By: Alison Chodak
NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. – Let’s travel back in time to fall of 1978, when horror was only “Dracula”, “Frankenstein” and zombies. On October 25, 1978 theaters released the horror movie “Halloween,” which birthed the slasher movie genre. Everyone learned the famous name of Michael Myers on that day.
This movie is about a little boy named Michael Myers who murdered his sister at the age of six in Haddonfield, Illinois. 15 years later, he escaped from a mental hospital and returned to Haddonfield to kill again. The film was written by Debra Hill, who sadly passed away in 2005. The director and composer was John Carpenter who at the time only directed two movies. Carpenter also created the hauntingly beautiful soundtrack in three days. The movie stars Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasence. Jamie Lee Curtis plays Laurie Strode who ends up being stalked by Myers’ and Donald Pleasence plays Dr. Samuel Loomis who is Myers’ psychiatrist. “Halloween,” was made with a $325,000 budget which doesn’t compare to the $47 million made in the box office.
Many horror movie fans have said, Halloween started the slasher movie craze. Adam Smith from Empire said, “Without Michael Myers there would be no Jason Voorhees (Friday The 13th) or Freddy Krueger (Nightmare On Elm Street).” He stated, “Regardless of the limp comedies that followed, Halloween remains about as distilled, raw an experience in terror as is ever likely to be committed to celluloid.” Many people still think Halloween is the scariest movie to this day.
Michael Myers is a character where the audience doesn’t know his backstory or why he wants to kill innocent Laurie Strode and her friends. The audience only knows that Myer’s likes to kill. Audience’s loved this movie so much that three years later there was a sequel. In fact, there are 11 Halloween movies. The newest is coming out October 19, 2018.
Stay tuned for my thoughts on the new Halloween October 21.
Niagara Wire 