Valentine's Day combined. I am of course talking about Halloween.
I have to say we've had a good season bringing fear to those who need it at my menagerie show, The Devil's Attic. We've only got four more nights to go, so make sure you come see me.
In honor of Halloween, I've saved back a very special film to talk about.
This week's Thursday Thriller is Halloween.
A lot of people consider this 1978 John Carpenter film the first slasher, though some say it was actually 1974's Black Christmas. I happen to think slasher films were invented in Italy by somebody like Mario Bava. Of course, all of this debate ignores the early gore films of Herschell Gordon Lewis. Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho came out in 1960, as did the British film Peeping Tom.
None of this matters. The influence of Halloween on the slasher boom of the early 1980s is undeniable. It spawned a sprawling franchise of sequels, remakes and reboots, including a film last week whose opening weekend box office receipts broke the record for slasher films.
No one saw this coming in 1978. All Carpenter and his writing partner Debra Hill had was a simple story about an escaped lunatic Michael Myers (Tony Moran) returning to his hometown of Haddonfield, Ill., and stalking Jamie Lee Curtis, brutally killing off her friends.
Donald Pleasance gives an outstanding performance as Dr. Sam Loomis, Myers's psychiatrist, who is intent on chasing the maniac down and stopping his killing spree.
I've got a busy four nights ahead of me, mortals, so I'll spare you a full-on critique. After all, after 40 years there's not a lot I can say about this movie that hasn't already been said.
Halloween is an all-time classic. If you haven't seen it yet, it's time, and if you have, it's time to see it again. It streams on Shudder.
The Devil's Attic is open tonight, Thursday Oct. 25 - Sunday, Oct. 28. Mention Halloween at the ticket booth and get $2 off admission.
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