SPECIAL SATURDAY HALLOWEEN MOVIE REVIEW
Thanks for stopping by for the first Saturday blog—congrats, it’s the weekend! Saturday blogs won’t be a regular thing, but with plenty of Halloween/Horror movie reviews in the works, we might add a few more over the next few weeks. Today’s film is a true classic: John Carpenter’s Halloween.
With a budget of only $325,000, this film became one of the most profitable movies of all time relative to its budget. It's also one of the slasher films that inspired a wave of 80s horror.
Rankings:
Monsters/Villains:
🤖🤖🤖🤖🤖🤖🤖🤖 (8.2)
Michael Myers is terrifying. Carpenter does an excellent job of making you use your imagination against yourself. We never hear Michael speak, we never see his face, and yet he is chilling.
Actors/Characters:
🤖🤖🤖🤖 (4.2)
This is a tough category to rate. The standout performance is Donald Pleasance as Dr. Sam Loomis, a clear homage to the character from Psycho. Pleasance steals the show as Michael’s doctor and the only person genuinely concerned about the escaped mental patient terrorizing Haddonfield.
He’s the reason this rating isn’t lower. Jaime Lee Curtis does an adequate job as Laurie Strode, but the rest of the teenage cast is over-the-top annoying. Personally, I couldn’t wait for their inevitable demise just so we wouldn’t have to hear the word “totally” one more time!
Story:
🤖🤖🤖🤖🤖🤖 (6.8)
The story is simple but effective. We’re never told why Michael killed his sister or why he’s stalking Laurie, and I actually prefer it that way. His lack of motive makes him even scarier. If you pay close attention, there are subtle moments that add depth to the plot, but blink and you might miss them.
Joe's Score:
🤖🤖🤖🤖🤖🤖🤖 (7.4)
This film is a Halloween staple in my rotation. Like Salem’s Lot, it gives off major fall vibes—even though they only had two bags of leaves and two pumpkins while filming in California. It’s my favorite slasher film of all time, unless we’re counting Psycho, in which case it takes second place!
Overall:
6.65
Updated List:
Salem’s Lot (8.4)
Halloween (1978) (6.65)
Monster Squad (5.22)
