Before slasher films got a little ridiculous, John Carpenter's
Halloween could still trace a through-line to
Psycho. Despite the sequels and imitators it wrought, the original has relatively little blood and gore. What is does have is a creepy kid turned psycho killer who will oh-so-slowly walk after you with a big freaking knife. There are definitely some significant jump-scares in this one--a memorably placed blond comes to mind--but they are all earned through the masterful ratcheting of suspense that begins with the opening murder and doesn't relent until Jamie Lee Curtis is the final girl standing. I also like that a psychiatrist is a (to be sure, somewhat ineffectual) action hero. Go Dr. Loomis!
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