On Halloween night in 1963, a six-year-old boy stabbed his 17-year-old sister to death, and was locked away at Smith’s Grove-Warren Sanitarium. 15 years later, a now 21-year-old Michael Myers escapes during a transfer and returns to his quiet hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois. While his psychiatrist, Dr. Loomis (Pleasence) desperately searches for him, Michael focuses his attention on teenager Laurie Strode (Curtis) and her friends.
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Early on in movie history, there were a few classic villains in horror: Dracula, the Wolf Man, Frankenstein’s Monster. Then, in the 80’s, a new group of horror icons emerged: Leatherface (The Texas Chain Saw Massacre), Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th Part 2), Freddy Krueger (A Nightmare on Elm Street), Pinhead (Hellraiser) – and Michael Myers in Halloween. So what made these villains become iconic? Was it just the sequels we were inundated in over the years, or were the classic movies just that good? I decided to find out – at least in Michael Myers case – by watching Halloween.
While Donald Pleasence may be listed above the title, the bulk of the film really relies on Jamie Lee Curtis. Since she was “introduced” in the credits, viewers aren’t really expecting much, at least back when this film came out. Nowadays, she’s a familiar name, xo it comes as no surprise that she does a good job in this film. Despite her best efforts to the contrary (A Fish Called Wanda, True Lies, Everything Everywhere All At Once), she’s always going to be known for her role in Halloween – thankfully for her, it’s a good performance. The rest of the cast don’t get a whole lot of screen time. While none of them are awful, director John Carpenter probably noticed Curtis’ talent, and gave her most of the screen time.
The storyline is, at this point, honestly a bit confusing in the series (made even more so by the more recent Halloween). Back in the original film, the plot is simplistic, and doesn’t have much nuance. Michael Myers is sent to a mental hospital after brutally killing his sister on Halloween night. He escapes, comes back to his old house in Haddonfield, Illinois, and spots Laurie Strode (Curtis). He proceeds to then follow her, then attack her friends before turning his attention to her. Honestly, it’s really thin, and leaves viewers with a whole lot of unanswered questions, like why go after Laurie? And if he’s so obsessed with Laurie, why go after her friends first?
Despite that, Halloween does introduce us to Michael Myers, a seemingly unstoppable killing machine who never utters a sound. Similar to Jason, but with that now iconic Captain Kirk mask covering his visage instead of a hockey mask (most of the time), it’s not hard to tell where the idea for Michael Myers came from. Although his haunt is different (Haddonfield, Illinois, as opposed to Camp Crystal Lake), Michael Myers and Jason are very similar, although Michael’s theme music has become more iconic.
Thanks to Jamie Lee Curtis, and the apparent appeal of a silent, unstoppable killer that has gripped our movie-going psyche for years, Halloween is a decent first step in creating the legacy of Michael Myers. Would the film still be as popular if no sequels had ever been made? Probably not, as this first film feels unfinished, and isn’t much more than a shaky first step in the series.
