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Halloween
81
metacriticBased on 13 Critics
88
Based on 438 Users

Release Date: October 25th, 1978

DVD Release Date: November 12th, 1997

R |1 hr 31 min

Plot Summary

On a cold Halloween night in 1963, six year old Michael Myers brutally murdered his 17-year-old sister, Judith. He was sentenced and locked away for 15 years. But on October 30, 1978, while being transferred for a court date, a 21-year-old Michael Myers steals a car and escapes Smith's Grove. He returns to his quiet hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois, where he looks for his next victims.

Cast: Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis, Nancy Kyes, P.J. Soles, Charles Cyphers, Kyle Richards, Brian Andrews, Arthur Malet

Director: John Carpenter

Genres: Horror , Thriller

Production Co: Falcon Films

Distributors: Compass International Pictures

Keywords: Small town , 1970s , 1960s , Rise , Suspenseful , Death , Sister , Murder , Dark , Escape

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Ratings & Reviews

  • 80
    The Hollywood Reporter

    Carpenter creates excellent tension throughout and he avoids excessive blood and gore in the murder sequences. The violent actions are mostly implied more than graphically depicted, which serves to heighten the effect. show more

  • 100
    Roger EbertChicago Sun-Times

    Halloween is an absolutely merciless thriller, a movie so violent and scary that, yes, I would compare it to “Psycho.” show more

  • 100
    James BerardinelliReelViews

    From a shock-and-suspense point-of-view, Halloween is the rival of Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho." With only a few arguable exceptions (such as "The Exorcist"), there isn't another post-1970 release that comes close to it in terms of scaring the living hell out of a viewer... A modern classic of the most horrific kind. show more

See all critic reviews on metacritic.com