Welcome to Movie Monday! Each week we will look at a movie either in theaters or available to stream by a major streamer. We will briefly review the movie, and tell you why it is enjoyable. This isn’t meant to be a detailed criticism, rather, a celebration of why a movie is entertaining or worth the watch. We will typically avoid spoilers, but if there are any, we will denote that clearly before it appears in the review. This week, in honor of the month of October, we’ll look at new and old horror movies, beginning with the classic of all classics: Halloween (1978).
Nothing in the following writing will be groundbreaking material because what else could be said about this horror classic?
Halloween though, was groundbreaking material itself at the time that inspired the rise of an entire wave of horror movies throughout the 1980s. The iconic score, along with the score from Jaws a few years earlier, showed the value that music can add to the horror universe.
The Halloween theme is still one of the most iconic even after nearly 50 years. The slow prodding nature of the film ultimately worked perfectly, as the unsuspecting community of Haddonfield was slow to realize the danger that Michael Myers was bringing. Horror movies sometimes get blasted for their lack of realistic decision making from the characters.
Although we today may not be as familiar with leaving the front door unlocked and things of that nature, it was very real in the 1970s and allowed for the chain of events to play out logically.
While attempts at sequels had varying levels of success, the original still plays in the mind of horror fans with those resonating chimes as Michael Myers stalks his prey, and the frantic but keen Dr. Loomis being the only one know truly knows what Michael is.
Oh yeah, not to mention the original “final girl” Jamie Lee Curtis. No matter how many times you’ve seen it, it’s still a must watch every October.
Halloween is playing all month long on AMC, and available to stream on AMC+.
