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Halloween

Halloween

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: MICHAEL ! MICHAEL ! MICHAEL ! MICHAEL ! MICHAEL !
Review: HOW COME NO ONE EVER TRIED TO KICK MICHAEL MEYERS IN THE BALLS ?!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Halloween (1978)
Review: Director: John Carpenter
Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasance, Nancy Loomis, P.J. Soles, Charles Cyphers.
Running Time: 93 minutes.
Rated R for violence, language, and mild sexual situations.

Perhaps the quintessential horror film of the 1970s, which created a spring-board of imitations, remakes, and recycles for nearly two decades after.

The film opens with perhaps the third most-historic horror film music of all time (behind "Psycho" and "Friday the 13th", of course) and the audience views the horrific slaying of a teenager daughter through the eyes of the killer, young child Michael Myers. Myers is shipped off to a mental institution in which he is counseled by Dr. Loomis (Pleasance) for 15 years.

While trying to move Myers from the institution to a maximum security prison, Michael escapes from the hospital and returns to his hometown for a murdering spree. The film introduces Jamie Lee Curtis in her first role, playing a normal high-school babysitter who is stuck watching children on Halloween instead of partying with her friends on the holiday. As Myers attempts to kill again, Dr. Loomis tries to race against time to stop him. Eventually, Myers and Curtis cross paths and the rest is history.

Carpenter is a modern Hitchcock, transforming a normal neighborhood into a slashing frenzy of terror and macabre. He uses many different foregrounds and an atmospheric tension instead of blood and guts for his scares. The exceptional musical score accompanies Myers every move and really adds to the suspense of this extraordinary, yet simple piece of cinematic terror at its very best. Pleasance is stylish and swift in his performance, while Curtis's breakout role makes her the true queen of all scream queens. "Halloween" is a true horror masterpiece, no matter how obsolete some may think it to be.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The "25th Anniversary Edition" DVD = A Superb 2-Disc Set!
Review: 1978's "Halloween" never seems to grow old, or stale, or tiresome, or "dated" .... no matter how many October 31st viewings you are subjected to. I'd call it a "fine wine of cinema" -- it seems to get better each year. (This is possibly due to the fact that very few films of equal stature, within the "horror" genre, have been released since "Halloween's" debut in October 1978.)

Director-Writer John Carpenter was able to make "Halloween" on the shoe-string budget of only $320,000. The film has since grossed approximately 175 times that figure -- earning more than 55 million dollars worldwide since its 1978 original release! Talk about a great return on your investment! Amazing indeed.

There have been seemingly a million imitations and carbon copies of this low-budget thriller, but not many (if any at all) can prey on a viewer's fears and anxieties the way this motion picture can do. And none of the subsequent slice-and-dice, teenager-laden imitators and sequels can hold a candle to the incredible music score that John Carpenter came up with for the original "Halloween".

Is it possible *not* to get a few chills upon hearing that music start up? It's such an amazingly-simple composition by Carpenter; and yet so incredibly effective. That music MAKES this movie THIS good.

"Halloween" has many memorable moments that evoke chills and a few shivers, even after repeated viewings -- such as:

>> Loomis' (Donald Pleasence) creepy description of Michael Myers' "evil" black eyes. ....

>> Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) looking out her schoolhouse window and seeing Michael for the first time, just standing there, creepy as all get out just by doing nothing but standing by the station wagon and staring at Laurie (ooohhh, what a shiver-inducing scene it is!). ....

>> Loomis discovering the headstone missing in the cemetery. Followed by his appropriate line of dialogue: "He's come home." ....

>> The Myers-driven car popping up in view behind Laurie & friend while they are driving. ....

>> Michael's "head turn" toward Laurie at the end of the film. (Now just WHY Laurie hasn't headed for the hills and away from that house at this point is another matter. Why she is sitting there, crying, with her back to her attacker is anyone's guess. But, it's good for the script at any rate.) ....

>> Is he or isn't he behind that hedge?? ....

>> Loomis spies the abandoned station wagon parked on a dark street. And then, implacably, that music starts yet again. Carpenter's constant use of that eerie musical score was a stroke of horror genius, in my opinion. Each time we hear it, an inevitable feeling of unease is certain to follow. ....

>> And my very favorite "creepy" moment -- the stormy, rain-soaked scene where Loomis (and a female assistant) first drive up to Michael's "institution". The nurse with Loomis says, "Since when do they let them walk around?" Then Director Carpenter cranks up that music. A standout and unsettling moment.

I don't even mention any of the killings here, because (IMO) the "anticipation" of the evil-doings to come is much more unsettling and scary than the actual killings themselves.

"Halloween" was filmed in the nice, wide aspect ratio of 2.35:1; and that's how we see it on this DVD. Disc # 1 contains the movie only, in enhanced Anamorphic 2.35:1 Widescreen, and three different soundtrack choices (four if you count the one Commentary Track). You can listen to the film in Dolby Digital 5.1, 2-Channel Dolby Surround, or 2.0 Dolby Digital Mono. The fourth track available is the Audio Commentary, featuring three participants: Jamie Lee Curtis, John Carpenter, and Producer Debra Hill.

In addition to the 3-person Commentary Track, this 2-Disc Anniversary Edition includes many other excellent bonus features (all located on Disc # 2), including the comprehensive, feature-length, 87-minute behind-the-movie documentary called "Halloween: A Cut Above The Rest". This stellar bonus documentary is very nearly as long as the movie itself (with the movie clocking in at 91 minutes).

Another mini-featurette is included --- "On Location: 25 Years Later" (length: 10.5 minutes).

Other extras include ..... 1 Theatrical Trailer; 2 TV Spots; 2 Radio Spots; An extensive "Poster & Still Gallery"; 3 detailed text-only "Talent Bios" (on Director John Carpenter and stars Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasence); and some DVD-ROM features for your computer -- the complete screenplay and 2 screen-savers.

An impressive array of features here (IMO). And all of this bonus material has been "enhanced" for widescreen monitors (anamorphic), which is always kind of nice. This includes even the Menu screens, which seem (to my eyes) to be anamorphic as well. So there's no need to constantly switch ratio settings on your TV from one bonus item to the next.

The "Cut Above The Rest" documentary even has multiple soundtracks to choose from -- Dolby 5.1 and Dolby 2.0 Surround. This extra is not broken into multiple "chapters", however.

There's also a high-quality 16-page booklet included in this package, which is packed with a good deal of information about the making of the film, a chapter list, and some good-looking photos. This is one of the more impressive "paper enclosures" you're likely to find with any DVD release.

There have been several different DVD versions of this ultra-creepy horror classic to hit the home video market, with this two-disc 25th Anniversary Edition (released originally by Anchor Bay Entertainment on August 5, 2003) being my favorite -- so far anyway. :-)

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Gone with the Wind of all Slasher Flicks.
Review: This is what I would like to call a perfect film. There is nothing wrong with it. The acting is natural. The cinamatography is spooky and inticing. The score is bone chilling. Everything about this film is good. Michael Myers is one of the scariest villains the movies has ever seen. Jaimie Lee Curtis did a wonderful breakout role in this film. Donald Pleasance gave the greatest performance of his career. The movie is one of the best films of the 70s and definately the greatest horror film of them all. "every one is entitled to one good scare"

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Pure Horror / The Greatest Movie of Its Type
Review: Jaimee Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasence star in this horrfying movie about a Pyschotic man named Michael Myers. As a child Michael Myers brutally stabbed his sister which resulted in her death on Halloween night. Years later, On the same night Michael Myers escapes from the instute where he is currently kept and starts on a brutal and most frightning killing spree. Eventually as the night wears on Michael Myers reaches a house inhabbited with a group of teenagers having sex and drinking only to brutally slaughter each and everyone. Jaimee lee Curtis is the last victim to be chased by Michael Myers, Somehow though she escapes her fate on a whim as a police man (Pleasence) arrives at the house and shoots Michael in the chest 6 times...Only to find out that Myers was unaffected and is again on the loose...Over all this is one of the scariest and most delightfuly entrancing movies I have ever seen and I am sure that someday this will become a classic.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Friday and elm st. were nothing before HALLOWEEN
Review: John Carpenter's HALLOWEEN is the greatest movie of of the 3 horror slasher films( Friday, elm st. and Halloween). And this new DVD is the greatest! Most horror movies when they come out on DVD barley have 1 disc, but this new 25th version comes with 2 great disc! So many features are included in this DVD, but the really cool one is the 80 min. documentury on the making of HALLOWEEN. Buy this DVD today, its worth evry penny

p.s. If you eat halloween for breakfest, lunch and dinner, than get ready for HALLOWEEN 9, said to come out THIS YEAR!!!!!!!!!!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: OVER RATED
Review: cmon r u serious. greatest horror movie ever my ass. it was prolly good in 78 but it doesnt compare 2 some of the movies today. i meen all the reviews for scream said it was pathetic but it sure was a hell of a lot better than this. i thought it was scarier than this 2 and it wasnt that scary itself.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Halloween (divimax 25th anniversary edition) DVD
Review: Halloween is the greatest horror film of all time. It will never get any better than this. Carpenter has created an original that cannot be duplicated. Five stars. The best in its class. I love horror films but, this one has held on to me for a very long time. The score alone will have you at attention, on the edge of your seat, and waiting for the next kill. Laurie Strode is the only scream queen for me.
recommended halloween films:
Halloween Pt.2, Halloween Pt.6 the producers cut or original cut, and Resurrection Pt.8

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: JOHN CARPENTER'S HALLOWEEN
Review: HALLOWEEN is an instant classic created by john carpenter and debra hill on 1978...the movie started when the little michael audrey myers kills his sister judith myers to death with a big charped kitchen knife...he is locked in smith grove's sanatarium but 15 years later he scapes and goes to his natal home: HADDONFIELD... Now he wants to kill his sister laurie strode that will babysit tommy doyle on halloween night....but her friends bob, lynda, and annie got visited by the shape first and only dr.loomis will destroy pure evil...
The movie is great but some sequels for me are better....the dvd is very good the only thing that i dont like very much is that this dvd doesn't have any subtitles...but the dvd contain good material like "unmasked the horror", "trailers", "tv spots", "radio spots", and more...

STORY: 4/5
ACTING: 4/5
GORE: 3.5/5
DIRECTING: 5/5

VERY GOOD HORROR MOVIE!!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: "Its Time Michael, ....."
Review: The definitive classic scary movie. Why? John Carpenter's score is so recognizable, people who haven't seen the film get the chills. That damn pasty William Shatner mask! Dean Cundey's photography is crisp and superb throughout the film, especially, in the scene where "The Shape" slowly, quietly emerges from the shadows right next to Laurie Strode, who just found all of friends - dead. The cast is great. Big thumbs up to Jamie Lee Curtis (in her first major screen role) and Donald Pleasance (chosen after both Christopher Lee (prequel "Star Wars") & Peter Cushing (classic "Star Wars") declined). The overall theme of the film, the embodiment of evil in human form that kills without ryhme or reason, is the most powerful of all. The film would go on to change the face of Halloween, forever.

On Halloween night in 1963, a young 6 year old, Michael Myers, stabs his sister to death, for no possible reason at all. Myers becomes a traumatic mute and spends his remaining youth in a sanitarium. His assigned psychotherapist, Dr. Sam Loomis, sees something behind those dark, vacant eyes of Myers. The embodiment of pure evil in its most human form. Fast forward to fifteen years later, 10/30/1978, Loomis has orders to bring Myers before the hospital board for a possible release (in a scene cut from the film, Loomis goes before the board pleading to them to keep Myers locked up for good). But, upon obtaining him for transfer, Loomis finds all the patients of the hospital loose, walking aimlessly, in the stormy night. As Loomis tries to find out whats going on, Michael Myers, now 21 years old, steals off with Loomis' vehicle, returning to his old hometown hunting grounds of Haddonfield, Illinois, & stalking two young high school girls (Laurie Strode, & Annie Brackett).

This fourth DVD release is one of the best (in my opinion, the out of print, 2 disc limited numbered edition that was released in 1999, is still the best). Anchor Bay does a great Divimax transfer of the film. All the bells and whistles have been remastered for this edition. The second disc has an extensive documentary on the making of the film. If your a die-hard fan of "Halloween", you probablly know the whole story and there really is nothing new here (the ltd. edition disc pretty much has the same info. as this version). What Anchor Bay should have done, was hook up with American Movie Classics and use there "Halloween" episode from the network's popular show, "Backstory" (a "Biography" style show that documents the history of how certain popular films were made). "Halloween" had a tight budget of roughly 325,000 and would go on to gross, roughly 47 million dollars at the box-office. It was ranked as the most successfull low budget film in Hollywood history, until the arrival of "The Blair Witch Project" in August of 1999. After 25 years of release and generations of fans, "Halloween" still scares and should not be watched while babysitting.


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