Halloween 1978

Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader: John Carpenter's 1978 tour de force, perhaps the most widely imitated film of the 70s. Read more

Ron Pennington, Hollywood Reporter: Carpenter obviously knows the genre well and he builds a properly terrifying atmosphere through his well-paced direction. It's an effective entry for its intended market. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: Halloween remains untouched -- a modern classic of the most horrific kind. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: Halloween is an absolutely merciless thriller, a movie so violent and scary that, yes, I would compare it to Psycho. Read more

Tom Milne, Time Out: Perhaps not quite so resonant as Psycho to which it pays due homage, but it breathes the same air. Read more

Variety Staff, Variety: After a promising opening, Halloween becomes just another maniac-on-the-loose suspenser. Read more

Gary Arnold, Washington Post: Since there is precious little character or plot development to pass the time between stalking sequences, one tends to wish the killer would get on with it. Read more