100. Halloween (1978) - John Carpenter

100. Halloween (1978) - John CarpenterA psychotic murderer institutionalized since childhood escapes on a mindless rampage while his doctor chases him through the streets. One of the most succesful independant movies of all time, Halloween is a masterpiece of the horror genre. It was even responsible for creating it's own genre that of the slasher film and all of it's conventions. And it's still god damn terrifiying to this day. Modern horror film makers should take note of how the suspense and slow pace of this movie adds to the overall horror and tension. It's not just about showing people being killed in gruesome and sick ways. I love how Carpenter uses the camera to show the movie through the killer's eyes so we are forced to see what the killer see's as he murders his victims. We are almost forced to sympathise with the killer because of this which leaves you feeling dirty and sick when you have finished watching. I love it! The opening to the movie is one of the most disturbing opening sequences I've ever seen as we follow through the eyes of the killer, up the stairs into the bedroom of a semi naked female victim. We watch as he repeatedly stabs her (never actually seeing the knife penetrate just like in Psycho) in what appears to be the most violent moment ever depicted on screen. The camera pulls back to show us a young boy with a clown mask holding a bloody knife, pretty sick stuff to be sure. I think the biggest compliment that can be made about the film is how it has influenced so many other movies and indeed created it's own genre. Halloween spawned A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th and countless number of sequels that followed. Infact the success of Halloween is still trying to be recaptured today as film maker Rob Zombie is in the process of remaking Carpenter's original. Well he's certainly very brave, this movie is a masterpiece. I can't believe I actually like 99 movies ahead of this!