Halloween..still crappy after all these years

[Cullen]

I agree with most everything that Chadzilla said.

I just want to add that the comparisons of Bava's "Twitch of the Death Nerve" to "Halloween" are unjustified.  They are two different beasts entirely.  Just because people die gruesomely in both movies does not mean one ripped off the other.  One could just as easily say that Bava was ripping of Hitchcock films and not giving Hitchcock any credit.  

The same thing goes for "Black Christmas."  Hitchcock, Bava, Clark, and Carpenter all made films with the same basic premise - a murderer preying on innocents.  Their methods, their skills and their stories set them apart from one another.  No one ripped anyone off.

Plus, the Slasher Genre is MUCH older than "Halloween" and "Friday the Thirteenth."  Mad Dog Killers have been with us since the beginning of film.  If the genre hasn't died in fifty years, it will, in all likelihood, stay with us for a while to come.
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The words "Old Fart" shall not be used to describe anyone less than ten years older than myself from here on out under pains of causing me to weep at my lost youth.  Thank you and good day.

[Chris K.]

With the horror genre always being reffered to "slasher films", I personally doubt the genre will change. Good or bad? In my opinion: BAD. Horror film fans keep thinking that the slasher genre is the supreme one out of all other elements in horror features. How sad, since other films in the past like RE-ANIMATOR and RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD has shown that the horror film isn't all about slashing people.

And as I said in my earlier in one of my comments, the slasher films have been already done before HALLOWEEN. TWITCH OF THE DEATH NERVE is one of them, but go all the way back to Hershcell Gordon Lewis' BLOOD FEAST. Now their is an early slasher film (maybe not the first, but the most memorable in my book).

And looking back at HALLOWEEN and it's dreadful sequels, it's been done to death. HALLOWEEN is definately a genre film, but to me it's pretty dull (and if you want my theory of the horror genre film, please reffer to my earlier comment "Like with HALLOWEEN, genre has been done to death").  None of the characters were worth caring about (except for Donald Pleasence, of course) due to either being quite annoying or just plan dumb. And the idea of the killer Michael Meyers isn't at all memorable either (he's like Jason, some wacko in a strange mask and it's unappealing or effective). But, some like the film and that's fine. Everybody has their own taste in film.

While some (including those in this Message Board) love HALLOWEEN, unfortunately I don't so I guess that makes me part of the minority. HALLOWEEN may be a horror classic, but to me it's really nothing new. Same old s**t that you can find in SCREAM or I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER or any other recent horror film that looks like it's new and inovative, but it's still the same "psycho-with-a-knife-and-wearing-a-mask" crap. And like with the old saying of Chadzilla, I vote for my wallet and choose not to waste my time on these slasher films.

[deej]

 Due to budgetary cutbacks, I'm smoking Carnival full flavors (donations welcome). I agree with you that Dead-Alive is a classic..too true...spoken like a true gentleman...here, here..there, there!!! But the fact remains that in my(humble) opinion, Halloween and all its sorry progeny is/are s**tE!! I hope that this in no way takes away from your love of this(poop)film. Many happy viewings(crap).
love and kisses
DJ

[jmc]

I think maybe if someone wasn't around or was too young to remember what it was lke when HALLOWEEN came out, they might have a hard time appreciating it.  I remember seeing it when it played network TV and was scared out of my socks!

I think my trouble with BLACK CHRISTMAS is that the killer isn't onscreen all that much, or even involved in the action other than the beginning of the film and the end.  It had a good start and a good ending, but the rest was just filler.  If they'd had people being killed or at least being threatened throughout the film it would have been a little better.  I kept expecting the killer to leave his hiding place and start wreaking havoc, but it never happened.   So I was disappointed.

But I have to say that in general, I'm not a big fan of the slasher genre, except for the occasional visit for old times sake.