Halloween (1978)

[Ted C]

I watched Halloween all the way through for the first time last night.

This is the classic that inspired endless sequels? Were standards lower in 1978?

The pace of this movie is incredibly slow. There's a lot of stalking, but not really much serial killing. The villain's body count for the whole movie is... four.

The suspense building is so-so. I can see what they were trying to do. They wanted you to be thinking "When is it going to happen? It's got to happen any second!" There are some times when it works, but a lot of the time is just felt like dull waiting.

Michael Myers was such a non-character. Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasance) repeatedly describes him as pure evil, but it's a classic example of an "informed characteristic". Loomis says it, but we really don't see it very much. Michael was more like a killer robot than the incarnation of evil.

Also, we see Michael get stabbed and shot multiple times and then get back up a few minutes later as if nothing happened. There's not even an attempt to explain or justify that. It just happens, and we're supposed to go with it, I guess.

Can't say much for the acting either.

This was a very disappointing movie experience.

 

[Gabriel Knight]

Honestly, I watched it for the first time last year and wasn't really that impressed either, but I did enjoyed the movie. The thing is, standards were lower in 1978. Very few movies were part of the slayer genre, and HALLOWEEN was pretty much the true starting point for it. It's more about suspense rather than gore, and the music helps a lot with this.
The problem with movies like these is that they don't age well because it's nearly impossible for us to get "scared" with films made 40 years ago, so the whole point of it is lost. Nowadays is more a piece of history than a horror movie.

I actually think the acting was enjoyable, and Donald Pleasance was very likeable. I believe that the whole "incarnation of evil" speach was also related to the fact that these killers were faceless, ordinary people who could actually think like you but lacked empathy, so it added the fear of actually facing them in real life. Not just that, but in your own house.

Overall, I think it's a good movie but didn't aged well. I remember when I was a kid I was scared s**tless of Michael's mask, if only I knew it was Shatner all along.

[zombie no.one]

I don't dislike it but yeah, one of those 'you probably had to be there' movies. in the context of 1978, I guess it was quite radical and scary, and a breath of fresh air, as a low budget indie film in a sea of bland big-budget movies...

agree about MM being a bit of a nonentity.

I find HALLOWEEN 2 more entertaining, overall.

[Gabriel Knight]

agree about MM being a bit of a nonentity.

He's even listed as "The Shape" in the credits.

I find HALLOWEEN 2 more entertaining, overall.

Oh, I totally agree on this one. The thing is, the second is a little bit more explotation rather than suspense, because the gore is ranked up and there's some pretty ridiculous scenes, like the guy who just happens to have the same mask than Myers and gets accidently killed by the police car. It's a complete WTF moment and I love it.

[Ted C]

Invasion of the Body Snatchers came out the same year. I was on the edge of my seat watching that a week or so ago. It really established a sense of menace and paranoia that started early and built up steadily. I thought it was fantastic.

Halloween just didn't do it for me.

[zombie no.one]

The thing is, the second is a little bit more explotation rather than suspense,

hmm never really thought about it like that but I agree. the hot tub scene is my fav moment

[RCMerchant]

I liked the 1st one . Maybe it's because I did see it in the theater. Folks were screaming! My Ma was with us!  
Of the whole franchise, the 1st and III were the only ones worth watching.
As far as kill count goes...Norman Bates only kills 2 people in PSYCHO. Still miles above most 'slasher' movies.

[chefzombie]

i was 16 when i saw halloween in a theater. it scared the crap out f me then, and still does today. maybe because i've lived in serial killer country, i don't know, but i think because it WAS suspenseful instead of gory. gore/torture films( torture porn is my description) bore me, there's no real STORY there, and i watch them only fr tips on my makeup and SFX skills.
   to this day, the movies that scare me still are the ones that mess with the protagonist's and MY mind with suspense. nightmares coming true, in my mind, you know?

[Archivist]

Most of my early horror movie exposure came from TV in the 80s and 90s, and Halloween was no different. When a station screened the first three Halloween movies in the late 80s, I was enthralled. Here, finally, was the 1978 movie that caused so much unrest when it was released. And... it was okay. Not hugely scary, and not much gore, nothing like the Friday The 13th movies. I found Season Of The Witch to be more disturbing than the original. If I watch the first movie again, I'll try to imagine that it's 1978, Star Wars had been released, Jaws was a thing, and Star Trek The Motion Picture was still in memory. Those were fun days, hahaha.

[Allhallowsday]

... If I watch the first movie again, I'll try to imagine that it's 1978, Star Wars had been released, Jaws was a thing, and Star Trek The Motion Picture was still in memory. Those were fun days, hahaha.

STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE was released in 1979. 

[FatFreddysCat]

Halloween scared the livin' hell out of me when I was a kid, so it's always been a sentimental favorite. That said, I've seen it so many times over the years that I'm completely burned out on it and have no desire to watch it ever again.

The last time I saw it four or five years ago, i remember having similar thoughts as the OP, i.e. "Geez, this movie really is slow as hell."

I will occasionally give some of the sequels a look (I like "III: Season of the Witch" a lot, and I revisited "4" this past Oct. for the first time in a while) but they're a mixed bag (a few are watchable, but there are a lot of stink burgers in the mix), and the 2018 "reboot" was unnecessary at best.

At this point, being a fan of the "Halloween" franchise seens to require a willingness to be disappointed on a regular basis.

[Ted C]

I will occasionally give some of the sequels a look (I like "III: Season of the Witch" a lot, and I revisited "4" this past Oct. for the first time in a while) but they're a mixed bag (a few are watchable, but there are a lot of stink burgers in the mix), and the 2018 "reboot" was unnecessary at best.

I've heard at least one claim that the Halloween franchise was not originally intended to revolve around Michael Myers, but to have an original story every couple of years, and Halloween III was the first real effort to fulfill that original plan. It flopped at the box office and they went back to making Mike Myers sequels.

[zombie no.one]

yeah I've heard that too I think ...possibly on a commentary track?

I was disappointed with the new one. felt very hackneyed and cliched. some of the bizarre attempts at comedy were abysmal.  the busta rhymes/reality show one is the worst though...whichever one that was

[Archivist]

... If I watch the first movie again, I'll try to imagine that it's 1978, Star Wars had been released, Jaws was a thing, and Star Trek The Motion Picture was still in memory. Those were fun days, hahaha.

STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE was released in 1979. 

Ah, I stand corrected. I was very young at that time, give me a break, lol. I just remember the ads for the Star Trek movie in the Marvel comics I bought around then.

[Allhallowsday]

... If I watch the first movie again, I'll try to imagine that it's 1978, Star Wars had been released, Jaws was a thing, and Star Trek The Motion Picture was still in memory. Those were fun days, hahaha.

STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE was released in 1979. 

Ah, I stand corrected. I was very young at that time, give me a break, lol. I just remember the ads for the Star Trek movie in the Marvel comics I bought around then.

IT'S COMING.  IT CAME.  IT WENT.  (I was one of the few that liked STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE.)

I did not originally like HALLOWEEN (1978) because I could see it was not filmed in the fall...!  Now, I came to like it, I've watched it several times and still like it.