The movie that started it all, Halloween is my favorite horror movie. It is the best not because of the gore or the cheap scares, but for the suspense and the menacing feeling that lasts from beginning to end.

The movie is about a young girl, Laurie Strode, played by Jaime Lee Curtis (True Lies) who is being shadowed, stalked, and chased by a man who escaped from a mental hospital to terrorize a town that he lived in 15 years earlier where he brutally stabbed to death his sister on Halloween night, as a six year old boy. His psychiatrist Dr. Loomis, played by Donald Pleasance (You Only Live Twice,) is on the trail of the killer trying to convince the local police that he is back and means to kill again.

The funny thing about this movie is that even though it's considered a slasher flick, you only see him kill four people and there is hardly any blood. He does twice that many in the next movie.

This movie is intense because of the menacing aspect of the movie. To describe what I mean, the first time Laurie sees Michael, she is in her school room class, he is standing outside of the school, next to the car, and just staring at her, a good block away. You can't get a good look at him, but you know there is something off about him. She then takes 10 seconds to answer a question, she looks up again, and he is gone. Director John Carpenter does this again and again and it's brilliant. Having a figure, in broad daylight, stalk the main character, is much more frightening than any knife through the throat, arrow in the eye. That is what makes this movie so good. Psychological terror at its finest and its none stop.

This was Jaime Lee Curtis's first role and by her own admission it is one of the best roles she has ever done. She was always vulnerable but still managed to defend herself when it was absolutely necessary. But when she wasn't doing that, she was running for her life trying to find safety. A great real character.

Michael Myers was great bad guy. Actor Nick Castle did a great job walking. I know that sounds stupid, but grab any other Halloween movie and compare his movement to all of the other actors and you will see that Castle's walk was just perfectly menacing.

The last thing to talk about is the music created by John Carpenter. It is very simple piano playing and electronic beats but it works for the movie. The music has become legendary and everyone knows what the theme music to the movie. It helps the menacing feel of the movie.

I could go on and on. If you like scary movies, then this is the one for you. It is a Classic horror movie and should be in any respectable collection, its in mine.

Brian - the Naked Gun