Here’s the surprise of the entire list, depending on the type of Halloween fan you are. This one has some of the hallmarks and tropes of an unsuccessful horror sequel. Original heroine Jamie Lee Curtis is unceremoniously killed off years before the story takes place. It only has Donald Pleasence returning from the first two films. John Carpenter and Debra Hill aren’t involved at all. Somehow, through all of it, it takes a simple route to the plot. Michael Myers is chasing after Laurie’s daughter, Jamie Lloyd (Danielle Harris). That’s about it.
Simplicity works well here, and the only really negative thing about it, is Michael Myers’s mask. It looks silly compared to the rest of the masks from all the other films. That doesn’t take too much away from a film that stood tall in a field of bloated, overcomplicated, and dying slashers of the late 80’s. The ending had the chance to set up a new chapter of the series with Jamie Lloyd becoming the killer, but they strayed away from that with the fifth installment. Finally, the film’s opening captures the essence of the Fall and Halloween seasons perfectly. If you haven’t watched it yet to ring in the Halloween season, you need to.
1. Halloween (1978)
It was number two on my list of Best Horror Movies Ever. What can I say about this movie that hasn’t already been said by countless others? I can add my own personal experience with it, and that’s about it. Because this film is a classic that popularized an entire genre, the slasher genre. John Carpenter and Debra Hill crafted a simple story that stretched out across 40+ years of films. There were blatant knockoffs, and there were countless sequels. But you really cannot get better than the simplicity and naivety of this film and it’s plot. We just have a monster, the man chasing the monster, and a girl affected by the monster. It’s that simple.
The series might twist and turn and take a bigger shape after this movie, but it’ll always be the best example of slasher films and horror in general.
So, do my rankings match up with yours? Do you like Halloween 4 as much as I do? Do you enjoy the Rob Zombie movies? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter @HunterBolding.
For more on horror, check out Fright-A-Thon 2021 or stay tuned to That Hashtag Show.
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