John Carpenters film Halloween, released in 1978 has been widely accepted as a horror film classic and even as the creator of the Slasher genre within horror however why? For what reason does this film create such an impact on people and is still being watched to this day?

Well one reason why this film was and is so horrifying to viewers is because of the element of mystery throughout this entire film. Though there may not be much blood or gore actually shown on screen we know that it is taking place and the aspect of suspense and mystery creates a horrifying feeling. The sense of mystery can be seen in every aspect of the film, from the camera shots, the motivation of Micheal Myers and also as to what will happen next at the end of the film as things aren’t fully resolved. Another reason why this movie is confusing and also terrifying to people is because we don’t know why Michael Myers is killing people. We know that he is a psycho path, and he killed his sister however we have no idea why he is going after Laurie (the main character). The director could have created this plot line because it shows that no matter how perfect you are or if you are living a good life that things can happen to you no matter what, that it could simply just all be a result of bad luck.

Another reason why the director could have created this sense of confusion is because this movie was released just as all the information about the Vietnam war was coming out. This aspect could have been reflected into the movie because of the fear people had. That these people who were good people, were harmed for no reason other than bad luck, that they were killed and many had to suffer the consequences.

But the real question really is how does John Carpenter actually keep you on the edge of your seat, meaning what film techniques does the director use? Well during the entire film John Carpenter was able to edit the film as though you are experiencing what is happening through the characters eyes. By the use of camera angles and music score you feel as though you are seeing something that you shouldn’t however you cannot look away. Another style we see throughout is that the movie isn’t flashy but rather to the point. You know as you are watching Halloween that in this style of movie every camera angle has a purpose and every note of music is leading up to something. For these reasons John Carpenters style in the production of Halloween have been widely used by many other directors and films and viewers love the “slasher” style to this day.

Regarding the music in this film it is truly revolutionary to the film industry. Even if you haven’t seen the movie or even watch horror movies in general (like me) you have most likely heard the iconic eerie slasher music.

To further my points that I have mentioned above I read called 20 Things to look for while watching John Carpenter’s Halloween by Paul Schrodt .

This article brings points out that every shot that is included has a purpose. I found the point that when Laurie said “Costaine wrote that fate was somehow related only to religion, where Samuel felt that fate was like a natural element, like earth, air, fire, and water.” This was not simply filler dialogue. Instead, this had to do with how Myers is constantly driven back. Another interesting point the article brings out is that in one of the opening scenes of this movie Michael Myers is seen picking up a mask at the age of 6 rights before killing his sister. The article mentions that Hill said “The idea was to make him almost humorless, faceless,” which is an interesting point because they were almost trying to make him human less from the very beginning even if you don’t immediately realize it.

In class, we have also been reading Mary Shelleys Frankenstein and so how do these two very different (or maybe not so different) Horror stories compare? Well both of the main characters are dehumanized in one way or another. In Halloween, it is because he actually is a psychopath but you don’t exactly know why. While in Frankenstein you know that he is not human because he was not created as one. However what is different with Frankenstein is that we get the indication that he wants to be human and to have a partner whereas in Halloween we don’t get that information. In the aspect of horror between these two films I feel they are very different. In Halloween, we don’t know why Myers is killing people or why he is going after Laurie. While in Frankenstein we know exactly why the creature is going after Victor and why he killed Henry Clerval. That being said though one large common similarity they both share is they are both going after one specific ways.

Overall Halloween was an interesting film and definitely more then you think it would be. This movie is revolutionary to all future films and will never be forgotten.