Halloween: 35 Years of Michael Myers
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It was on the night of Halloween 2004, where my 13 year old self was about to watch a film that would become not only one of my favourite films but in my eyes the greatest horror movie ever made, starring one of cinema's most iconic characters. This was of course John Carpenter's 1978 film 'Halloween'. Thirty-Five years on 'Halloween' has influenced other horror directors with their films. The film has had seven sequels and one remake, which would later have it's own sequel. But for me the original has always been the stand out and will always be the number one horror film and Michael Myers being the king of all slashers.
The opening title sequence simply includes a lit pumpkin with the film's theme music accompanying whilst the camera slowly moves closer to the pumpkin. The reason why I love this opening is mainly because the music. I find Carpenter's self composed music to really set the tone of the film superbly. The theme music is now recognised as one of the greatest theme songs of all time and I have to confess Iit isn't the music I would play with the lights off let alone when walking down a dark street!
When we are first introduced to Myers he is just a young child who has just killed his sister by stabbing her to death. It is obviously clear earlier on that the killer is the child when the audience see the small hand reach for the clown mask. Though it is a bemusing and shocking moment when Myers begins to stab his sister, that for me isn't the most shocking bit. It's when the parents are revealed to us is when the true mystery of Michael begins. The way the parents are dressed you are under the impression that Michael comes from a good family, so what drove him to commit murder? The mystery stays within our minds throughout the film and the solution distances itself more and more away from us as the film progresses. I am aware that the many sequels touch more upon Myer's character but for me that takes away something very unique and special about him, he is a mystery.
What takes the feel of mystery further is the white mask Myers wears after he escapes the mental institution. The white mask covers the face of a mad man who we do not know much of.
Though the accompanied music and the unexpected deaths send a shiver down mine and other's spines, personally the most chilling moments are when we see what is happening through the point of view of Laurie or Tommy. An example is when Tommy looks outside the window and sees a shadow figure outside a house carrying a dead woman. With the music I found this to be the most frightening shot because there is a sense of realism about it since we are seeing it through a character's point of view. I find it to be the same with Hitchcock's 'Rear Window', we see the murder take place from a distance giving it a more realistic and spine-tinglingly feel.
21st Century horror sees many films concentrate on how gory they can be and focusing less on plot or character. Only recently do I believe that horror has begun on focusing on the concept of their films more, with 'Sinister' and 'The Cabin in the Woods' being examples. But I personally believe that no horror movie will be able to live up to the original 'Halloween'. This was a film that proved that horror films do not need a high amount of blood and unique deaths to make the genre decent. Carpenter used the key elements that make horror movies work and what he did with 'Halloween' will no doubt live on to influence more and more film-makers and still be enjoyed by generations to come.
