Review of Halloween

FRom the opening Point Of View shot to the motif of a child's being involved with a long-ago murder to the 3-note 4 beat fingered music score, to the bath-tub scalding scene (in Halloween 2), to even the working title: The Baby Sitter Murders, John Carpenter's Halloween is a complete and unimaginative rip-off of Deep Red-The Hatchet Murders and when compared, Halloween pales in complexion. BUT . . . HALLOWEEN is so totally Frightening and AWESOME . . . Deep Red terrifies yes sure but it doesn't FRIGHTEN and totally alarm the audience like HALLOWEEN . . . The uneasiness is in HALLOWEEN's "primality"--everything is so basic, bare-bones. three-notes in the score, three acts in the movie, three fleshed-out characters (Michael Myres, Dr. Loomis, Laurie Strode) at least in terms of motive. Where Deep Red is complex with a few plot holes HALLOWEEN is like a freight train whose only purpose is to take us from point A to point C and leave us-the audience, looking over our shoulders, checking the closets, and looking under our beds for The BOOGEYMAN . . . how incredible . . . and HALLOWEEN II is just as good . . . i think with sequels everyone knows what to expect and its like eating one too many slices of pizza where the pizza's great to start off with but a nice deep dish of lasagna would really hit the spot . . . HALLOWEEN II really makes HALLOWEEN into a three hour movie and a three hour Freight-Train Ride really wore the mass-pop culture out . . . I am not "mass culture" and adore Halloween I and II. But the Italian sources these films came from Twitch of the Death Nerve, Blood-Spattered Bride, Profondo Rosso are awesome in that they are not bloodless . . . when the guy has a needle stuck in his eye in Halloween II (not a spoiler-I didn't say what guy), its bloodless whereas in Deep Red when the lady is butchered by the meat-cleaver Bright Red Blood goes EVERYWHERE . . . HALLOWEEN's more than a 10 its a CLASSIC beyond any rating.