The night he came home - and changed horror forever. Director, co-writer and composer John Carpenter (The Thing) cemented his status as a master of suspense with 1978's Halloween, a landmark of modern horror that ignited the slasher craze of the 1980s and continues to haunt audiences almost half a century later. Fifteen years after committing a brutal murder as a mere child, Michael Myers - a ghostly, masked figure of irredeemable evil - escapes from captivity and returns to his hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois. There, shy teenager Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis, Everything Everywhere All at Once) finds her babysitting gig turning into a relentless nightmare. As Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasence, Phenomena), the killer's obsessed psychiatrist, races to stop Myers, Halloween night descends into a desperate fight for survival. With haunting widescreen compositions by cinematographer Dean Cundey (Jurassic Park) and an unforgettable score, Carpenter transforms quiet suburban streets into an ominous labyrinth of shadows. A masterpiece of atmosphere and primal simplicity, Halloween remains essential viewing for any serious horror fan.
