--- title: "Halloween: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/halloween/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/halloween" critics_score: 80 critics_reviews: 16 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Halloween (1978): what the critics said Critics' score 80 from 16 reviews: 13 positive, 2 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics regard Halloween as a highly effective horror film whose influence rests on precise, economical filmmaking. Praise centres on John Carpenter’s control of suspense, particularly the point-of-view shots, widescreen framing and patient stalking sequences that make ordinary domestic spaces threatening. His minimalist score is another consistent source of admiration, while several reviews credit implication rather than gore with sustaining the dread. Jamie Lee Curtis’s performance also earns praise, though the direction attracts the strongest agreement. The spread is wide despite the strongly positive majority. Reservations concern the familiar maniac-on-the-loose story, limited characterisation and whether familiarity with the film’s methods has reduced their power to frighten. Collider finds the reputation disproportionate to the experience, citing slow pacing and unconvincing performances while acknowledging effective suspense. The Times offers the sharpest dissent, arguing that Carpenter sometimes loses control of chilling situations and produces horror-comic effects instead of shocks. ## Radio Times — Alan Jones Rating 5/5. The critic calls it a simple but horribly effective low-budget suburban horror that practically patented the slasher genre and launched Jamie Lee Curtis as a scream queen. It singles out the expertly plotted structure that builds from broad daylight to bloody crescendos, along with Carpenter’s own pulsating score that keeps the power to grip and jolt undiminished. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-z276ts/halloween/) ## Time Out — Tom Huddleston Rating 5/5. 21 September 2024. The review celebrates the film as the genre-spawning slasher that remains a harrowing ride and the blueprint for the entire subgenre. It singles out Carpenter’s taut direction, economical storytelling, innovative use of the frame and Steadicam POV shots, and the ordinary domestic setting that makes the terror intimate and effective. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/halloween) ## Empire — Adam Smith Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The critic hails the film as a ruthless, elegant thrill machine that changed horror cinema and ranks it among the most important entries in the genre after Frankenstein. They single out the innovative use of point-of-view shots, widescreen compositions, and Carpenter's synth score for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/empire-essay-halloween-review/) ## Sight and Sound — Richard Combs Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 23 October 2024. The critic hails the film as one of cinema’s most perfectly engineered devices for delivering scares, an emotional rather than intellectual experience that illustrates Carpenter’s philosophy of audience involvement. It singles out the director’s virtuoso, self-conscious style of manipulation, particularly the prolonged subjective tracking shots and elegant compositions that heighten anticipation without psychological or sociological pretensions. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/everyones-entitled-one-good-scare-halloween-reviewed-1979) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 28 October 2012. John Carpenter's 1978 film is the ultimate refined slasher movie, spawned by Hitchcock's Psycho. The director highlights its virtuoso opening shot, low-budget ingenuity, eerie score by Carpenter himself, and striking cinematography by Dean Cundey. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/oct/28/halloween-film-review-john-carpenter) ## The New York Times — Jason Zinoman Rating Critic’s Pick. 17 October 2018. The review positions the original Halloween as a relentlessly terrifying masterpiece and experimental art film that has aged exceptionally well due to its bare-bones approach. It singles out the precision and timing of the chilling chase scenes as evidence of Carpenter's understanding of resonant scariness. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/17/movies/halloween-1978-review.html) ## Slant Magazine — Eric Henderson Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 7 October 2013. The review praises the film as a singular, influential work whose simplicity and skill in orchestrating frights set it apart, positioning Carpenter as a poet of violent intent through masterful direction and score. It highlights the film's use of implication over gore and its clean, efficient blueprint for the genre. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/halloween/) ## RogerEbert.com — Jim Emerson Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 14 December 2012. The post highlights how John Carpenter's Halloween succeeds through precise, meaningful framing and visual storytelling rather than conventional narrative elements. It praises the film's power derived almost entirely from its imagery and direction while noting the script's attempt at cosmic-evil explanation as its least satisfying aspect. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/scanners/the-real-halloween) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Ron Pennington Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 1 November 2014. The critic finds the film tense and frightening, an effective horror entry that builds a properly terrifying atmosphere through well-paced direction. Carpenter avoids excessive blood and gore, heightening the effect through implication, with strong performances especially from Jamie Lee Curtis. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/halloween-1978-film-review-745577/) ## Variety — Variety Staff Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1977. The review finds that after a promising opening Halloween settles into a standard maniac-on-the-loose story, yet director John Carpenter times the gore effectively to deliver thrills throughout the 93-minute runtime. It notes the predictable conclusion and Hitchcockian influences but credits the pacing for sustaining interest. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1977/film/reviews/halloween-1200424245/) ## The Times — Patrick Gibbs Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 9 February 1979. The reviewer expresses disappointment with Carpenter's horror thriller despite its economical scale and strong earlier films. Control of chilling situations is sometimes lost, leading to horror-comic effects rather than real shocks. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/article/from-the-archive-a-woman-preys-on-her-past-d5v2z8qsc) ## Den of Geek — Claire Donner Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 23 November 2012. The review praises Carpenter's classic as a potent examination of inexplicable evil in ordinary settings, especially resonant during economic turmoil. It singles out the film's portrayal of Michael Myers as an unstoppable, arbitrary force of pure evil for particular note. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/halloween-1979-lookbackreview/) ## Paste — Jim Vorel Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 20 September 2019. The critic calls Halloween the definitive slasher and a masterwork that has aged sublimely, crediting it with launching the genre's wave of imitators. He singles out John Carpenter's potent vision, iconic score, and stalking techniques for creating profound dread with minimal elements. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/horror-movies/best-horror-movie-of-1978-halloween-john-carpenter) ## Eye for Film — Gator MacReady Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 8 November 2001. The critic notes that Halloween made its mark as the original slasher movie and was once terrifying due to its senseless killings, but has lost some power over time as audiences grew familiar with the genre. It praises the anamorphic widescreen photography, POV camerawork, and calls it a landmark film that will always remain a classic. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/halloween-film-review-by-gator-macready) ## The Playlist — Julia Teti Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 28 October 2018. The piece highlights how Halloween paved the way for future slasher films by popularizing tropes without overdoing them and creating a lasting impact through its formula. It singles out the minimalist score by Carpenter as a major enduring component that sticks with audiences. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/john-carpenter-halloween-classic-20181028/) ## Collider — William Fischer Rating C+. 31 October 2022. The critic finds the 1978 original underwhelming relative to its legacy, with strong suspense moments undermined by unconvincing performances, slow pacing, and a thinly drawn villain. He praises the effective point-of-view camerawork paired with Carpenter's score for building Michael's presence. [Read the review](https://collider.com/halloween-1978-review-john-carpenter-jamie-lee-curtis/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/halloween.md