‘Halloween’, the birth of Michael Myers and Jamie Lee Curtis’s career kickstarter, turns 45 years old

John Carpenter’s ‘Halloween’ is another of those must-see films for fans of the horror slasher genre, since it saw the birth of Michael Myers, catapulted Jamie Lee Curtis to Stardom as the greatest final girl in cinema history, and it put its director in the eye of large companies to make horror films.

With various timelines and only one that is canon, this saga of 13 films, began with a fairly direct premise, which was expanded over time, to be a franchise recognized throughout the world, with a prominent Michael Myers as a pop culture character.

“On a cold Halloween night in 1963, six-year-old Michael Myers brutally murdered his 17-year-old sister, Judith. He was sentenced and locked away for 15 years. But on October 30, 1978, while being transferred for a court date, a 21-year-old Michael Myers steals a car and escapes Smith’s Grove. He returns to his quiet hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois, where he looks for his next victims.,” says its official synopsis.

The birth of evil

With an initial scene that knocks out any type of viewer due to how well filmed and detailed it is., the entire film takes place in a small town called Haddonfield, in which Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), a young teenager and student, is stalked at all times by the returned Michael Myers, a character who seeks to return to what was his home until the final meeting, where evil seeks to express all its anger against whoever crosses its path.

Why does everything work? Despite the simplicity of its synopsis, the development of the story, without further explanations or a background in its characters, about which little is known. Everything focuses on what is happening at that moment, that the terrifying Michael Myers stalks a young woman, and her doctor at the psychiatric hospital, Sam Loomis, searches for him with great impetus, something that will explode in the final moments of the film.

That narrative works very well with his photography, which is mixed with the direction of John Carpenter to achieve something completely unique at the time and that few can emulate in 2023. In addition, the use of the hand-held camera and the long takes that are completely intense make the shots enhance the characters.

Without commenting on everything that happens in the development of the film, especially its climax, we must highlight various images that became cult, totally indelible for its fans.

Full screen

Timelines of the ‘Halloween’ saga

Depending on what you want to see post ‘Halloween’ from 1978, there are various timelines to continue getting to know Michael Myers, Laurie Strode, among other characters in this saga of terror.

‘Halloween’ Sam Loomis saga:

Standalone Halloween:

Halloween 20 year saga:

Rob Zombie remake series:

‘Halloween’ canon series: