I’d have to say that Halloween is my favourite horror franchise and its one I do try and include in my annual Halloween viewing.

Last year I was lucky enough to see Halloween at the cinema for the first time which was a real treat. I really do love getting the opportunity seeing my favourite films at the cinema that I wasn’t around to experience for the initial release.

So with the release of Halloween Ends this week, I decided to catch up on the films part of this timeline and why not to start off with the original!

If you are unfamiliar with the franchise, there are now 13 films included that offshoot from each other. It can be difficult to navigate so if you want to learn more, I encourage you to check out the Wikipedia page which goes into more detail. There is also a great diagram showing how all the films connect. The original film however is the best (and only) place to start!

Why Halloween for me? I prefer thriller over gore and if you have read any of my other reviews, you’ll also know that I love a good story. John Carpenter had a really great way of telling a story and building up the tension to a fever pitch. It’s also one of those films where it is more your imagination than what you see, more relying on the suspense to frighten you.

Most of this suspense comes from the film’s score, which is its biggest success. The theme music has also become an instantly recognisable sound in cinema history. Halloween is a little bit of a slow burn and while you are waiting for the inevitable carnage you don’t have much time to relax. It’s like the dial is slowly being increased each minute.

It’s also a nicely shot film and it’s remarkable to learn the shoot was only 17 days. Halloween has a lot of interesting facts, some that are commonly known about and others that perhaps should be. If you are interested in film making and/or a fan of the film, I would suggest checking out the Halloween episode of “The Movies That Made Us” on Netflix.

While the opening sequence is mentioned in that episode and goes into more detail, it’s worth mentioning here. The film opens following Michael as a 6-year-old boy, stalking his sister in their family home before stabbing her to death. The footage is shot from his point of view and most of it is all done using one continuous shot. There are a couple of cuts used due to the length of film the cameras. I really like the way the opening shot was done, it looks great on screen and sets up for what is a great film.

One of my other favourite sequences is the one which has become an iconic shot of this film. It occurs after Laurie finds her friends dead and is sobbing against the doorframe of the hallway. Michael then appears from out of the shadows and into the foreground, ready to attack. It’s the pinnacle moment Michael has been building to, setting up for an action packed finale.

It’s the film that gave Jamie Lee Curtis her big break and introduced the character Michael Myers, a knife carrying, masked stalker, to the world. It’s also known for being a game changer to the genre of horror, and to me, it’s a film that brings me a lot of joy, especially around this spooky time of the year.