Yes, but what always made no sense was Laurie seeing The Shape stalking her after school and then shutting down Tommy later on it when he told her that he saw the Boogeyman outside. She quickly forgot about being stalked just a few hours prior.
@@ccjjpp1966 That's easily explained. Tommy was a child on Halloween night, probably with an overactive imagination. This is most likely what she thought. There's no way she would have connected what Tommy "thought" he saw..according to her, and the strange man following her around. She was probably having trouble trying to understand what was happening to her. Although she instinctively seemed to 'know" something was wrong, she couldn't have realized just how much danger she was in until she was attacked by that same man. This man must have been responsible for what she had just seen only moments before. Not until she hit the floor after her fall did she REALLY know what was happening. I LOVE how quickly she went into a defensive posture, not wasting even a second of time. Classic!
@@justinjanicki6561 She obviously didn't believe him. Why would she? After all, he's child on Halloween night, watching a scary movie. Is she going to take him seriously and call the police? Of course not! How could she possibly think what he saw (or didn't see, in her mind) was the same man that's been following her around? She probably wasn't even sure what that was about. SOMETHING was up, but she more than likely wasn't exactly sure what aside from being a bit worried. Remember, it's 1978 in a suburban neighborhood. People were different then, trusting and much more gullible. The serial murderers of that period had no trouble convincing most of their victims to go with them for that very reason, unfortunately.
This scene is so well conceived and shot, masterful. Gives sense of the era and the community while maintaining the feeling of horror to come. John Carpenter's finest work!
True I love the steady cam it just makes it perfect and suspenseful. My only complaint would be the change in weather from when they first leave school and when they cross the road a few minutes later. Then again since it had to be filmed in a matter of weeks on a low budget I will forgive them
What makes the film so real is that Carpenter holds a single shot and lets the scene develop in front of it. Like here, from 0:13 to 0:54 it is a single perspective. No fast cut editing. No changing perspectives every 2 seconds. When you talk to someone, you have a single perspective. This just shows that it doesn't take much to be a director these days, and the audiences don't have any alternatives to the fast cut editing that "directors" think people want. Yet their films will never have the life of Halloween.
I was around at the time - the speed limit on highways nation wide had just been lowered to 55 mph. The Carter administration considered it necessary to conserve energy. The slogan of "Speed Kills" went with it and it was all over the place. I doubt it was a drug reference in this case.
Her peers secretly try to bait her into coming into a popular event, Red flag alert and Was attempt to invite a nerd into a popular event but Their motive was not to invite her to be apart of the party.
I don’t understand why not though. Given this was made on a shoestring. I think it’s because audience IQs have dropped dramatically since 1978 and filmmakers are more obsessed with telling and not showing. It’s similar to films made in the 30s through to the end of the 50s. A lot of the noir films did so little and conveyed so much. It’s a lost art but it’s not impossible to resurrect imo
Its cause now a days people are lazy and just want to cgi everything if they used more actors and make up artist they could make the movies have a better feel to it. Thats why the 70's ans 80's horror movies were the best cause movies now a days have to much cgi and make it feel weak.
This scene is really soothing to me, I just like their friendship dynamic and the environment is really nice, it reminds me of when I was in high school, simple times.
When horror used to be about great build up, tension, fear and pure dread. The kind that use to leave with chills down your back within minutes. Not about excessive, over the top bloody gore, constant jumpscares and loud jolting sounds. God I miss classic horror. Why I appreciate directors like Jordan Peele, Mike Flanagan and Robert Eggers. They appreciate real horror.
Most horror from this era was the same kind of complete garbage you just described. It's just forgotten now. Horror wasn't better back then, you're just looking only at the critically acclaimed classics and assuming it was all like that. In reality, for every 1 movie of "Halloween" quality from the '70s, there are 20 "Slaughter Hotel"s.
@@amityislandchum you can say horror movies back in the day had lots of over the top gore but nearly none didn't have all the stupid jump scares and loud noise as of today trash horror also why is it so damn dark you can't see most of the killings
In the book it says and I quote: “She was also known for trendy phrases, which she used to exhaustion for a month, then dropped from her vocabulary forever, to everyone's relief. In July the word was weird; in August it was gross; In September, she was calling everyone “Jack”. The October word was totally.”
I like how subdued Laurie's reaction to seeing Michael by the bush. Like, she's obviously unsettled, but she still looks calm and composed, as if she's trying to rationalize in her head what's going instead of immediately panicking. It makes sense given her character and the fact that this happens very early in the movie before shit really hits the fan.
@@beardedbaldie2698 yes, they do; very beautiful indeed, especially the area around CalTech University. Can personally vouch for it. So much shade, so many oak trees.
@@itachiuchiha1714 Exactly. It’s so unfair. Americans are so lucky. The UK has beautiful countryside and villages, but our city suburbs are drab, grey, ugly and full of rows and rows of terraced housing, or a semi if you’re lucky!
Expertly shot - what a master at building tension, John Carpenter is....and that bit with Michael behind the bush, then disappearing is genius and gets us wondering is this man real or supernatural- he disappears into thin air. One of my top 3 horrors.
Saw this in a movie theatre in Israel in 1980 with my best friend. In English with Hebrew subtitles. The Israeli audience went bananas at the jump scares. Total classic. Never gets old.
This was actually South Pasadena in the spring of 1978. That part of town has more trees than Los Angeles proper. The fake falling leaves helped a lot in making it resemble a MidWestern suburb in the fall. 🍂 🍁
What a nice area and kinda looks back easty a bit love the trees and lawns that are stackEd higher with cement border and the lower sidewalk area. Seems to be a Cali thing. Pasedena really nice looking aon google maps as well.love this whole scene for the homes and the greenery🎃
The TV series of the same era as this movie, “Family” (which Kristy McNichol became a breakout star of as a teen, and Meredith Baxter Birney also starred in before “Family Ties”) was set in Pasadena and the exterior of the house they live in is in Pasadena. The street looks like it could be right around the corner from this scene.
It was filmed in California in the spring, so they had to paint leaves and scatter them around (then sweep them up) to try and make it look like fall in Illinois 😂
This scene, with the branches arching and stretching overhead like evil fingers reaching, that the girls are completely oblivious too, was inspired by the work of some French director who apparently influenced John Carpenter. And in the dialogue, Linda Kloch mentions she forgot her French book.
Michael just heard the word "Jerk" and thought he was going to get his pickle tickled for the first time in his life, which is why he stopped the car so abruptly, Fact.
I still get chills as they walk down the street past all the hedges even in broad daylight. When Laurie turns to look back over her shoulder and there's only the leaves being blown by the wind makes it even more scary for some reason...
@@leew1598 For real, I watched the 4K yesterday and the colorimetry is much darker, it fits the tone of the movie better and it’s truer to Carpenter vision. So watch it on 4K if you can
Their the best slasher movies Halloween and Friday the 13th were my favorites I like jason better than micheal but I like the Halloween characters better but both are horror legends.
3:27 it always kind of cracks me up thinking of Michael Myers hauling butt (undoubtedly looking like a complete dumbass) to get away so they won't see him when they look around the bush.
For 1978 this movie is one of the greatest horror movies ever not just for that year but for any year. I mean this shot is a panoramic shot it's like an entire shot of the scene and it's remarkable and chilling at the same time. This movie is the first slasher movie that did different things with the camera angle and make the viewer interest in the whole movie from start to finish
Loved the suburban setting, so much more plausible than a haunted castle movie. You can sort of tell this was shot in May not October from the trees but never mind.
Actually, that was Alfred Hitchcock. Still, John Carpenter was definitely a contender. If it hadn't been for the existence of "Psycho" (most ripped off shower scene in movie history), there would have been no "Halloween".
IMO this scene demonstrates how the Final Destination franchise owes much of its success to Halloween. The fact that the main character can see signs of death (in this instance Laurie with Michael Myers) before it happens while the others are completely oblivious until it's too late.
Annie and Linda we're not even caring about who the stalker was the thought just went out of their heads like normal teenagers! But Laurie was the only one who was smart an aware that something wasn't right about this person because she was so viligent! She was very mature at 17!! That's why i like Halloween 1978!! ❤️
2 fun facts about this scene. 1. The smoke you see at 3:58 on the left side of the screen was John Carpenter's cigarette off camera. And 2. after they walk pass the hedge you can see a crew member stand up on the porch behind Laurie and Annie at 4:28...I'm a nerd when it comes to Halloween 🎃
it appears there are two people if you look closely, man with dark hair and black clothing is standing to the right of the guy in the white shirt. Nick Castle🤔
4:28 If you look even closer, Michael is standing next to him, wearing the iconic mask. Although this video is not the clearest. "But he's definitely there"
I actually think the young ladies in it are just average looking,back then it didn't matter so much what you looked like,like Christopher Reeves and Margot Kidder in superman,it was more about screen chemistry,nowadays everyone has to be at least an 8 out of 10.
I saw this a few times, with different people-- boy friend, the quartet i sang with, my best friend, etc . It's something that teenagers did , in a cold climate, in the 70s. The visuals were effective , but as a musician , it was the music that really got to me
4:28 The guy in the background stands up on the porch. And if you look even closer, Michael is standing on the porch next to him wearing the iconic mask.
Its funny how when it hits this time of year all I do is watch the Halloween movies! They're all so good I can't decide which is my favorite. Either the 1989 one or the 2018 one.
3:58 This fast plan really gave me the feelings that Michael's hands will reach out from behind the bush while Sandy is looking at Laurie, to choke her and kill her. I had chills for 2 seconds. Smart use of the reverse angle and the law of "Hiding is scarier than showing" And right after this scene, when the girls resume their walk, with the camera only showing what's behind her, not what's in front of her, you're a bit scared because you think Michael can jump in front of them and you AT ANY SECONDS. He appears only for 5 seconds, and that's enough for scaring you. BRILLIANT !
"So who cares, I always forget my chemistry book, and my math book, and my english book, and my...my french book. Who needs books anyway, I don't need books, I always forget all of my books. It doesn't really matter if you have your books or not
