As the holiday of Halloween approaches I thought it was only fitting to dissect my favorite movie of all time and give you a Top 13 list of moments that make this film iconic.
From the opening sequence to the end, John Carpenter's Halloween remains one of the greatest movies in horror history. And I will issue a warning now: There will be spoilers.
So, without further ado, take a step back to 1978 as I bring you my Top 13 Most Iconic Halloween Moments. How do your favorite movie moments stack up against mine?
13) Michael's Costume And The Missing Beer
Towards the later half of the movie Lynda sends her boyfriend, Bob, down stairs to get her beer after they finished making passionate love. When 'he' returns to the bedroom, he's wearing a sheet over his head, his glasses still perched on his nose. Lynda teases him a little before getting cranky that he won't reply or hand over her beer. What Lynda doesn't realize is that Bob is really Michael Myers.... Talk about a creepy moment.
12) Lynda's Death
Following the above scene comes the death of Lynda. Now, it may not seem exciting compared to today's movies, but Lynda's death is iconic because of the phone call that she made before being strangled by the telephone call. If she hadn't called Laurie, Laurie wouldn't have gone over and faced off against Michael. Besides, watching Lynda struggle for air, pulling the sheet off Michael and collapsing to the floor dead is brilliantly acted.
11) "Everyone's Entitled To One Good Scare."
A line delivered by Sheriff Leigh Brackett that would be later repeated by Janet Leigh in Halloween H20, this moment is enough to send chills down the spine, especially after our leading lady has been spooked by Michael standing behind a hedge, driving past in a stolen car, and sitting outside her school. I guess everyone really is entitled to one good scare...
10) Lester's Death
Now this may be a controversial moment, but the killing of the family dog stands out in my mind because it gives the appearance of pure evil. Animals and, to a degree, children are both completely innocent. Killing them in a horror movie (unless the animal is the antagonist like Jaws) is a harsh moment to be reckoned with. Watching Michael hold Lester's lifeless body took his dog count to two.
9) Tommy Sees The Boogeyman
This moment really sticks out in my mind because it shows that there is danger lurking in the shadows. Tommy peers out the window while Laurie is on the phone to Annie and he sees a shape of a man standing outside the house where Annie is babysitting. At that moment this poor child knows that something deadly is going to happen. Lucky for him he has one hell of a babysitter.
8) Annie's Death
Trying to open her car without keys, Annie finds herself returning to the Wallace residence to find them. Keys in hand, she returns to the garage and opens her car door....without the use of the key. Once inside the car she sees that the window is fogged and the realization that she opened the door without the key hits her. Michael Myers sits up in the backseat and proceeds to strangle her before slashing her throat with his kitchen knife. I guess Annie should have checked the backseat...
7) Bob's Death
Without a doubt one of the most shocking moments in the film. Michael leaps out of the shadows, wrapping his hand around Bob's neck before lifting him off the ground. As Bob kicks and struggles, Michael plunges his knife through Bob's chest, pinning him to the kitchen cupboards Once Bob sub-comes to the painful death, Michael stands still, tilting his head from side to side, admiring his work.
6) The Opening Sequence
The movies opens through Michael's eyes. Literally. The audience is Michael. We see him pick up a knife and move quietly through the house before heading up the stairs and picking up his clown mask. He then kills his sister before turning around and walking out of the house, only to run into his parents who remove his clown mask to reveal a young boy...
5) Laurie Discovers The Bodies
Poor Laurie. It must be traumatic to discover your friends are all dead, their bodies neatly packed into one room. It must be even worse to lean on a door frame, crying hysterically, and not notice the white mask materializing out of the darkness behind you....
4) Dr. Loomis To The Rescue
Just when Laurie thought she was a goner, Dr. Sam Loomis shows up, gun in hand, to save the day. He empties 6 rounds into Michael Myers, watching him fall off a two-story balcony before telling Laurie that she did indeed encounter the boogeyman. As he walks to the balcony, his face changes. Michael is gone. And Loomis knew this would happen...
3) Dr. Loomis' Evil Speech
Fancy words don't always work on authority, but Loomis' speech on how evil Michael Myers is kept Sheriff Leigh Brackett trolling the streets late at night. "I met him, fifteen years ago. I was told there was nothing left. No reason, no conscience, no understanding; even the most rudimentary sense of life or death, good or evil, right or wrong. I met this six-year-old child, with this blank, pale, emotionless face and, the blackest eyes... the devil's eyes. I spent eight years trying to reach him, and then another seven trying to keep him locked up because I realized what was living behind that boy's eyes was purely and simply... evil."
2) Michael Unmasked
This moment caused more fear than intended. As Laurie struggles in her final battle against The Shape, the mask is pulled off and we, the audience, get to see Michael all grown up. Talk about creepy. That brief moment installed more fear into the audience than expected and ranks highly on my count for being one of the spookiest moments in the entire film.
1) The Closet
How can I create a list of the most iconic moments in Halloween without including the closet sequence? When people think of Halloween, this is what they remember. Poor Laurie is trapped in the closet while Michael searches the room, looking for her. Then the doors to the closet start to jiggle before his fist comes through it. That eerie moment is replayed in Halloween H20 as a flash back in Laurie's nightmare. That alone is the reason this ranks at number one.
No comments:
Post a Comment