead(it's the thearical cut),Day Of The Dead,and Evil Dead II.all these Blu's are great,I have em' all,and each one has great choice extras as well,lets hope that Anchor Bay releases other quality Blu's in the near future!!! "Recommendead"(Ha Ha!)!!! A+