"Death has come to your little town, sheriff."

The buildup in Halloween is what makes this such a special film. Carpenter fills it with an undercurrent of suspicion that gradually grows and grows by the minute. We know what our villain, Michael Myers, is capable of right from the get go. Our lead doesn't though, we are terrified for her long before she is frightened for herself. Myers stands persistently, always sitting tight for a minute to strike, however he never does. Carpenter creates a genuine feeling of fear, you start to suspect that Myers is all around, hiding behind each shadow, putting us in a place of tension and frailty. Myers is evil in its purest form, for not by any stretch of the imagination, having any reason for what he does. He was only a person who appeared one night, killed a few people, and didn't even appear to like it.

Each slasher flick that came after would always be contrasted with Halloween. I think part of the magic of this that isn't found in any other slasher is that it adheres near to its characters even as they go head to head with evil incarnate. This film changed the substance of horror, and probably the silver screen itself, until the end of time……

And that score, oof.