Directed and scored by John Carpenter and written by Carpenter and Debra Hill, Halloween is the story of a young man who escapes from an insane asylum as he returns to his hometown on Halloween fifteen years to kill where his psychiatrist tries to find him. The film is considered the first definitive slasher film in which a mysterious killer kills everyone in sight leaving few to survive as he is eager to kill. Starring Donald Pleasance, P.J. Soles, Nancy Kyes, Nick Castle, and in her film debut, Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode. Halloween is a terrifying and riveting film from John Carpenter.
It’s Halloween eve as a man has escaped from an insane asylum where he was about to be transferred and incarcerated for the murder he committed fifteen years ago at the age of six as he returns to his hometown and kill those in his sight. It’s a film that explores a man who had become psychotic as he killed his babysitter as he then targets a teenager who is babysitting a kid on Halloween while a couple of her friends go out during the holiday. The film’s screenplay by John Carpenter and Debra Hill doesn’t just showcase the motives that drove this psychotic in Michael Myers (Nick Castle) to go insane and then escape the asylum. It also play with the many conventions that would become standard clichés and such for the horror genre as the character of Laurie Strode is just this young woman who is good to people though she smokes and such like other teenagers. Yet, she would babysit a neighbor kid while another friend would do the same and later drop that kid off to Laurie to see her boyfriend.
The script would also play into what kind of person Michael Myers is as his psychiatrist Dr. Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasance) is looking for him as he is aware of how troubled and insane Myers is. When he and a sheriff in Leigh Brackett (Charles Cyphers) go on the look for him, there is a great monologue that Dr. Loomis has about Myers and what he did as it adds to the sense of danger that looms. In the film’s third act, Myers would strike as Strode would suspect his presence early in the film as well as the kids she’s watching over where it is clear what she is facing.
John Carpenter’s direction starts off with this amazing prologue set in Halloween 1963 where it is told in the span of a few minutes in almost one entire take. It is a scene that establishes what Michael Myers did at the age of six as it is very startling way to open the film. The film then shifts to Halloween Eve in 1978 on a rainy night where Dr. Loomis and a nurse are about to go to the asylum as the former frets about Myers and having him incarcerated as something goes wrong. Carpenter’s direction definitely play into the air of suspense in scenes where Laurie sees someone from afar and then takes a second look as if he never existed. The usage of the wide shots help play into that suspense while Carpenter would maintain a sense of intimacy with some of the close-ups and medium shots he create throughout the film. Notably in the scenes of Laurie taking care of the two kids as well as some of the chilling moments involving a couple of her friends.
The direction also has Carpenter create some unique long and intricate tracking shots such as the film’s opening prologue where it shown from the perspective of Myers. The moments of violence are quite startling yet Carpenter does something that is even more interesting as it’s about the impact as it doesn’t contain any gore or excessive blood. Another aspect of Carpenter that is interesting is how he play with the clichés as well as not go for the conventional scores. Being the film’s music composer, Carpenter’s electronic-based score that is filled with some unique riffs and melodies as it’s played largely on a synthesizer. It knows when to appear but also when not to appear as it help create mood into the suspense as well as in the horror without the need to overdo it. Overall, Carpenter creates a chilling yet well-crafted horror film about a psychotic killer terrorizing people on Halloween night.
Cinematographer Dean Cundey does amazing work with the film‘s cinematography for many of the scenes set at night with its usage of lighting and mood to help play into its suspense and horror while going for some more naturalistic lighting for some of the scenes set in the day. Editors Tommy Lee Wallace and Charles Bornstein do brilliant work with the editing as it has these nice rhythmic cuts that help play into the suspense and horror without the need to do anything flashy while knowing how to build up the momentum of the suspense. Production designer Tommy Lee Wallace and set decorator Craig Stearns do fantastic work with the look of the homes that the character live in as well as the ruined state of the old house where Michael Myers killed his babysitter.
The makeup work of Erica Ueland is excellent for the look of the mask that Michael Myers wears as it has something that feels very menacing. Sound editor William L. Stephenson does superb work with the sound to help create that air of atmosphere into the suspense and horror.
The film’s incredible cast feature some notable small roles from John Michael Graham as Lynda’s boyfriend Bob, Sandy Johnson as the babysitter the young Myers killed early in the film, Kyle Richards as the young girl Lindsay that Laurie would later babysit, Brian Andrews as the young boy Tommy whom Laurie is watching over, and Charles Cyphers in a terrific performance as Sheriff Leigh Brackett who aids Dr. Loomis in finding Myers. P.J. Soles and Nancy Kyes are wonderful in their respective roles as Laurie’s friends Lynda and Annie as two young girls who are more eager to have fun where they definitely become targets of Myers’ wrath.
In the role of Michael Myers, we have Tony Moran as an unmasked version seen from the back and afar in the opening raining sequence as well as Will Sandin as the six-year old Myers. Yet, it is Nick Castle who is brilliant as the killer himself with his mask and menacing presence as he never says a word. Donald Pleasance is excellent as Dr. Sam Loomis as a psychiatrist trying to find Myers as this man that is coping with Myers but also hoping he could be stopped. Finally, there’s Jamie Lee Curtis in a remarkable film debut as Laurie Strode as this young woman that is just trying to be a normal teenage girl as she copes with the presence of this mysterious man and later be confronted by him as she embodies all of the ideas of a scream queen as well as someone trying not to get killed.
Halloween is a magnificent film from John Carpenter. Featuring a great cast, a killer score, an intriguing premise, and masterful suspense that would create many of the conventions of horror. The film is definitely a standard bearer of the genre while as a film itself, it is truly one of the most chilling and inventive films that Carpenter has created. In the end, Halloween is an outstanding film from John Carpenter.
John Carpenter Films: Dark Star - Assault on Precinct 13 - Someone's Watching Me! - Elvis - The Fog - Escape from New York - The Thing - Christine - Starman - Big Trouble in Little China - Prince of Darkness - They Live - Memoirs of an Invisible Man - Body Bags - In the Mouth of Madness - Village of the Damned - Escape from L.A. - Vampires - Ghosts of Mars - The Ward
The Auteurs #60: John Carpenter Part 1 - Part 2
Related: Halloween (2018 film) - (Halloween Kills) - (Halloween Ends)
© thevoid99 2016
Directed by Peter Yates and written by Steven Tesich, Breaking Away is the story of four young men trying to figure out what to do before they go to college as one of them wants to race against a visiting group of Italian pro bicycle riders in a race. The film is a coming-of-age tale where a young man tries to find himself as he gets help from his friends while wanting to do something that matters. Starring Dennis Christopher, Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern, Jackie Earle Haley, Barbara Barrie, Robyn Douglass, and Paul Dooley. Breaking Away is a lively and touching film from Peter Yates.
Set in the small town of Bloomington, Indiana, the film revolves around four young men spending their summer bumming around unsure of what to do as one of them has adopted an Italian accent as he is excited about a group of Italian pro bicycle riders coming to Indiana for a local race. It’s a film that revolves around this young man trying to become the best bicyclist he can be yet he would also woo a college girl much to the chagrin of college preppies who have a disdain for the working-class boys as they call them cutters. Along the way, the rest of the guys cope with not just the idea of failure but also wonder if they can ever get out of Bloomington. Steven Tesich’s screenplay isn’t just a sports movie but also this compelling coming-of-age film about four guys trying to figure out themselves as a couple of them were athletes, one of them wants to marry his girlfriend, and another thinks he’s got it figured out by pretending to be Italian only to face some harsh realities.
The film’s protagonist Dave Stoller (Dennis Christopher) is in love with the Italian riders as well as culture where he would speak Italian much to the annoyance of his father Ray (Paul Dooley) while his mother Evelyn (Barbara Barrie) tries to be supportive. Dave’s friends in Mike (Dennis Quaid), Cyril (Daniel Stern), and Moocher (Jackie Earle Haley) are also supportive of Stoller’s ambition but also wonder if he will try and become like these college preppies they despise because they have money and think they’re better than everyone. Tesich’s screenplay also has humor in the way Ray reacts to the antics of his son but it also has moments that are quite touching as it play into Ray’s own previous life cutting stones to create buildings as well as some of the things Dave, Mike, Cyril, and Moocher encounter. Even as Dave would encounter reality of his own as it relates to the Italian racers who would force Dave to realize more about who he is.
Peter Yates’ direction is quite simple as it doesn’t really go for any visual tricks yet it does capture a sense of energy and realism of small town life. Shot on location in Bloomington, Indiana as well as the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington. Yates’ direction utilizes that sense of a world that is quite small but also vast where it has this world of the working class who are just living day-by-day as the four guys would swim at this old limestone quarry to pass the time while miles away would be this campus where the rich preppie college kids are. Yates’ usage of wide and medium shots play into the look of the locations as well as some of the biking scenes where it plays into the scale of the roads as well as the challenge that Stoller has to encounter in the race with the Italians. Yates also uses close-ups and some medium shots to play into the life of Stoller with his parents as well as create moments that are quite comical as it is told very naturally. There is also these somber moments between Stoller and his father late in the film as it play into the ways of the world but it also has these very important life lessons. All of which would lead to this climatic race between Stoller and his friends and a bunch of teams from college including the preps. Overall, Yates creates a witty yet exhilarating film about a young man trying to find himself with the aid of his friends and family as well as cycling.
Cinematographer Matthew F. Leonetti does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography to play into the sunny and colorful look of the scenes set in Bloomington as well as the Indiana University campus as well as some low-key lights for some of the scenes set at night. Editor Cynthia Scheider does nice work with the editing as it is mostly straightforward with some stylish cutting for a few montages and in the racing scenes. Art director Patrizia von Brandenstein and set decorator Lee Poll do terrific work with the look of the home that the Stoller family live in as well as the limestone quarry watering hole the guys hang out at.
Costume designer Betsy Cox does wonderful work with the costumes as it is mostly casual from the look of Stoller and his friends to the more stylish look of the college preps. Sound editors Michael Moyse and Dan Sable do superb work with the sound in capturing the raucous sound of the town as well as the locations in Indiana University as well as the sparse sounds of how bikes sound in a race. The film’s music largely features an array of Italian opera music that is adapted by Patrick Williams as it plays into Stoller’s obsession with Italian culture as it’s mainly used for humor as well as a romantic scene where Stoller serenades a young woman.
The casting by Jane Feinberg and Mike Fenton is great as it include some notable small roles from John Ashton as Mike’s police officer brother, Amy Wright as Moocher’s girlfriend Nancy, P.J. Soles as a sorority girl who would try to get Stoller and Cyril in trouble, and Hart Bochner as a college preppie who hates the cutters as he tries to show off and such. Robyn Douglass is wonderful as Katherine as a college student that Stoller tries to woo as he pretends to be Italian to impress her. Barbara Barrie is superb as Stoller’s mother Evelyn as this woman that is supportive of her son while trying to get her husband to eat healthy. Paul Dooley is fantastic as Stoller’s father Ray as a used-car salesman who is annoyed by his son’s Italian fascination and accent as he is just so fun to watch as well as be this sense of warmth as a man that has done a lot in his life despite his lack of any real success.
Jackie Earle Haley is excellent as Moocher as a guy who wants to commit to his girlfriend while struggling to find work as also hates being given insults relating to his height. Daniel Stern is brilliant as Cyril as a former football player struggling to find himself while being very laid-back about his approach to life where he thinks about going to college. Dennis Quaid is amazing as Mike as another former football player who is convinced that he’s never going to succeed but doesn’t want to give up as it’s a very commanding performance from Quaid. Finally, there’s Dennis Christopher in an incredible performance as Dave Stoller as a young man whose love of cycling and Italian culture has him excited for the arrival of the Italians as he then copes with realities of the world as well as his own identity as a man.
Breaking Away is a phenomenal film from Peter Yates. Featuring a great cast, a heartfelt screenplay by Steven Tesich, and some very entertaining moments. It’s a film that isn’t just this compelling sports film but also a coming-of-age film that manages to do a lot as well as create characters that audiences can root for. In the end, Breaking Away is a spectacular film from Peter Yates.
Peter Yates Films: (Summer Holiday) – (One Way Pendelum) – (Robbery) – Bullitt - (John and Mary) – (Murphy’s War) – (The Hot Rock) – (The Friends of Eddie Coyle) – (For Pete’s Sake) – (Mother, Jugs & Speed) – (The Deep) – (Eyewitness) – (Krull) – (The Dresser) – (Eleni) – (Suspect) – (The House on Carroll Street) – (An Innocent Man) – (Year of the Comet) – (Roommates) – (The Run of the Country) – (Curtain Call) – (Don Quixote (2000 film))
© thevoid99 2016
Based on the novel by Stephen King, Carrie is the story of a tormented high school student whose troubled life finally comes to ahead when she later becomes the victim of a prank led by a group of her classmates. Directed by Brian de Palma and screenplay by Lawrence D. Cohen, the film is an exploration into the world of bullying as well as the life of a young girl who is also abused at home by her very religious mother as the titular character is played by Sissy Spacek. Also starring Amy Irving, Nancy Alley, William Katt, John Travolta, P.J. Soles, Betty Buckley, and Piper Laurie. Carrie is a tremendously chilling and mesmerizing film from Brian de Palma.
After a young high school student is bullied and tormented prompting the school’s gym teacher to take action, the film revolves around a few students who decide to play a prank on this troubled young woman named Carrie White for the upcoming senior prom just as Carrie is discovering about her telekinetic powers. It’s a film that plays into this young woman who lives a very troubled life due to the fact that she is often abused by her very religious mother Margaret White (Piper Laurie) who believes that the world around Carrie is full of sin. Once Carrie’s classmates are forced to serve detention led by their gym teacher Miss Collins (Betty Buckley), one of them in Chris (Nancy Allen) conspires a plan to humiliate Carrie at the senior prom. It would play into this event at the prom where Carrie is asked by the school’s quarterback who is unaware of the prank where all things go to hell.
The film’s screenplay by Lawrence D. Cohen plays into not just Chris’ plan to humiliate Carrie with the aid of her boyfriend Billy Nolan (John Travolta) but also Carrie discovering about her own unique powers. Even as Carrie is someone who is very naïve about herself as the film begins with a shower scene where she notices blood is coming out of her genitals unaware of the concept of menstruation due to the fact that her mother would shield a lot of things from her. While one of her tormentors in Sue Snell (Amy Irving) would express remorse as she asks her boyfriend Tommy Ross (William Katt) to ask Carrie to the prom. It is Chris that wants to take action as she would eventually get the help from her friend Norma (P.J. Soles) who also despises Carrie. The sense of momentum which helps build the suspense would be key to the story as is some of Cohen’s dialogue. Especially the chilling words that Margaret would say to her daughter including some off-the-wall humor including a scene where Margaret looks at the dress Carrie wears and how she refers to Carrie’s breasts.
Brian de Palma’s direction is very stylish from the way he presents the film’s opening credits with this slow gazing tracking shot of young women at the girl’s locker room where some of them are naked. In fact, much of de Palma’s direction is stylish in his usage of close-ups and medium shots to the way he can create moments of suspense at an instance which relates to Carrie’s telekinetic powers. The usage of tracking shots and long takes also add to de Palma’s sense of style including the way he circles Carrie and Tommy’s dance on a low angle as it showcases something that can be innocent and fun though something bad will happen to Carrie.
While there are elements of suspense and terror that looms in the film, de Palma does balance that with humor such as the detention sequence where Sue, Norma, Chris, and the rest of the girls who made fun of Carrie are forced to do exercise activities. Yet, it would add to some of the terror in what Chris and Billy would do as the climatic prom scene where de Palma’s usage of split-screens and other compositions would play into full-on horror at its most visceral. Even in its aftermath which involves Carrie and her mother where it relates to the idea of good vs. evil. Overall, de Palma creates a powerful and terrifying film about a tormented and sheltered young girl who gets pushed to the edge.
Cinematographer Mario Tosi does brilliant work with the film‘s colorful cinematography from the naturalistic yet dream-like look of the daytime exterior scenes to the stylish usage of lighting for some of the scenes at night and the scenes set at the prom. Editor Paul Hirsch does amazing work with the editing with its stylish usage of jump-cuts, split-screens, and other cutting styles to play into the film‘s humor and the element of suspense and terror. Art directors Jack Fisk and Bill Kenney, with set decorator Robert Gould, do excellent work with some of the set design from the school gym and the look of the prom to the home where Carrie and her mother lives in.
Costume designer Rosanna Norton does nice work with the costumes from the red cap that Norma wears as well as some the plain clothes that Carrie wears. Sound editors Dan Sable and Ron Kalish do superb work with the sound in creating sound textures to play into Carrie‘s own troubled state of mind as well as some scenes of terror that are key to the story. The film’s music by Pino Donaggio is phenomenal for its orchestral-based score that ranges from being somber and ethereal with its lush string arrangements to sounds of terror with screeching strings as well as some low-key pieces while music supervisor Michael Arciaga bring in a mixture of songs ranging from and pop music plus a couple of songs written by Donaggio.
The casting by Harriet B. Helberg is wonderful as it features some notable small roles from Priscilla Pointer as Sue’s mother, Edie McClurg as the classmate Helen, Cameron de Palma as a young kid taunting Carrie early in the film, Sydney Lassick and Stefan Gierasch as a couple of faculty members, and Michael Talbott as a friend of Billy who would help be involved with the prank. P.J. Soles is terrific as Chris’ friend Norma as tomboy of sorts who always wears a red cap and braids in her hair as she too shares a hatred for Carrie. John Travolta is fantastic as Chris’ delinquent boyfriend Billy Nolan who is a troublemaker and master prankster that doesn’t like to be insulted though he is an idiot. William Katt is superb as Tommy Ross as the most popular guy in school who is asked to take Carrie to the prom by Sue as he befriends her as he becomes one of the few who are really genuine towards her.
Betty Buckley is excellent as Miss Collins as the school’s gym teacher who knows about Carrie’s sheltered life as she tries to help her as well as make the girls who tormented her show the error of their ways. Amy Irving is brilliant as Sue Snell as one of Carrie’s tormentors who would later express remorse for her actions as she tries to stop the prank from happening. Piper Laurie is remarkable as Carrie’s very religious mother Margaret as this very crazy woman who sees evil all over as she tries to make sure her daughter stays in the straight and narrow as it’s a very scary performance. Finally, there’s Sissy Spacek in an incredible performance as the titular role as this young high school student who is this oddball that has no clue about some of the ways of the world as she copes with her powers and the presence of her mother as it is just a performance for the ages.
Carrie is a spectacular film from Brian de Palma that features great performances from Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie. Along with an amazing supporting cast, top-notch technical work, and a brilliant score by Pino Donaggio, the film is definitely one of the finest films in horrors. Even as it is told with such style and wit by de Palma as it is one of his essential films. In the end, Carrie is a magnificent film from Brian de Palma.
Brian De Palma Films: (Murder a la Mod) - (Greetings) - (The Wedding Party) - (Dionysus in ‘69) - (Hi, Mom!) - (Get to Know Your Rabbit) - Sisters - Phantom of the Paradise - Obsession - The Fury - (Home Movies) - Dressed to Kill - Blow Out - Scarface - Body Double - (Wise Guys) - The Untouchables - Casualties of War - The Bonfire of the Vanities - Raising Cain - Carlito’s Way - Mission: Impossible - Snake Eyes - Mission to Mars - Femme Fatale - The Black Dahlia - (Redacted) - Passion (2012 film) - (Domino (2018 film))
© thevoid99 2015
