The plot is very basic, unsurprisingly. You have Michael Myers, a disturbed child that grows up in a mental institution after he murders his sister and several years later escapes and returns to his hometown to kill local teenage girls (maybe because they remind him of his sister, or just for shits and giggles), and his psychiatrist chases after him to stop his rampage. That's it, pretty much. As vague as it gets. And Myers is not that memorable either, but I still liked the character. I'll give him credit for being the first mute, unstoppable psycho we've seen in every other slasher film ever since, and the fact that he is very well introduced. You know his backstory from the very beginning (instead of being revealed in a twist at the last moment), and the movie takes it time to introduce him properly. He doesn't kill anyone until halfway into the movie: we just see glympses of him stalking the characters. Take a hint, B-list producers.
No, not THAT Michael Myers.
Our main heroine is... I forgot her name, let's just call her "generic nerdy and socially awkward girl", played by Jamie Lee Curtis on her debut role. And also there's her generic slutty friends that (surprise!) get killed, right after having sex (surprise! again!). I couldn't get past the fact that most of the cast are in their twenties. Particularly our lead. Come on, are you really expecting me to think they are high school students? They're bland, uninteresting and, to be honest, they are an offensive portrayal of women. They are promiscuous beyond belief, gossippy... you get the idea. Maybe it's just poorly executed social criticism, but it still bothers me a little.
Let's get on to the most important thing: was it scary? No. I don't know if it's the film's age, the low production values, or the fact that I've seen too many films of this kind to be shocked by it, but I never found it scary. Unsettling, at least? Maybe, a little. I get why films like this one or the Exorcist were scary back then, but probably due to the fact that they spawned so many films and we got used to them, the shock value has died out with the years.
It's not your fault, Halloween. I just haven't gone "Look out, bitch, he's behind you!" in years.
So, the acting and casting is mediocre, the plot is extremely basic, the production values are pretty low and, most likely, you won't get scared watching it. Aside from the interesting and creepy villian, there are not many reasons to watch this film other than for how influential it is to an entire genre, so take that into account if you plan on watching it.
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