So here's the facts. Halloween is a humble-horror movie directed by the now legendary John Carpenter for release in 1978. It follows an extremely simple premise of a faceless serial killer, Michael Myers, hunting down innocent student and all round goody-two-shoes Laurie Strode, played by Jamie Lee Curtis. The movie makes a point to show the transformation, albeit briefly, of how Myers becomes the serial killer he is so known for being however it never takes strides to over-explain itself and this plays entirely to it's advantage of being a spooky movie full of unknown terrors. The film itself is a well paced, tension filled ordeal although not much happens until the thrilling third act. The movie very much prides itself in it's character building, mounting tension and character archetypes as it then concludes with a highly climactic and satisfying finale.
So on the 30th October in 2018, I seen Halloween (1978) for the very first time ever. And how did it go?
Undoubtedly as a piece of art, Halloween does hold up fantastically well. It's use of tension, world building and character archetypes keep you enthralled in what little action there is throughout the narrative. The use of lighting and ambience throughout the story continues to build up to the aforementioned third act. Use of dark blacks and greys, making your imagination see things where there is nothing and even in close environments, which are usually only lit by one light source, creates some chilling shadows that can foreshadow to future events.
Unfortunately, one thing could never be accounted for when Halloween was created. A cultural change for cinema and the people in it. Because of the flicks cultural significance in almost every film since, many tropes and cliches that we now associate with horror films in general can be attributed to starting or being popularised within Halloween. As such, seeing the film in a cinema in 2018 was nothing but a tension sucking vaccum with ignorant masses filled dull groans and untimely laughing.
It was not something I'd ever experienced before.
There is a particular scene in the film where the spine-chilling villain is chasing the roaring Strode as she hides in a bedroom closet. Only for Myers to break down the door in terrifying fashion, nothing but smashed wood and light tones of synth piano to create the tension. In a split second decision, Strode grabs a clothes hanger and jams it into Myers eye, causing a distraction that allows her to break free of torment, albeit not for long. This is a scene that stuck with me because I could feel the tension, I couldn't blink, my heart rate increased and while I was digesting my nails in terror, all that could be heard through the screen was laughter.
After besting Myers for a second time, she then drops Myers signature Butcher knife next to his lifeless body. As an analyst, I can see this is leading to another confrontation in a short while and this where the tension starts to build... As Laurie stands in the doorway of the room, contemplating what horrors she has just faced, blurred in the background is what was the corpse of Michael Myers sitting upright from a completely prone position in an almost mechanical movement. In what I thought was one of the most powerful camera shots in the whole film, nothing but laughter from the audience viewing the movie.
I guess the point to be made here, art is art. Regardless of it's age or the current cultural climate, why should we enjoy Halloween any different now from when we did in 1978? For me, that was the first time I had ever seen this fantastic feature and I left the screen feeling rather indifferent. It was a movie that genuinely gripped me and had me interested from the very get go but because of it's significant impact on every horror film to proceed it, the audience felt the need to laugh at every trope that it, itself, had created.
I only wish the audience had maybe taken the movies advice a bit more seriously;
“It's Halloween; everyone's entitled to one good scare.”
Comments
Post a Comment