
The year is 1963, the night: Halloween. Police are called to 43 Lampkin Ln. only to discover that 15 year old Judith Myers has been stabbed to death, by her 6 year-old brother, Michael. After being institutionalized for 15 years, Myers breaks out on the night before Halloween. No one knows, nor wants to find out, what will happen on October 31st 1978 besides Myers' psychiatrist, Dr. Loomis. He knows Michael is coming back to Haddonfield, but by the time the town realizes it, ... (Full plot summary below)
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The year is 1963, the night: Halloween. Police are called to 43 Lampkin Ln. only to discover that 15 year old Judith Myers has been stabbed to death, by her 6 year-old brother, Michael. After being institutionalized for 15 years, Myers breaks out on the night before Halloween. No one knows, nor wants to find out, what will happen on October 31st 1978 besides Myers' psychiatrist, Dr. Loomis. He knows Michael is coming back to Haddonfield, but by the time the town realizes it, it'll be too late for many people.
Leave your thoughts about Halloween.
| The GuardianPeter BradshawThe unmasking "reveal" at the beginning of the movie is a great coup, and the film continues to be very scary, helped by Carpenter's own theme: a trebly plinking of piano notes and that buzzy synth in low register. |
| ReelViewsJames BerardinelliFrom a shock-and-suspense point-of-view, Halloween is the rival of Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho." With only a few arguable exceptions (such as "The Exorcist"), there isn't another post-1970 release that comes close to it in terms of scaring the living hell out of a viewer... A modern classic of the most horrific kind. |
| The New York TimesJason ZinomanFrom the first shot to the last, this movie is confidently guided by a specific and committed vision. |
| EmpireChris Hewitt (1)Regardless of how silly you think it all is, this will have you scared witless by the time the end credits roll; low budget horror hog heaven. |
| EmpireAdam SmithHalloween remains about as distilled, raw an experience in terror as is ever likely to be committed to celluloid. |
| Film ThreatDavid GroveA remarkable film that towers over the endless clones that followed. |
| Consequence of SoundMichael RoffmanCarpenter is patient in pulling away our warm blankets by slowly easing into the horror, simply by allowing the horror to slowly stalk us. |
| Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertHalloween is an absolutely merciless thriller, a movie so violent and scary that, yes, I would compare it to “Psycho.” |
| NewsweekDavid AnsenCarpenter displays an almost perfect understanding of the mechanics of classical suspense; his style draws equally (and intelligently) from both Howard Hawks and Alfred Hitchcock. |
| Chicago ReaderDave KehrCarpenter displays an almost perfect understanding of the mechanics of classical suspense; his style draws equally (and intelligently) from both Howard Hawks and Alfred Hitchcock. |