Ah, "Halloween" - me and this movie have a long history, as it was the first horror film that I enjoyed on a more than "keeping me up at night" level and appreciated for its artistic, visual, and influential merits. Put more simply, "Halloween" is pure horror perfection; it's a broad, sweeping, damn near epic story, especially when you combine it with its stylistic sibling "Halloween II" and view them back-to-back (which I always do); nonetheless, this is my go-to flick for rainy day occasions and, to this day, I still watch the complete three-hour experience at least every two months. It's also the movie that launched the early-'80s slasher movie explosion, and has a place as an extremely influential piece of moviemaking.The first thing that strikes you about "Halloween" is a pervading sense of dread in relation to its antagonist, and the version of Michael Myers seen in "Halloween" is the single best horror villain of all time. Average height, average build, just incredibly AVERAGE; and you know what? That's what makes him so damn scary. He's completely irredeemable, he's unassuming, he can hide in places and strike when the opportunity is best. We don't know why he does the things that he does; he just DOES them; he's evil personified.
But writer/director John Carpenter did more than just craft an incredibly badass villain - he has protagonists that back it up. Jamie Lee Curtis' Laurie Strode is relatable, likeable, and the perfect foil for Myers' perfect evil. Veteran character actor Donald Pleasence turns in a legendary performance as Dr. Sam Loomis; Carpenter, in a stunningly original turn, made the bold decision to include a slasher protagonist who WASN'T a teenage girl, and Pleasence's Loomis has great literary qualitiets; Myers is Loomis' white whale, and with Pleasence's gifted acting, we can sense just how dangerous this man must be to make such an extraordinary mind fear so much.
"Halloween" was also Carpenter at the top of his game as a director; I love his use of the camera in this movie, how it becomes the eyes of Myers as he stalks his prey (and to a lesser extent Rick Rosenthal in the sequel, or "Part B" :), as well). I also love Carpenter's use of the pan; a character is in the foreground, doing something mundane, the camera pans with the character, pans back - and something is waiting in the background, ready to strike. Such a simple technique, but so effective!
Overall, "Halloween" (the complete experience of "I" and "II" viewed as a single film) is a horror film where EVERYTHING works and fires on all cylinders; the victim characters, while stereotypical, are actually relatable as real human beings, making their deaths carry more weight; Myers himself is the perfect horror villain, a man who cannot be reasoned with - he has a deadly mission, and it is the only thing in life that makes sense for him; and exemplary direction from its two masters behind the camera. All told, this movie would get more than five stars if possible and my highest possible recommendation.
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