Halloween

THE GIST: On Halloween night 1963, Michael Myers murders his older sister with a kitchen knife. Institutionalized, he manages to escape 15 years later, the day before Halloween. He then heads back to Haddonfield, Illinois, to take care of unfinished business.

The first Halloween movie has been part of the horror canon for decades and has achieved cult status. It started a series of sequels and remakes that now totals 11 titles (and counting), making it one of the oldest franchises in the history of cinema, with countless more copycats and inspirations.

Frankly, I don't understand what the fuss is all about. Sure, the movie has its dose of scares, but many feel cheap and the overall quality of the film is low in my opinion.

There are many times when I thought "Well, he/she could have just done so and so," or "Why would s/he do that?!?" and so on. Usually, that's the mark of a poor movie, especially if it's a horror.

Jamie Lee Curtis was very young in this movie, and her acting shows it, but even a pro like Donald Pleasance had little to work with.

THE BOTTOM LINE: If you're a fan of horror movies, this is probably a must-see, just for the sake of knowing what it's all about. If your standards are in line with mine though, you might come away... unimpressed.

Grade: 6