Halloween

(1978)
Director: John Carpenter
Writers: John Carpenter, Debra Hill

The original Halloween is a classic and there's not much I can say about it that hasn't been said before. While it's definitely not the first slasher film as many claim, it can't be disputed that it's certainly one of the most influential. Launching the reign of Michael Myers, one of the all-time great boogeymen, Halloween set it's tension and terror in the unlikeliest of places- a sleepy little town in middle America. For better or worse, Halloween spawned an entire sub-genre of films trying to duplicate it's formula, to varying degrees of success. One would think that a film as imitated as Halloween would lose some of it's effectiveness, but for me it still holds up just as well every time I watch it. Halloween is the perfect movie to settle down in front of on a chilly fall night with a big bowl of popcorn. A feeling of dread permeates the entire film and Carpenter's haunting synth score echoes in your bones long after the credits roll. For someone who grew up in a small town like I did, Halloween hits every note flawlessly, perfectly reproducing that suburban fear, that prickling on the back of your neck that tells you that somewhere out there in the unsettling quiet someone or something is watching you. And waiting.

Halloween gets 5 1/2 out of 6 beers.