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The Boogieman Scares The Hell Out Of Me! "HALLOWEEN 1978" Fan Review

I never believed in ghost's or monster's as a child, but in school, we always heard story’s, you know the one's. The old man down the street that always acted a little to weird, or the kid that actually had moved away, but our young minds thought that a gruesome, untimely demise had took him away. Or the huge house down the street, that no one lives, but if you go in alone, you will not come out ever again. And, of course, talk of the “Boogieman” We always argued about his existence, and when we got older we agreed that the “Boogieman” was, in fact, not real.........Boy were we wrong.

He does exist, in a 1978 horror film.

Directed by John Carpenter, this film was the proverbial “Bang” that the 70's ended with after dealing with “Real” monsters with names such as Ted Bundy,

John Wayne Gacy and Charles Manson. We were also dealing with some iconic killers on the big screen.

One of those killers is one of the most well known names in the history of horror movies.... ”Michael Myers”. The film opens with a scene of the front of a house, we see a pumpkin on the front porch. We have a POV of someone walking around the house looking through windows, a young couple is making out on the couch, and they soon run upstairs. We then enter the house where we hide in a darkened room while the young ladies gentleman caller leaves the house, we then we come out of the darkened room and into the kitchen were we see a small hand pull out a kitchen

drawer and take a huge butcher knife. Still in the POV view we ascend the stairs to the upstairs hallway, we see a creepy clown mask from a child's Halloween costume. We then get another POV shot from inde the mask. We enter a room that reviles a nude young girl tting in a chair brushing her hair. When she looks up she covers herself and yells “Michael!,” we then see the small hand come down with the large butcher knife - stabbing her to death. Slowly we are taking down the stairs and out the front door. Two people pull up in a car, they quickly get out and run up to us. The name “Michael” is once again heard. The mask is then pulled off and we cut to a normal camera view and we see the face of a very young child. As the camera begins to pan back we see the huge bloody knife in his hand. We have just met the character of Michael Myers.

Fifteen years later we learn that Michael has been confined to a mental hospital as a result of that horrible Halloween night in 1963 when he killed his ster Judith. We then meet Micheal’s doctor, Sam Loomis(Fantastically played by Donald Pleasence) who is in route to pick up Michael for a transfer, but upon arriving he finds that something is wrong when he sees some of the patents are roaming around outde of the hospital. Dr. Loomis tells his companion to drive to the front gate, he then gets out of the car and runs up to the guard shack and picks up the phone. The camera then cuts to the reveal inde the car. We see a patent for a split second as he jumps on top of the car. The nurse in the car is now frightened and starts to look up at the roof of the car, we then see a hand smash the window and the nurse then lays down in the seat. The door opens, and the patent pulls her out of the car and gets in the drivers seat and drives away. Dr. Loomis then leaves us with the word's, “The Evil Is Gone.” The next scene cuts to a house where a nerdy teenage girl comes out the front door, her name is Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis). She soon takes off for school but her father asks her to drop a key off at the old abandonded Myers house, she says okay and walks away were she is then joined by a young boy named Tommy Doyle (Brian Andrews). It is here when we

we then learn that Laurie is going to be the babytter of Tommy.

After walking for a while they arrive at the Myers house were Tommy warns her that the house is haunted and that she shouldn't go up there. She goes up regardless, and puts the key under the mat, when the cut to inde the house were we see a shadowy figure watching her.

We are once again joined by

Dr. Loomis, who he is talking on a pay phone on the de of the road. He tells someone on the phone that he has a fear that Michael is coming home to Haddonfield. The camera pans to Dr. Loomises left were we see a bloody body in the bushes.

We then cut to Laurie tting in school, when she looks out the window and she sees a man in coveralls and a white mask looking at her. After being asked a question by the teacher Laurie looks away and when she looks out the window again, the man is gone. We then come to Tommy leaving school for the day carrying a huge pumpkin, some bullies meet up with him and taunt him about the boogieman. One of the bullies eventually trips him and he falls on the pumpkin, busting it open. The bullies then scatter,and we see one of them run into a man. As the kid looks up, fear can be seen filling his face.

Laurie and her friends Annie (Nancy Kyes) and Lynda (P.J. Soles) are now walking home from school. After walking a little while a car speeds by them and Annie lets her opinion be known on how she feel's about speeders. The car then screeches to a halt. After tting in the middle of the road for a minute or so the car takes off again, and when we cut back to reveal that the girls are vible shaken. The group then walks away. Lynda then tells the two that she will see them later, and walks into her house. After walking a bit down the dewalk, Laurie looks up to see the same strange masked man looking at her in the distance, he then steps behind some shrubs. Annie decides to investigate but they find that he is no longer there.

A few minutes later while in her bedroom, Laurie has yet another encounter with the masked man as he looks up at her in her bedroom window from her neighbors back-yard. Later on that night gets picked up by Annie, both are on their way to babyt. Annie run' into her dad who happens to be the sheriff (Charles Cyphers). He is in front of a hardware store that has been broken into, he thinks that it is kids getting ready for some mischief night fun because only rope, knives and a mask was stolen. Dr. Loomis then shows up and tells the sheriff that he needs to speak with him and it is urgent.

We then see that night has fallen and Dr. Loomis tells the sheriff that he wants to check out the Myers house, after walking into the house they find a dog that has been half eaten. We then walk upstairs were a piece of a gutter smashes the window and frightens Dr. Loomis so much that he pulls out his gun. After explaining that he has a permit for the weapon he then explains what kind of person Michael Myers is. “I met him fifteen years ago. I was told there was nothing left. No reason, no conscience, no understanding; even the most rudimentary sense of life or death, good or evil, right or wrong. I met this x-year-old child, with this blank, pale, emotionless face and, the blackest eyes...the *devils*eyes. I spent eight years trying to reach him, and then another seven trying to keep him locked up because I realized what was living behind that boy's eyes was purely and mply...*evil* “

We now know that Michael Myers is stalking the girls.

And for poor Laurie, and her friends, this Halloween will be the most horrifying night of their lives.

This film is one of my favorite horror film's of the “slasher” genre. It is also a film that carries the “remake” tag as well. After seeing this film, I was blown away. There are so many slasher films that involve nothing but guts, gore and death. However “Halloween” isn't one of those films, it delivers on so many levels but the thing that really made me happy with this film is that it is extremely scary. And it is so hard to say that about any films today. There is something about this film that makes you feel for Michael's victims, but we also in some weird way feel a little bad for Michael as well. So on Halloween night, while you t alone, pop some popcorn, turn out the lights, and take this gem in and enjoy.

I'll now leave you with a bit of advice: the next time you babyt please make sure that your doors are locked and windows are shut, and if you hear something making a noise in the closet.....DON'T OPEN IT!!!

10/10

~Chainsaw27~
Chainsaw27 Monday 9/10/2012 at 03:29 AM | 96214
Never equaled - Always Rivaled

Great article
krsdacritter Monday 9/10/2012 at 05:00 PM | 96226
Very true. They broke the mold when they made this movie. Glad you enjoyed the article!!!!
Chainsaw27 Monday 9/10/2012 at 05:39 PM | 96228