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Halloween

Halloween

Horror · Thriller · 1978

Fifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween Night 1963, Michael Myers escapes from a mental hospital and returns to the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois to kill again.

Movie details

Halloween

“The night he came home!”

1978 Horror · Thriller 1h 31m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.6 / 10

Community rating

Fifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween Night 1963, Michael Myers escapes from a mental hospital and returns to the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois to kill again.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Halloween?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

Mother's Day

Mother's Day

Crime · 2010

Crazed members of a sadistic family return to their childhood home to terrorize the new owners.

Haunt

Haunt

Horror · 2019

On Halloween, a group of friends encounter an extreme haunted house that promises to feed on their darkest fears. The night turns deadly as they come to the horrifying realisation that some nightmares are real.

Halloween II

Halloween II

Horror · 1981

After failing to kill stubborn survivor Laurie and taking a bullet or six from former psychiatrist Dr. Sam Loomis, Michael Myers has followed Laurie to the Haddonfield Memorial Hospital, where she's been admitted for Myers' attempt on her life. The institution proves to be particularly suited to serial killers, however, as Myers cuts, stabs and slashes his way through hospital staff to reach his favorite victim.

The Stepfather

The Stepfather

Horror · 1987

Seemingly mild-mannered Henry Morrison has just murdered his entire family. After adopting a new identity and skipping town, he begins building a new relationship with a widow and her teenage daughter. However, he soon begins struggling to hide his true identity and maintain a grip on reality.

Night of the Reaper

Night of the Reaper

Horror · 2025

A college student returns home for the weekend and reluctantly takes a babysitting job after a local babysitter is brutally murdered. When the town’s sheriff receives chilling evidence that the killing wasn’t an isolated incident, a deadly night unfolds as a masked killer sets the stage for another attack.

Halloween Kills

Halloween Kills

Horror · 2021

Michael manages to free himself from Laurie Strode's trap to resume his ritual bloodbath. As she fights for her life from injuries from their last encounter, she inspires her daughter Karen, her granddaughter Allyson, and all of Haddonfield to rise up against the unstoppable monster.

The Children

The Children

Horror · 2008

A relaxing Christmas vacation turns into a terrifying fight for survival as the children begin to turn on their parents.

Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers

Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers

Horror · 1988

Ten years after his original massacre, the invalid Michael Myers awakens on Halloween Eve and returns to Haddonfield to kill his seven-year-old niece.

Night of the Hunted

Night of the Hunted

Horror · 2023

When an unsuspecting woman stops at a remote gas station in the dead of night, she's made the plaything of a sociopath sniper with a secret vendetta. To survive, she must not only dodge his bullets and fight for her life, but also figure out who wants her dead and why.

A Nightmare on Elm Street

A Nightmare on Elm Street

Horror · 1984

Teenagers in a small town are dropping like flies, apparently in the grip of mass hysteria causing their suicides. A cop's daughter, Nancy Thompson, traces the cause to child molester Fred Krueger, who was burned alive by angry parents many years before. Krueger has now come back in the dreams of his killers' children, claiming their lives as his revenge. Nancy and her boyfriend, Glen, must devise a plan to lure the monster out of the realm of nightmares and into the real world...

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

John Carpenter

Written by

Debra Hill · John Carpenter

Donald Pleasence

Donald Pleasence

Loomis

Jamie Lee Curtis

Jamie Lee Curtis

Laurie

Nancy Kyes

Nancy Kyes

Annie

P. J. Soles

P. J. Soles

Lynda

Charles Cyphers

Charles Cyphers

Brackett

Kyle Richards

Kyle Richards

Lindsey

Brian Andrews

Brian Andrews

Tommy

Court is in session

Put Halloween on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Big-Idea Head

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.