A Bay of Blood: A Ranking of Slashers (1974 - 1990)

Directors Suite: John Carpenter (Dirty Synths, Stabs, and Eyepatches)

Black silhouetted madness. A Hitchcock-fused brew of style and suspense; a cold-blooded thriller in the simplest of terms, amplifying towards a slick spit of snazzy horror sensation with its distinct sense of reality that lurks within each brooding shot. Bleached strains of coldness drifting from its mask of evil; the devil's eyes sitting with scopic vision. Stalking, waiting, and pursuing; a white sheet - a shadow looming in the vicinity. Evil wrapped in a glorious bow of tangible horror.

John Carpenter stings, tingles, and terrifies with his 1978 jolt of terror and tension, suspending all beliefs that horror is purely monsters and blood by creating a realistic and chilling portrayal of a merciless killer on the path of psychopathic indulgence. Halloween is unadulterated horror; a fascinating ride of spooks and silent terror with each approaching minute. This is truly the beginning of the slasher film, employing sympathetic characters and a brewing dread of stylish cinema, erupting into a seamless array of earth-shattering success. Halloween is the epitome of GREAT horror from the rightly great mind of John Carpenter. I love this with all my heart.

5/5