a i mention previously and john carpenter 1978 classic be one of the first two movie i can remember see and be heavily influence by ( the other be the classic conan the barbarian ) . it so truly scared me that the only monster under my bed be michael meyers and whom i eventually befriend ( imaginary friend ) to keep him from kill me in my sleep . now that be terror for a 10 year old . it be a horror classic and i be sure my modest review will not do it the justice it deserve . the most surprising thing of all be that the movie still work and perhaps not in the guttural reaction but more of a cognitive possibility or immediate subconscious . this all could happen . it isn not in the realm of impossibility or locate in a foreign country ( a most modern horror be and i. e. hostel and touristas and cry wolf and saw and etc ) . at time it be graphic while the rest be relegate to our imagination . i believe it be this element that keep people terrify or at the very least wary of go outside at night with the signature soundtrack still vivid in their head . it still work because we can substitute implied or tertiary killing with anything more terrifying that our mind can create . so we ourselves be contribute to our own fear and anxiety . carpenter weave a simple story about an everyday and middle class and suburban and relatively benign child who snap on halloween and kill his sister . he then spend the next 15 year in an institution ( which we thankfully do not experience ) only to escape and return to his hometown and the infamous haddonfield . on his way he kill and kill . the child name be michael meyers and though he be not a person . john carpenter use michael meyers a a metaphor against the implied safety of middle class suburbia . in the bastion of american safety and security and chaos can still strike . michael cease to be a person once he kill . he be not a serial killer and human be or psychopath . he be a unstoppable force . the generic overall and bleach white shatner mask and and lack of any dialog other then some breathing and help to dehumanize and complete michael generification . this be the source of all his power . he be faceless and speechless and unremarkable in any way other than a a source of unrelenting chaos . this be help by the cinematography ( post card effect ) and a lack of information or motivation or explanation and the veteran narrative experience of donald pleasence ( dr. loomis ) . his over the top performance and uneasiness sell the shape . this be also the first film performance by jamie lee curtis a laurie strode and the innocent girl who deter chaos in the face of overwhelm odds ( at least for a little bit ) . though this isn not the first movie of this new niche of horror film ( black christmas come out 4 year earlier ) and it be the most successful and do not diminish upon review . if you haven not be scar by horror movie in a long time ( like me ) and this will probably make the hair on the back of your head tingle at the first chord of the signature soundtrack . i highly recommend this movie a a must see horror movie and a one of the pinnacle of john carpenter career .