MovieChat Forums > Halloween (1978) Discussion > This movie is pretty terrible

This movie is pretty terrible

posted 2 years ago by [deleted]
24 replies | jump to latest

The first 10 minutes have some of the worst pacing I’ve ever seen.

For a slasher movie the kills are overly tame and nothing special, hardly a drop of blood.

John Carpenter overuses the Halloween theme to the point of detriment, it becomes annoying after a while.

This is supposed to feel like autumn time in the Midwest yet the movie doesn’t even capture the look or feel of Halloween time. You can see palm trees in the background, hardly any Halloween decorations in the homes, just lazy Beyond belief.

Donald Pleasance is given hardly anything to do, spends the whole movie running around and hiding in bushes.

Michael Myers stalks and stalks and then stalks some more.....we get it Carpenter, you’re trying to build suspense, how exciting.

Could the supporting characters be anymore “meh”? They go on and on about how they plan to spend their day, are we supposed to care?

The ending makes no sense, is he the bogeyman or just a man in a mask? No man could survive that many shots yet there is zero explanation for how he could be the boogeyman.

Like I said, pretty terrible.

[–] jakemon45 (1005) 2 years ago

I feel like you just described all the reasons that this movie is so great. Aside from opinions (which are your own), and the unfortunate true fact of it not looking or feeling like an actual Halloween night, you've explained why some love it so.

[–] GetWokeGoBroke (668) 2 years ago

DorianGay89 I 100% disagree with everything in your post, this movie is a horror classic.

[–] SandyR (7843) 2 years ago

Zoomers gonna zoom...

[–] Catsaregods (136) a year ago

I was born in 2000 and I love classic old movies. Do not generalize. Psycho and Rear Window are my favorite movies of all time.

[–] Dogiswhite (1208) 2 years ago

I have never understood the appeal of this movie. So he's a killer that can't die, but no explanation is given other than he's EVIL. Another so called classic that only seems good because it started a trend. I don't like Friday the 13th much better, but it is more entertaining .

[–] [deleted] a year ago

I have never understood the appeal of this movie. So he's a killer that can't die, but no explanation is given other than he's EVIL. Another so called classic that only seems good because it started a trend

It's clear that a lot of people are gaslit into liking this movie because "it's influential". They all parrot the same talking points. To be fair that happens with a lot of movies. It's why movie discourse is so silly, many people like stuff because they're supposed to.

I've seen other slashers get derided for the killer having no motive, for having no gore/poor kill scenes, for having goofy teens as the protagonists. Even for having little/no nudity. Halloween will actively get praised for these things. This is what happens when a movie becomes beloved. People will spin any perceived flaw into a positive.

People will praise Halloween for 'inventing' the slasher sub-genre, then tell you that most slashers are trash and worthless. Why praise it for 'inventing' a worthless sub-genre and if the tropes it 'invented' are worthless when featured in another movie, why are they good in Halloween? Because it 'invented' them? It does come back to people liking it because it was influential rather than it's actual content.

[–] Magicdave (681) 2 years ago

Say what you will, but without this film and "Psycho" (which was actually made 18 years previous), you would not have the "slasher" genre of horror films.
Personally, I agree with your opinions, to a point.
This film was made by beginning film makers who caught a few lucky breaks, but created a film that terrified 1978 audiences.
My opinion is this is the film that put John Carpenter on the map, and we all know what he went on to create.

[–] [deleted] 2 years ago

“A Bay of Blood” and “Black Christmas” are not only better movies but came out before Halloween, and the former (Bay of Blood) inspired Friday the 13th which became the blue print for the slasher craze of the 80’s.

Notice how all 80’s slashers focused on creative kills, body count, and gore just like Friday the 13th, claiming that Halloween created the genre is disingenuous at best.

The only reason Halloween is remembered so fondly is because it piggybacked off of the Holiday and had the advantage of tv networks playing it heavily around Halloween time every year, thus giving the film more exposure and keeping it relevant.

The movie was never good and John Carpenter has admitted this in countless interviews he’s given. The story goes like this, Carpenter screened the film at his old University and students basically walked out on it and weren’t all that impressed. Then he went back and created the score for the movie and only then did he say that the movie was watchable, the rest is history. Even if the score was good, which it’s not, that doesn’t change the fact that the movie itself is just poorly made and reeks of amateur filmmaking.

[–] Magicdave (681) 2 years ago

Your opinion, and you are entitled to it. But, it does not change my view.

[–] thingmakersback (1285) 2 years ago

There is no point trying to argue against you. You have Millsey on your side and that says it all.

[–] Stratego (29731) 2 years ago

"Michael Myers stalks and stalks and then stalks some more.....we get it Carpenter, you’re trying to build suspense, how exciting."

Thank god he does. Too many horror movies don't build any suspense at all and it makes them deadly boring. I'd rather have tons of suspense than tons of kills.

[–] moviechatterer (14403) a year ago

The first 10 minutes have some of the worst pacing I’ve ever seen.
LMAO

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