REVIEW: Halloween (1978)

© Compass International Pictures

One of the world’s most influential and pioneering horror films comes to Birmingham in a brand new 4K screening.

‘Halloween’ was screened at the Mockingbird Cinema in Digbeth.

The Custard Factory has become a beacon for film connoisseurs as people trek there to see a wide range of films that include classics, new releases and reissues of older movies in newly restored prints that showcase the films in rich and dynamic visual and audio quality. 

On a cold, wet and windy - and spooky - night with people dressed in their best trick or treat outfits a film was screened in the heart of Digbeth that epitomises the spirit of the Halloween season.

John Carpenter’s landmark ‘Halloween’ made a triumphant return to the Mockingbird Cinema on a night that ties in with the title of the movie which is just three years away from celebrating its 50^th anniversary.

The low-budget film premiered way back in 1978 yet it’s impact was so seismic that it continues to influence the horror genre and the movie has spawned multiple sequels – including a new set of films – which prove that the legendary franchise shows no sign of fading away or slowing down.

'Halloween’ was produced by Moustapha Akkad and directed by John Carpenter, and made a worldwide profit of $70 million, equivalent to nearly $300 million in today’s figures, and is listed as one of the most profitable independent films ever made.

It is interesting to note, especially under the current climate of anti-immigration rhetoric that is being used by politicians to fuel division and hatred, that the producer of one of the most instantly recognisable horror films in cinema history was a Syrian immigrant. Akkad was taken under the wing of film director Sam Peckinpah (‘The Wild Bunch’) and went on to become a film producer and director. Incidentally, Akkad’s son Malek is the producer of the latest ‘Halloween’ movies.

‘Halloween’ changed the perception of the horror genre in film circles around the globe and the legacy of this landmark movie remains potent to this day.

What makes the ‘Halloween’ truly unique is that the monster in this frightening film is more than just a masked knife-wielding stalker chasing after a babysitter.

He’s more…

Much more…

The merciless creature in ‘Halloween’ is not a vampire, not a werewolf, not a ghost, not a zombie, nor a ghoul, but a crusading stranger on a vengeful mission who attacks without any emotion and without any remorse. He is a cold-blooded killer who seems to slaughter and maim, and then vanish without trace like a supernatural phantom. This is a relentless killing machine who wears an expressionless mask; he offers up no grandiose speeches or tries to justify his killing spree, and he makes no apology for his heinous crimes. This is a silent killer who feels nothing, and he chooses to say nothing. He just keeps on coming like an unstoppable juggernaut. A ruthless beast who is simply referred to as ‘The Shape’ in the end credits of the film.

This puritanical creature personifies the essence and spirit of evil. The evil that pulsates through the heart of the killer exists solely for the purpose of snuffing out light, hope, love and joy in the world. And that force of evil refuses to die until it has completed its infernal mission. Carpenter dares to pose a question about the nature of evil and whether evil is a reflection of humanity which humanity keeps carefully masked and concealed.

The mask worn by the killer (a William Shatner plastic mask based on Captain Kirk from ‘Star Trek’ was bought for less than $2 and redesigned by the art director) is devoid of any emotion which allows viewers to project their own fears, insecurities and paranoia, even prejudices, onto an eerie and featureless face mask. The horror is sometimes hidden deep inside the human mind, buried in dark recesses. The boogeyman is not some mythic supernatural figment of the imagination designed to scare the children when they misbehave. The implication in ‘Halloween’ is that we are all familiar with the boogeyman in some shape or form.

In the prologue of the film, the setting is Halloween night and the scene is the interior of a dimly-lit suburban house where a prowler is peeping at a teenage girl and her boyfriend. The lurid and intense point-of-view camera angles of the killer are genuinely unsettling and creepy because Carpenter places the audience in the shoes of the voyeuristic killer as he carries out a perverse and sadistic crime.

The Northern Gothic story in this film deals with rage, morality, fundamentalism, hopelessness, retribution, local folklore and urban legends, innocence and how the vengeful ghosts of the past refuse to remain buried or locked away.

Jamie Lee Curtis (daughter of ‘Psycho’ actress Janet Leigh and ‘Boston Strangler’ actor Tony Curtis) was still a teenager when she made her debut in ‘Halloween’ as the virtuous and virginal babysitter Laurie Strode who becomes the target of an escaped maniacal killer who is on a righteous rampage and carving up the people of the town where he grew up.

Curtis, despite her tender years, displays real fire and maturity and her performance is much more nuanced than the usual ‘screaming victim’ seen in countless slasher films. She brings warmth, intelligence and wit to the role of Laurie.

While on the subject of maturity, this film also contains a peerless performance by veteran British actor Donald Pleasence whose career spanned more than 250 roles across stage, film, radio and television. His character of Dr. Sam Loomis in ‘Halloween’ anchors the film and gives the pulpy material gravitas and respectability. The slasher genre is often ridiculed and shunned by snobbish film critics but in the hands of Pleasence this film is elevated to cerebral intellectuality. The audience absolutely believes in Pleasence. His vocal delivery, and the world-weary look in his eyes, convinces us that the horrors depicted in this film are not the figment of a writer’s imagination but more akin to a crime reporter working on a real-life serial killer case.

Modern Hollywood has become obsessed with jittery camera angles, thundering soundtracks, bombastic dialogue, and outlandish scripts that defy logic or reason. It is almost as if the current film industry is scared that if a scene is held for more than a few seconds then the attention span of the audience may lapse and their minds begin to wander. Carpenter proves that he has no need for ‘shaky-cam’ gimmicks to retain the attention span and keep the interest of the audience.

The 2:35:1 aspect ratio of the cinematography employed in ‘Halloween’ not only showcases wide vistas of the landscape, where shadows lurk menacingly on the edges of the frame, but it also allows the characters to live and breathe, and their emotional states are translated very effectively to the audience.

The natural stillness of the camera and the widescreen vistas create a genuine sense of unease and dread to creep into tight spaces. The lighting is exquisite throughout, using a subdued colour palette that emphasises the autumnal hues of the story.

This restrained and reflective style of filming allows the audience to spend time and engage with the characters. The pacing and editing are far-removed from the rapid and quick firing MTV-style montages that we now see in many films where action scenes are cut and edited so fast that emotional build-up is often dissipated or completely lost.

The film has some very violent and graphic moments but Carpenter wisely reins in the blood and gore and instead goes for suggestion which stirs the mind to fill in the more visceral aspects of the horror. Some of the most eerie and haunting scenes are where the killings occur off-screen, masked off by shadows, a wall, a banister on a staircase or veiled behind a curtain, and the only sounds heard are those of the weapon being used and the victim gasping in pain.

Sometimes, in several key scenes, the moment before a murder takes place is often more disturbing and tense than the actual killing itself. Unlike many of the pale imitations that followed in the wake of the ‘Halloween’ to capitalise on the success of Carpenter’s movie, those unimaginative slasher films piled on gratuitous and sexualised violence towards women that resulted in the ‘video nasties’ clampdown in the UK during the 1980s which saw many horror films receiving cuts from British censors while more sensationalist titles were banned outright and placed on a notorious list. In ‘Halloween’, there is no eroticisation of murder, and misogyny is kept at bay by a heroic and feisty female character.

Carpenter’s trailblazing film, which he co-wrote with producer Debra Hill, gave a strong leading role to a female in 1978, but despite the success of the film and a fiery performance by Jamie Lee Curtis, there have only been a handful of mainstream Hollywood films that have provided women with leading roles. Men still get the lion’s share of leading roles in blockbuster films.

Carpenter has a reputation for composing the scores for his feature films. The multi-talented director not only composed the iconic soundtrack for ‘Halloween’ but he also performed the music. The soundtrack has spawned many imitations over the years yet the original melody still shines brightly and it still has the power to set the scene and instantly transport the mind into the world of ‘Halloween’. Carpenter’s simple, sparse, unfussy and minimalist theme has the power to tingle the senses, and there is an undertone and edge to it in several scenes where the soundtrack becomes discordant and snarling, without any clear motif or melody which gets under the skin and makes the audience feel cold and uncomfortable.

There is an air of uncertainty as the music blends in the natural sounds of the surrounding environment and that marriage of music and ordinary sounds such as boots crunching on concrete, or air rustling through leaves and over rattling branches, makes for an unnerving soundscape.

The new 4K restoration of ‘Halloween’ improves upon the controversial 35^th Anniversary edition that desaturated the colour palette and reduced the rich autumnal hues to a steely and cold look that robbed the film of so much atmosphere.

The screening at the Mockingbird Cinema unveiled a truly beautiful and warm looking transfer that showcased stunning details such as the texture of fabrics, natural skin tones, and the clarity in the night scenes is also vivid with details such as the moonlight sparkling and dancing in the eyes of Dr. Loomis as he gazes up at the night sky. Every strand of hair on his beard is visible in the night scenes.

The dynamic print also delivers natural film grain that adds another layer of authenticity and nostalgia. Considering this was a low-budget film, the movie looks excellent and in pristine condition with a professional polish to it. This edition is definitely the best looking version of the film ever released.

‘Halloween’ remains a timeless and quintessential film for the spooky season.

Verdict: ★★★★★

‘Halloween’ was screened at the Mockingbird Cinema on 31^st October