Category Archives: Charles Cyphers

#3 Favorite Horror Film, #9 Favorite Film, 1978 Films, Charles Cyphers, Donald Pleasance, Favorite Film of the Year, Horror, Independent, Independent Horror, Jamie Lee Curtis, John Carpenter, Kyle Richards, Michael Meyers, Nancy Loomis, Nancy Stephens, Nick Castle, P. J. Soles, Slasher, Top 10 Films, Top 10 Horror Films, Top 100 Films, Top 20 Horror Films, Top 25 Films, Top 250 Films, Top 40 Horror Films, Top 50 Films

Halloween-1978

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Halloween-1978

Director John Carpenter

Starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasence

Top 250 Films #9

Top 40 Horror Films #3

Scott’s Review #114

569090

Reviewed July 16, 2014

Grade: A

 Halloween is an iconic horror film from 1978 that set the tone for the barrage of slasher films to follow throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s.

Today, the film continues to hold up incredibly well, and I am proud to list it as not only one of my favorite horror films (which I watch religiously every Halloween) but also one of my favorite films of all time.

The focus is on style and substance over gore (the film contains little of it), and the score is one of the scariest and most effective in cinematic history.

The premise of the film is simple- a homicidal maniac is on the loose in a sleepy little town named Haddonfield, Illinois, targeting three female babysitters on a crisp Halloween night.

The audience knows that the six-year-old little boy dressed as a clown on a dark Halloween night years ago, who butchered his older sister to death, is the now grown-up culprit.

What we do not know, nor should we, is what his (Michael Meyers’) motivation is.  This confusion only adds to the impact.

Subsequent remakes have added complexities to the character, albeit unnecessarily so; however, in the original, we see a seemingly happy child with stable parents and a good life.

Similar stories have been told throughout film history. But Halloween is simply one of the greatest horror films ever made.

As simple as the story is, the way the film is made makes it a masterpiece. Everything about Halloween is mesmerizing – the lighting is perfect, the ambiance, the brilliant, scary musical score, the battle between good and evil, and the feeling of a chilly Halloween night.

Highly unusual for its time, the point of view of the killer and heavy breathing are prevalent throughout the film, which will startle and scare the viewer. The opening shot is through the eyes of a masked six-year-old kid wearing a clown mask.

The unique technical aspects continue to evolve.

Director John Carpenter had a vision for this film, and thankfully, no studio influence compromised it, as it was an independent film on a shoestring budget.

The Hitchcock influences are evident in the character names, such as Sam Loomis, and in many scenes where someone watches the action or peers around a corner or through a window, making the viewer anxious and nervous.

Set in small-town USA, a frightening element of the film is that it could happen anywhere, and the location is ingenious. There is very little blood, let alone gore. It is needless. It is the creepiness that makes the film brilliant.

The three teenagers are perfectly cast- Jamie Lee Curtis is the serious bookworm, P.J. Soles and Nancy Keyes are the flirtatious bad girls. Still, the chemistry is excellent, and the audience buys them as best friends.

The jump-out-of-your-seat moments are incredibly well-timed, and it is one of the few genuinely scary films.

Forget the horror genre alone- Halloween (1978) is one of the greatest films ever made.

#135 Favorite Film, #23 Favorite Horror Film, 1981 Films, Charles Cyphers, Donald Pleasance, Favorite Film of the Year, Horror, Jamie Lee Curtis, John Carpenter, Michael Meyers, Nancy Loomis, Nancy Stephens, Nick Castle, Slasher, Top 250 Films, Top 40 Horror Films

Halloween II-1981

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Halloween II-1981

Director Rick Rosenthal

Starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasence

Top 250 Films #135

Top 40 Horror Films #23

Scott’s Review #505

569099

Reviewed October 31, 2016

Grade: A

The follow-up to the surprise 1978 cult classic, independently made Halloween- directed by legend John Carpenter,  Halloween II (1981) was made in 1981.

In real life, it is three years later, but the film, picks up immediately where the original left off in a chronological sense- the infamous night Michael Myers came home to brutalize the town where he killed his sister years earlier.

This is an excellent plot point that makes this film successful as it takes the viewer immediately back to that infamous night.

Halloween II is one of my favorite film sequels.

Despite not directing Halloween II, John Carpenter, along with Debra Hill, both wrote the script so that they are, thankfully, heavily involved in the production, giving it authenticity and familiarity.

So much so that Halloween and Halloween II can be watched back to back- like one long film.

Michael Myers’s path of destruction continues in the sleepy, suburban town of Haddonfield, Illinois. This point looms large in this fantastic sequel and we are treated to a direct transition from original to sequel.

The events switch from babysitter territory to the community hospital as new characters- mostly doctors, nurses, and ambulance people are introduced to the story, Laurie’s friends are sadly deceased.

Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and Doctor Loomis (Donald Pleasence) are the main stars of the film and by the climax take center stage.

As a recap- the determined Loomis shot Michael Myers several times as he tumbled off of a balcony to his presumed death. Spectacularly, the original Halloween brilliantly set the stage for a sequel, as Myers survives and disappears into the night-whereabouts unknown.

Now hours later, Laurie is transported to Haddonfield Hospital for treatment.  While there, the hospital staff do their best to protect her but are subsequently offed one by one by the crazed killer, who finds his way into the (conveniently!) deserted hospital.

The great quality of Halloween II is that it is gorier than its predecessor. More characters are sliced and diced in an unceremoniously brutal fashion.

One has her blood drained, another is stabbed in the eye with a syringe. Yet another is repeatedly dunked into scalding water. And then there is the traditional knife in the back.

In contrast to many other slasher films, the supporting cast of characters are quite likable and they are given little backstories of their own- a great touch. Bud- the wise-cracking ambulance driver is dating Nurse Karen. Jimmy, a handsome orderly, takes a shine to Laurie.

Mixed in with the heavy horror are nice comic moments, such as when Nurse Janet ineptly tries to assist the hospital security guard- the bumbling Mr. Garrett, with a walkie-talkie, or when Head Nurse Mrs. Alves scolds the staff for being tardy.

We grow to care for these characters, in their little night-shift family, so that their inevitable demises hit home.

The chilling music- so instrumental to the success of the original- is slightly modernized into more of a keyboard-style sound. This gives a slicker, more commercial appeal.

Not to take away from the brilliance of the original score, but it is nice to hear a change- giving a fresher, more contemporary sound, rather than simply copying the same music.

Admittedly, Halloween II (1981) is not quite on par with Halloween, but that is asking the impossible. Halloween is a masterpiece, but Halloween II holds its own and is more than adequate as a sequel having large shoes to fill.

Thanks to many of the same creators involved, it does not lose its edge or its relevance all these years later.

2021 Films, Andi Matichak, Anthony Michael Hall, Bob Odenkirk, Charles Cyphers, David Gordon Green, Horror, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jim Cummings, John Carpenter, Judy Greer, Kyle Richards, Michael Meyers, Nancy Stephens, Nick Castle, Slasher, Will Patton

Halloween Kills-2021

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Halloween Kills-2021

Director David Gordon Green

Starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, Anthony Michael Hall

Scott’s Review #1,190

Reviewed October 31, 2021

Grade: B+

The second installment in a planned trilogy of the iconic Halloween franchise, which began in 1978, Halloween Kills (2021) is a frightfully effective “middle sibling”.

Bridging the gap between Halloween (2018) and the highly anticipated Halloween Ends (2022), the film has enough gory kills and bloodletting to satisfy any horror fan.

The plot is furthered, and the groundwork is laid for the next installment.

The nods to history, with several actors reprise their characters from the original film, are an enormous treat for fans and a true pleasure to see. The writing regarding history is excellent, and it effectively weaves these characters into the story with newer ones. Jamie Lee Curtis, of course, stars as the terrorized Laurie Strode.

Picking up where Halloween-2018 left off on Halloween night (naturally), a wounded Laurie (Curtis) is whisked away to Haddonfield Hospital to recover while confident that she has finally killed her nemesis, Michael Meyers, by burning him to death.

She is joined by her daughter Karen (Judy Greer) and granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak) since the trio left the masked maniac caged and burning in Laurie’s basement. Or so they thought.

Spoiler alert- Michael is far from dead.

Continuing his ritual bloodbath held on Halloween night, Michael roams the quiet streets of Haddonfield. At the same time, the fed-up townspeople rise against their unstoppable monster and form a vigilante mob led by Tommy Doyle (Hall).

They continue to chant “Evil dies tonight” in anticipation of Michael’s demise.

Kyle Richards (Lindsey Wallace), Nancy Stephens (Nurse Marion Chambers), and Charles Cyphers (Sheriff Brackett) return to the action with prominent supporting roles.

Their additions are a significant win for me, and presumably, for any fan of the franchise. It’s on par with welcoming old friends back into one’s life with open arms after a long absence.

The fact that they provide a historical background is the icing on the cake. Brackett’s daughter, Annie, one of the first of Michael’s victims, is celebrated and shown via flashbacks.

Marion’s close friendship with Michael’s doctor, Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasence), is also mentioned. He is seen via computer-animated imagery when the events go back to 1978.

The decision by director/writer David Gordon Green, along with co-writers Scott Teems and Danny McBride, to frequently revisit the events of 1978 is uncompromising and relevant, reminding old fans of the story’s history and teaching novice fans how the dots connect.

It’s a brilliant decision.

The diversity offered in Halloween Kills is a breath of fresh air and progressive. An interracial couple, a same-sex couple, and a black couple are added with respect, dignity, and without stereotypes. They are everyone’s neighbors and an accurate representation of the community.

As residents of the cursed Meyers house, Big John and Little John are portrayed as tough and intelligent, avoiding the comic relief that often shadows gay characters.

A few death scenes are extended to show the victim’s pain and suffering instead of the usual quick and easy slice ’em and dice ’em style. This will make the squeamish a bit nervous, but that’s half the fun of horror films, right?

The typical throat-slashings and eye gouging are included, but many of the minor characters are likable, witty, and clever, and not written as complete morons.

In contrast to the original Halloween, the residents of Haddonfield now seem more blue-collar and red necks than upper-middle-class.  I chuckled when Laurie yelled “sheep” to the venomous residents who were chasing a man assumed to be Meyers (he wasn’t).

I surmised that maybe the filmmakers were sticking it to the dolts who blindly follow political leaders in a cultish way, devoid of thought.

Before anyone thinks that Halloween Kills (2021) is a work of art, it isn’t. There exists enough silly dialogue to make anyone snicker, but that’s what slasher films are all about. They are meant to be fun, and this Halloween installment doesn’t disappoint.

The film is sheer entertainment done well and makes me anticipate the next and “final” Halloween chapter. But, as long as the movie remains a hit at the box office, the killings will go on and on and on and on.