Halloween

John Carpenter’s Halloween (1978) unspools a nightmarish odyssey through the suburban streets of Haddonfield, Illinois, as escaped psychotic killer Michael Myers stalks his teenage niece Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) on the cursed anniversary of his sister’s murder. With a minimalist, chugging score and a claustrophobic lens, Carpenter crafts a tense, atmospheric portrait of a killer’s relentless return, punctuated by bursts of visceral violence and Laurie’s desperate, dwindling hope for survival.