Category: Halloween Movies

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Halloween: Resurrection, and Rob Zombie’s Halloween & Halloween II

HALLOWEEN: RESURRECTION (2002) In one of the many WTF moments in the Halloween franchise, Resurrection boasts perhaps the most insanely ridiculous explanation for Michael Myers’ return. After mistaking a paramedic as Michael and cutting off the poor guy’s head at the end of H20, Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) has been locked inside an asylum for three years. As per usual, Laurie’s “Mikey Senses” tingle, and before you can say “retcon,” she succumbs to Michael’s knife in a very disheartening demise for the most famous Final Girl in slasher movie history. With Laurie’s death, a monolithic question arises: What does Michael Myers do now that he’s finally killed his other sister? The answer Resurrection brings forth is to murder more nubile young people with his ginormous butcher’s knife, of course, all of whom are conveniently filming a live webcam event at his childhood house on Lampkin Lane. Oh, boy! Halloween: Resurrection is just plain dumb. The story is soulless and makes no sense, the characters are fifth-generation photocopies of Halloweens past, and Michael is about as scary as a walking salami. Yet, Resurrection is often so bad it’s entertaining in a completely cheap and gimmicky way, like a trashy shot-on-video flick from the ’80s. Also, where else are you ever going to see Busta Rhymes do kung-fu on Michael Myers? It ain’t as bad as Halloween Ends. C

HALLOWEEN (2007) I was not a fan of Rob Zombie’s reimagining of John Carpenter’s masterpiece when it originally came out. I was so in my fanboy, “you-can’t-touch-this” mindset that I essentially shut down and poo-pooed the entire movie simply because it wasn’t the perfect scare show the ’78 vehicle was. After recently watching the abhorrent Halloween Ends, I decided to give Zombie’s film another try – well, actually, this was probably the fourth or fifth time – and my perspective of the 2007 version has changed completely. I now understand what Zombie was doing by focusing on 10-year-old Michael (Daeg Faerch) as a sort of Jeffrey Dahmer-esque animal-killer, and his white trash family. Zombie was making his story all about Michael and less about Laurie (Scout Taylor-Compton). Once grown Michael (Taylor Mane) escapes from the institution, the film basically follows the same structural footsteps as Carpenter’s, with Mikey seeking his sister, Laurie, and killing anyone who gets in his way, including Laurie’s parents (Dee Wallace and Pat Skipper) in one of the movie’s more intense sequences. A visceral fast pace and quick cuts gives the experience a fresh take on the overplayed story, successfully creating a Halloween that both feels different but respects the subject matter; a true testament to Zombie’s love for the genre. The movie runs out of steam towards the end (especially in the two-hour director’s cut) and Laurie and her friends feel like hollow replicas of the original, but this is solid stuff worthy of a rewatch. And, it’s better than Halloween Ends. B–

HALLOWEEN II (2009) A lot has been said about Rob Zombie’s Halloween II. I don’t agree with most of it, but I can argue that it’s probably the most violent in the entire Halloween series. Is it good? No. Is it entertaining? Not really. There’s a big shift in tone from the 2007 movie. The Michael in Halloween II is almost animalistic, presenting more of a lumbering, Leatherface-esque personality who, in the first 10 minutes, saws off the head of a paramedic with a shard of broken glass in grisly detail. Two years after the events of Zombie’s Halloween, Michael has survived and is roaming the land (unmasked) doing a self-exploration/meditation thing and having angelic visions of his dead mom (Sheri Moon Zombie). Over in Haddonfield, Laurie (Scout Taylor-Compton) is suffering from severe PTSD and has turned into an annoying punk rock vegan who screams at her psychiatrist (Margot Kidder) when she’s not having epileptic fits and nightmares about murdering best friend, Annie (Danielle Harris). Dr. Loomis (Malcom McDowell) is riding high off the success of his tell-all book about Michael, revealing to the world Michael’s blood relationship with Laurie. An hour later, Michael finally makes it back to his hometown and the bodies start to pile. Much like Laurie, Halloween II is all over the place and can’t seem to find its footing. Zombie is trying for a more thoughtful take on the perspective of what makes a serial killer, as well as the repercussions of post-traumatic stress and its long-term psychological impact on friends and family. At the same time, the exploitative nature of certain scenes – Annie’s death has her totally naked and on the bathroom floor covered in blood – are so explicitly violent that it almost feels like there are two movies happening. It all builds to a hilariously awful climax that’s so OTT and exhausted by its “enlightened” ideas that when Laurie (in the lengthy director’s cut) is shot down by cops you’ll be applauding. But, it’s better than Halloween Ends. C–

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Halloween Ends (Badly)

By Frank Pittarese

Here’s what happens: Completely disregarding her emotional and mental state of the previous films — and despite the brutal murder of her daughter —  Laurie Strode is living a happy, pie-making suburban life in Haddonfield, with her Awful Granddaughter, Allyson. Meanwhile, troubled misfit Corey Cunningham encounters Michael Myers, and after some true nonsense happens, is lead down a dark (and muddled) path as Michael’s…apprentice? Amidst CW-style romance, shoddy internal continuity, and happenings that make Riverdale seem plausible, the filmmakers remember that Michael Myers is why we’re here, and quickly shoehorn him into a proactive role in the final act for a showdown with Laurie. Nothing makes sense. The end.

This long review will be FULL OF SPOILERS; there’s no way around it. Scroll on, if you like. Or, for your spoiler-free pleasure: Grade D-

I have conflicted feelings about Halloween (2018) and Halloween Kills, but taken on their own merits — which itself takes an effort — they’re decent, fine-for-a-thrill movies. Halloween Ends, taken on its own merits, is a disaster. Undoing whatever good will they’ve established in the previous two movies, director David Gordon Green and his too-large-to-function writing team have spun a story that plays out like a cinematic head injury. Things don’t track from the previous films, which is bad enough, but the body of this movie itself is, largely, incoherent.

The previous two entries in this cycle firmly established certain things:

-Laurie, irreparably traumatized, was obsessed with the idea of Michael Myers, to the point of living in a homemade, booby-trapped, armed fortress.

-The town of Haddonfield was still mourning the deaths of four (FOUR) people, some forty years prior.

-Michael’s return to Haddonfield was the fault of his evil doctor.

-The more Michael kills, the stronger he gets.

-Michael killed people with a personal connection to Laurie: Chief Brackett, Tommy Doyle, her son-in-law, Ray, and, ultimately, Laurie’s own daughter, Karen. Michael also slaughtered at least thirty people in 2018, including an entire fire brigade and a massive number of average citizens.

Those aren’t things I’ve fan-wanked. Those are things the creators TOLD us and SHOWED us.

So what does Halloween Ends do? It’s says “Fuck that. Fuck ALL of that!” In this one…

-Laurie, despite the death of her own daughter and friends, is happily living a trauma-free life, literally carving out Halloween pumpkins to celebrate the holiday. HALLOWEEN PUMPKINS. On the anniversary of her loved one’s murders. For 40 years, Michael sat in prison and this woman built herself a high-security, weaponized hideout. Now, she knows he’s on the loose and she’s baking pies. This is not a fake-out. There’s no secret armory in the basement. Her daughter died, Mike’s in the wind, and after some lip service about “therapy,” Laurie has, in this reboot series, been rebooted, herself.

-Haddonfield mourned Michael’s handful of victims from 1978, but the thirty from 2018? Firefighters torn to shreds? Eh, it’s been four years. Never mind them. Life is back to normal. Let’s dance.

-Laurie, for some reason, is blamed by the general public and by her own Awful Granddaughter for Michael’s 2018 return, DESPITE EVERYONE KNOWING IT WAS HIS EVIL DOCTOR — including Awful Granddaughter, whom said evil doctor trapped with Michael in the back of a police car. But sure…blame Laurie.

-Michael, despite slaying an entire mob of people with superhuman strength at the end of Halloween Kills, is now weak and feeble. Homeboy is living Pennywise-style in the Haddonfield sewers. But they TOLD us in the previous movie that killing makes him stronger. That’s what we SAW. He should be fine. He should be ROBUST. But the creators are stupid and/or lazy. They need Michael weak to boost Corey Cunningham’s storyline.

Oy…Corey Cunningham…

Corey is a poor soul who, in a 2019 cold-open, accidentally killed the obnoxious kid he was babysitting. Corey encounters Michael Myers in his sewer hideaway (long story), and when Michael tries to strangle Corey, Myers apparently sees into Corey’s mind, witnesses his memories, and lets him go! But Corey is changed. Corey is now (psychically?) “infected” by evil. Seemingly now-channeling Michael, he wanders through town in a scarecrow mask, killing bullies and/or anyone else he encounters. At one point, he even brings Michael a victim, like Slasher Seamless. Later, Corey beats up Michael(!) and steals HIS mask(!!) before running off to kill Laurie(!!!). This is enough for Michael to remember that he’s in this story, and he just shows up out of nowhere to fight Laurie himself.

(BTW, Corey is dating Laurie’s Awful Granddaughter, who is one of the worst characters in the entire franchise. I’d sit through yet another sequel if it meant seeing her get eaten by alligators.)

It’s just…it’s a vomit of randomness. It plods on for two hours with no focus at all; or rather, a misplaced focus. There’s no atmosphere or tension. There’s no POINT except for some psychobabble about evil-as-contagion. It’s like when you get hired for a job and say, “Yeah, I know Excel.” But you don’t know Excel, so you fake it till you can learn it. That’s what the writing on this movie is like. They fake it, but they never learn it.

This could and should have been a straightforward Laurie vs. Michael story. After what happened, it’s only natural that Laurie would want revenge. (The Extended Cut of Halloween Kills literally ends with Laurie storming out of the hospital and saying, “I’m coming, Michael,” but I guess she ran out of gas). Plus, Lindsey Wallace, played by a returning Kyle Richards, is RIGHT THERE, with a personal investment, but she has maybe ten lines, total. Imagine Laurie and Lindsey, two strong women, legit survivors of “The Night HE Came Home,” hunting down the guy that so horrifically impacted their lives… That’s all the story we want. That’s all the story we NEED.

But nope. We’ve got Brady Bunch Laurie, a Mini-Me Michael, some hullaballoo about “evil infections” in a film that feels like it was directed by eight people and written round-robin-style on a drunken road trip. “You write a scene, and YOU write a scene, and YOU write a scene!!” They were so busy circle-jerking that Michael actually only kills three people himself in the whole, two-hour movie. Three. And there’s STILL no sign of Ben Tramer.

The positives are sparse. The cold open makes a fun, gruesome short story. Rohan Campbell’s Corey is very endearing and likable (before they ruin him with that dumb mind-link). The fact that it’s so astonishingly messy almost makes it watchable. My investment in the Halloween franchise is low (Friday the 13th is my jam), and at least this was better than the terrible Halloween: Resurrection, and there are a few decently gory kills. And the “ends” part of Halloween Ends is accurate. It does feel like it’s legitimately over. Oh, they’ll make five more in my lifetime, no doubt, but unless there’s another retcon, we DO get closure.

But for actual closure, in a well-told, logical story, watch H20. It outshines Ends by miles.

Final thoughts: This movie is the end of a 40-year-old narrative, the conclusion to Laurie’s traumatic struggle which David Gordon Green repeatedly underscored in his own first two films. He had a creative obligation to the fans here. It’s not some five-year-old trilogy that he created (in that case, go ahead, dude, do as you please). Tell the story, finish the story, but don’t abandon the story — which is exactly what he did. Narratives have structure. Objectively, editorially, he failed. As a conclusion to a trilogy, as a wrap-up to events HE put forth, he failed. No matter how enjoyable some people are finding this film (and hooray to those who like it; I’m happy for you), Green just plain dropped the ball by being self-indulgent.

Grade (and thanks for reading if you got this far): D–

But it’s so, sooooo dancing on the edge of an F.

Frank Pittarese is a long-time comic book editor and Brooklyn native. You can follow him on Instagram and Twitter.

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Horror Movie Alternatives for Halloween Night

If you’re not in the mood for Michael Myers or paranormal activities this Halloween you might want to check out these equally creepy flicks that’ll make your holiday night just as heart-pumping. With the help of my friends and fellow horror nerds, Frank Pittarese and Aaron Reid, I’ve compiled a list of horror movie alternatives for your All Hallow’s Eve viewing pleasure!

Bad Ronald (1974) Ronald Wilby, teen misfit and social pariah, accidentally kills a young girl — so his overprotective mother (Kim Hunter) hides him in a secret room in their home. But when his mother dies, a new family moves into the house, unaware that an unhinged Ronald lurks within their walls. This made-for-TV thriller is one of my all-time favorites. They pack a lot into the 74 minute running time, giving Ronald a whole arc — from loser to lunatic — and we almost get two movies in one: the Ronald/Mom story, then the Ronald/Wood Family story. There’s a constant, underlying eerie discomfort in watching Ronald grow into a dangerous stalker, and Scott Jacoby runs the gamut from pitiful to creepy. You almost feel for the little weirdo. The climax is a bit abrupt, like they were holding back from doing something intense, but that (aside from an unintentionally comedic death) is my only minor gripe. -Frank Pittarese

Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell (1978) After their dog dies in an “accident,” the Barry family adopts a German Shepard puppy. What they don’t know is that the pup was bred by Satan himself, as a demonic creature, which soon takes possession of the family, starting with the children. This made-for-TV horror flick is most memorable for the kids. Co-stars Kim Richards (yep, the one from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills) and Ike Eisenmann shared the big screen together twice before in Disney’s Escape/Return to Witch Mountain. Here, the wholesome pair head into new territory, becoming a couple of evil brats. Richard Crenna stars as their dad, forced to believe the unbelievable after the Satanic dog starts killing people (and after his wife starts slutting it up with Cliff Barnes from Dallas). While slow-paced, and suffering from some terrible special effects, this one is still enjoyable, if not thrilling. As a kid, the dog’s demonic form actually scared me, but I was a pushover like that. -FP

Drag Me to Hell (2009) “A dark spirit has come upon you.” Christine aspires to get the Assistant Manager promotion at the bank and is willing to make difficult choices to get her coveted job, including foreclosing on an elderly woman rather than granting one more extension. She soon regrets her heartless handling of the matter when she finds herself cursed. Inexplicable omens and visions of demons torment her until there is no denying she’s hexed. I decided to rewatch the unrated director’s cut of this cursed affair – the additional gore and extended scenes enhanced an already worthy horror. The impressive cast, creepy score, and beautiful cinematography amount to a classic story with personality. The pacing is flawless right up until the shocking ending. As Christine learns, be careful who you wrong in life because you just might be dragged to… Well, you know. “You will burn in Hell.” -Aaron Reid

Ghost Ship (2002) “We’re not the first people to board this ship.” A salvage crew discovers the lost MS Antonia Graza at sea, a mysterious luxury vessel that’s been missing for forty years. They board the ship to claim the riches inside, but the ghosts haunting this deadly cruise liner have other plans for their guests. I rewatched this haunted movie and returned to the ill-fated cruise ship for its final voyage. The opening sequence detailing what happened to the doomed passengers is still one of the most memorable and horrific scenes, to say the least. This haunted movie has an impressive ensemble cast coupled with creepy moments and a complicated storyline, making this horror a worthy rewatch contender, especially in October. The cliffhanger ending is a nice touch, wrapping up this haunting with a wink. If you‘ve never watched or it’s been a while, add this one to your list.  “We’re all trapped here.” -AR

Hell Night (1981) One of the better ’80s slashers, this creepy nightmare features Linda Blair as a new sorority pledge who along with a fellow pledge sister (Suki Goodwin), a horny frat hunk (Vincent Van Patton), and a frat gentleman (Peter Barton), are forced to spend the night in old Garth Manor, a gothic, abandoned mansion that is rumored to be haunted. The ghosts are tricks played on them by their school chums, but the murders are very real and the product of a deformed ancestor who still calls the manor home. Likable characters, a moody, Halloween-costume atmosphere, and some actual suspense make this terrific nighttime viewing. -Matt Dalton

House of Dark Shadows (1970) The first movie adaptation of the classic TV series, Dark Shadows, this is essentially a retelling one of the show’s most popular plots, that of 200-year-old vampire, Barnabas Collins (Jonathan Frid), as he awakens within his coffin in modern day Collinsport, Maine, and feasts on the blood of his living relatives. This is a crisp, handsome production with excellent acting from Frid and the rest of the Dark Shadows ensemble, including cast regulars Nancy Barrett and Joan Bennett. It also happens to be one of the most effective vampire flicks of the ’70s. -MD

The Norliss Tapes (1973) Roy Thinnes stars as David Norliss, an occult investigator, called into action by Ellen Cort (Angie Dickenson), who was attacked in the night by her walking dead husband. As the body count rises, it becomes apparent that there’s a sinister secret behind James Cort’s resurrection — something demonic. Made for TV, this Dan Curtis production feels a whole lot like The Night Stalker, Curtis’s very successful pilot film that aired the previous year. That movie got a sequel and a TV series. The Norliss Tapes did not. But the structure is the same. We have a supernatural creature, an investigation, occasional cutaways to some poor soul getting murdered, and an overarching narration from the lead character. In this case, the narration comes from tapes, recorded by Norliss. Had this gone to series, that would have been the monster-of-the-week format. Unlike The Night Stalker, this is mostly humorless, and the opening ten minutes that set up the “tapes” premise is incredibly dull. But from then on, turn off the lights and soak it in, because this is Dan Curtis doing what he does best: death, crypts, and shock-value storytelling. -FP

Session 9 (2001) Although it doesn’t contain the typical horror movie tropes or slasher cliches, Session 9 is so unnerving and suspenseful that it’ll keep you on the edge of your seat while you down your popcorn and candy corn. Taking place almost entirely within the walls of a former sanitarium, the film follows a small asbestos removal team as they try to clean the place before the week is over. Tensions builds among the coworkers as personalities butt and ulterior motives are brought to light. Although its paranoia subplot seems to have been borrowed from The Thing, this is a smart movie with interesting characters and an overwhelmingly bleak environment that adds to the plot’s intensity. It all leads to a genuinely disturbing ending. -MD

Sleepy Hollow (1999) Tim Burton’s atmosphere-drenched adaptation of the famous Washington Irving story was a return to form for the director after the lunacy of Mars Attacks! with a perfectly cast Johnny Depp as the nervous Ichabod Crane who’s sent to the small village of the title to investigate a series of bizarre murders. The chilly, woodsy setting along with the visually rich set decorations of jack-o-lanterns, scarecrows, and the Headless Horseman ring true for a dazzling Halloween viewing. -MD

Frank Pittarese has been an editor of comic books for 30 years. You can follow him on Instagram and Twitter. A Massachusetts native, Aaron Reid is also on Instagram and writes movie reviews for Letterboxd.

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The Halloween Movies Ranked

Since October 31st is right around the corner I decided I would go through the entire Halloween franchise one film at a time and discuss what I love (and dislike) about each film. Since I’m not a fan of “best of” lists (isn’t it all just a matter of opinion?) I will be ranking the movies in order from my least to most personal favorite. *This post contains spoilers so if you haven’t seen all of these films please read no further!*

9. Halloween: Resurrection – 2002

What can I say about Resurrection besides that it’s a massive misstep in the entire series? It took what Halloween: H20 created and dashed it to pieces in an opening that actually sees Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) getting killed by Michael Myers, who was beheaded at the end of H20! The movie concocts an unbelievable excuse for Michael’s survival and from there only digs itself deeper into retcon purgatory.

8. Rob Zombie’s Halloween and Halloween II – 2007-09

There are plenty of fans of Zombie’s Halloween twosome out there, and while I do enjoy some of what he created with his “revisioning” of John Carpenter’s material, I think his biggest mistake was in writing a needless backstory involving a young Michael Myers and his cartoonish hillbilly family. This is something that would eventually become a trademark of Zombie’s. This information on Michael’s childhood turns the character into more of an Ed Gein-type of simpleton than the killing mastermind we’ve come to love.

Scout Taylor-Compton is also no Jamie Lee, and while I’m not trying to compare the actresses, Taylor-Compton doesn’t seem to have the chops to handle a character as beloved as Laurie. But, to be honest, who does? That question is answered by Curtis’s return to the role. She IS the only Laurie.

7. Halloween – 2018

Curtis’s return to her star-making role was one of the biggest deals in recent cinema history, which equalled massive box-office when this reboot opened two years ago. The result? Fans seems to love it. I felt, and still feel, indifferent towards it. I love the idea of Laurie Strode returning to kick some Myers ass, yet I felt the character had turned into too much of a hardened Linda Hamilton/Sarah Conner type. After a few repeat viewings I got over my initial dislike of Laurie’s personality changes and somewhat enjoyed the film for what it was – but the subplot involving Michael’s new doctor (Haluk Bilginer) is completely useless.

But every time I watch this Halloween For A New Generation I feel like something is missing. I find the fact the filmmakers decided to ignore Halloween II a bit annoying and pretentious – Laurie and Michael will always be siblings to me – but I think what really bothers me is the lack of respect for the subject matter. This doesn’t feel like a genuine Halloween movie but a hallow replica. Albeit a good-looking and entertaining one.

6. Halloween: 20 Years Later – 1998

Just like with 2018’s Halloween reboot, there was buzz about Jamie Lee returning to the role of Laurie Strode for H20. But unlike the reboot, H20 feels like it’s having more fun with the character. While it does ignore the events of Halloween 4 and 5 this does give credence to Laurie’s secret life as Keri Tate after her encounter with brother, Michael Myers, in 1978. There’s also a nicely-written relationship with her son (Josh Harnett) that seems genuine.

Although H20 often feels like it was inspired more by the then-popularity of the Scream movies than Halloween – John Ottman’s original score was rejected and Marco Beltrami’s music from both Scream and Scream 2 were added to the soundtrack – H20 is a harmless and fun series entry that never overstays its welcome.

5. Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers – 1995

Let’s be honest: Curse of Michael Myers is not a popular title in the franchise. It’s dreary, inconsistent, and a little too ambitious for its own good. Yet, the flick attains a certain, bizarre charm throughout. It also brings back a character from the original film, Tommy Doyle (played by then unknown Paul Rudd), and pays respect to the first film as well as the continuing mythology of Halloweens 4 and 5.

This storyline might not be the most popular – it’s even borderline X-Files inspired! – but I have more respect for filmmakers who appreciate and work with pre-existing plots and characters than those who disregard previous films by ignoring important story structure and retcon the situation to their desire.

4. Halloween II – 1981

A worthy sequel to Carpenter’s classic, this is finally getting the recognition it deserves as a mini-classic of its own. The hospital environment works wonderfully and gives the film its own personality and creepy atmosphere.

Donald Pleasance’s Dr. Loomis is given more to do and the backstory we come learn of Michael’s and Laurie’s sibling relationship works well and even gives the movie a mythological feel. Check out the 2008 Norwegian slasher sequel, Cold Prey 2, which is a spirited homage to Halloween II.

3. Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers and Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers – 1988-89

I’ve always been a fan of the Jamie Lloyd saga. Maybe because I’m a child of the VHS boom of the late ’80s and watched Halloween 4 a lot and have grown an attachment to it. I also think Halloween 4 is a terrific return to form for Michael Myers and smartly avoids sensationalism in favor of suspense and good characterization. Both Jamie (played by Danielle Harris) and her stepsister, Rachel (Ellie Cornell), are rich, complex characters but most importantly they are likable and you want to see them survive.

Halloween 5, a brash, exciting, and off-the-wall extension of 4, deserves credit for not being a carbon copy of 4 but also by being daring and going places you wouldn’t think it would go. Harris as Jamie also gives one of the strongest performances by a child in any horror film.

2. Halloween III: Season of the Witch – 1982

I’m probably going out on a limb here (and sawing it off) by saying Halloween III is my favorite of the sequels. I know in some circles that’s considered blasphemy, but I’ve always found Season of the Witch to be a terrifically fun and energetic piece of genre filmmaking that reminds me of the cheerfully cheesy anthology films of the ’60s and ’70s.

Fans were PO’d when III was released in ’82 and did not feature their favorite mask-wearing slasher. But I think the decision to take a break from the Myers universe and tell a separate supernatural Halloween tale was smart. Though they should have left the Halloween title off, Season of the Witch is clever, creepy, and at most times feels like a live-action comic book.

1. Halloween – 1978

I guess it’s predictable that my favorite of the series is the original, trendsetting masterpiece from John Carpenter. There isn’t much to say about this film that hasn’t already been said. I’ll just say that the film is pretty much perfect thanks to Carpenter’s eye for sustained suspense and the way the film builds to incredible moments of tension.

Why the film really works is the wonderful structure of the screenplay and the characters. Laurie and gang feel like real people we’d want to hang out with, which adds to the horror of placing them in danger.

The biggest mistake a lot of Halloween imitators made (and still do) is the lack of any sympathetic central figures, which has become one of my biggest issues with most horror films in general. Why bother watching a bunch of people you just want to see killed off in the first five minutes? There’s no investment/involvement in their lives, which doesn’t equal any suspense, and as Hitchcock said, it’s not in the moment BUT in the build-up that’s the point!

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egVK5X0BjA8