Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1662 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-09-25
• Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 87 minutes

Synopsis
Perhaps the most influential and successful independent film ever made, HALLOWEEN is the movie that put director John Carpenter on the map as a viable filmmaker. An exercise in simple, pure horror, HALLOWEEN takes us into the world of a mad killer, Michael Myers, who at a very young age stabbed his older sister to death. Locked away for many years in a mental hospital Michael escapes one night and returns to his hometown to continue his killing spree. Jamie Lee Curtis, in her first role, plays the resourceful babysitter who is chased by the killer on Halloween night. Produced for very little money and a tight shooting schedule, HALLOWEEN was a stunning success when it was released. Written by John Carpenter and his long-time producer Debra Hill, the film set their careers on fire, with both of them working together many times over the next 25 years. The film also made a star out of Jamie Lee Curtis and turned the slasher movie into a viable, successful genre. HALLOWEEN has been copied, parodied and even turned into a franchise of its own, but the original is still considered the best of the bunch. HALLOWEEN was John Carpenter's first foray into horror, and remains the standard to which all other modern horror films are measured.

Customer Reviews

Suspence filled slasher
Halloween is regarded by many as the greatest horror film of all time and although I don't agree it is the greatest horror of all time (in my opinion the greatest is The Shining), I do agree that it is an amazing film. Halloween goes to show that you don't need a huge amount of blood and gore or a enormous budget for a film to a top class horror flick.

Good budget film - very much of it's time though
In an age were society has more or less become desensitised to gore or violence, it's always refreshing to watch a film like Halloween that focusses on the primary motives of a true horror; the tension, and the build-up. Not how cringing a massacre could look like.

What's astonishing is that this film exceeded all expectations on a budget of just 150,000 GBP, which in todays market is astonishing, given that the latest Batman film "Dark Night" (which I don't care for, as it in no way competes with Tim Burtons comic-book directing) cost over 37 million pounds to make. Yes, you heard me correct.

And does it have the same effect as Halloween?... Nah.

If anything, I find it quite naff when I hear about how a new Hollywood "blockbuster" has had millions spent on it. Are the critics suggesting you have to be able to spend millions to buy a good film? The root and soul of a timeless, effective film comes from it's directing, no matter how poor/wooden the acting is.

This is evident in Halloween, because contrary to what others say, I do feel Jamie Lee Curtis' role isn't as firm as the other characters. Nether the less, because of the superb directing, it's almost impossible to flaw the acting or anything about the film.

The story is also solid which is something else missing these days. It's laughable to watch such films as Snakes on a Plane, where to make up an excuse for people dyeing because a snake ate their crotch, they bung up a 5 minute story at the start about some fella witnessing a dodgy deal. This then allows over an hour of belly-aching deaths that are supposed to be intense!

Michael Myers, who you will see plays the role as our speechless but insane killer, is without the doubt the most interesting film character you'll see in years, if any horror/thriller film (along with Hannibal Lector, the original course...). The way his presence is captured through the camera looking through his freaky white mask, and the excellent use of breathing helps you to absorb his presence. His actions also lead to you make your mind up about his mentality. Some scenes look as though he's proud of the way he killed a victim, some not so...

The reason I say in the title it's "of it's time" is because I believe, obviously, the film would have had more of an impact on you back in 1978 than 2008. This is understandable; the tension building horrors that incorporated use of violence, such as Alien which was released around the same time in the 70's, was a whole new type of filming. But now because film's are released every 5 minutes and were given endless sequels of worn our gorey films, such productions as Halloween are a rarity, and should be treasured not just for their original impact and influence on the film industry, but as a refreshing change from what we have now.

This isn't the only reason I missed a star. For the product 'itself', I found the DVD quality no where near what it should for the apparent "THX Mastering". Given that their are still specs of white dots and dirt appearing on the film on some frames, it's apparent that George Lucas' men at THX have not put any effort into cleaning this up. From what I can gather on the back of the case, it merely states that mastered it on a new roll of film... What's the point in that?

All in all, Halloween is a classic horror; It does without too much graphic violence and gore, and focusses on putting you on the edge of your seat. Looking at the prices from 3rd party dealers here on Amazon, this really is a must!

a cult classic by John Carpenter
simply one of the greatest horror films ever made.
Jamie Lee Curtis started her long career here as Laurie Strode the heroine of this film.
it is still creepy today and is far,far superior to that stuped dragging remake that is completely useless and is an embarrasment to the genre.
this packs a punch and contains some very brutal(not gory or bloody at all)and intense scenes while not having a consistancy to it.
yes it does drag in some areas but you must stick with it,then it builds atmosphere and then the final 40 mins are just plain spine tingling and actually quite exciting.
its the original slasher movie and many have paled in comparison to this movie with only 1994's SCREAM matching it in tone.
it is a very good horror film filled with originality and is very creepy,while it has no blood in it aside from the slice Laurie gets on her arm it relies ultimately on atmosphere and pace.
GET IT.