Myers is a very creepy, scary, intimidating character and Carpenter's camera angles (shooting just over Myers' shoulder, reflections in mirrors/windows, POV stuff etc) really help to create this atmosphere every time he's on screen. Not to mention the soundtrack.

What makes Myers such a scary guy is the fact you don't actually know too much about him. You know he killed his sister as a kid, you know what Loomis tells you with his dialogue with the nurse in the car, on the way to the asylum, and you know he's an unstoppable psycopathic murderer. Would giving him so much backstory and personality ruin him, and make him less of a creepy villain character? Arguably, yes, as aside from being Big Show in a mask in the remake, he's only creepy because you know what he's like; how he's come to be this emotionless behemoth. I prefer the original, however both are good films.