History YMMV / Halloween1978

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: Even though Michael Myers came first, in the later sequels, he ends up seeming like a rip-off of [[Franchise/FridayThe13th Jason Voorhees]]. Also since all the cliches ''Halloween'' created (or in some cases popularized) have now become cliches they are no longer frightening or even brilliant to younger viewers.

** For years, people interpreted the film to have the message "don't have premarital sex or else a serial killer will get you." Both Creator/JohnCarpenter and Debra Hill were extremely annoyed at this interpretation.

* EvilIsSexy: When he's unmasked, Michael is played by the very handsome [[https://halloweenmovie.fandom.com/wiki/Tony_Moran Tony Moran]]. Naturally, [[KillItWithFire after being burned alive in the sequel]] and implicitly CoveredInScars, his face is never clearly seen again. The other timelines never give us a good look at his face either.

** Dr. Loomis' monologue to Sheriff Brackett on how he that he figured that over the years of interacting with Michael has lead him to believe that he is [[CompleteMonster pure evil]].

* EvilIsSexy: When he's unmasked, Michael is played by the very handsome [[https://halloweenmovie.fandom.com/wiki/Tony_Moran Tony Moran]]. Naturally, [[KillItWithFire after being burned alive in the sequel]] and implicitly CoveredInScars, his face is never clearly seen again.

* DracoInLeatherPants: Critics of the film's apparent DeathBySex message (which wasn't intended by John Carpenter or Debra Hill) paint Annie as a young woman who merely got punished for wanting to have premarital sex. While she most certainly didn't deserve to be killed by Michael, she was a straight-up AssholeVictim. She frequently mocked and belittled Laurie, betraying her trust and telling a boy she liked about the crush. She spent the time she was supposed to be watching Lindsey either on the phone or doing other things, and she was already intending to let Bob and Lynda use someone else's house she was trusted to watch to have sex. Then when her boyfriend calls to tell her he's suddenly available, she foists Lindsey onto Laurie across the street, and drives off to be with Paul - presumably again using the Wallace house to fool around. About the only decent thing she does in the film is give Laurie a lift to the Doyle's, and she was going that way anyway.

* FairForItsDay: Although the DeathBySex trope was codified here and slasher films became associated with only virginal girls surviving, Laurie becomes something of an ActionSurvivor as soon as the situation needs her to be instead of being useless. Notably despite being terrorized by seeing her friends' dead bodies, she's able to fight off Michael ''three times''. Although she's clearly scared, she doesn't fall apart and prepares to defend herself. She demonstrates that she'll do whatever she can to keep Tommy and Lindsey safe. Even if Loomis saves her from Michael the last time, ''he'' doesn't stop Michael either.

* NeverLiveItDown: People often point to the DeathBySex trope here, ignoring a few crucial details; Annie is not killed off simply for going to have sex. It's more that she's trusted to babysit a child and foists the girl onto her meek friend when she hears her boyfriend can fool around with her - and also promised Lynda and Bob they could use the Wallace house to have sex in. The latter two also have no problem sleeping together in someone else's house and bed (and they were under the impression the young daughter would be downstairs, too).

* FairForItsDay: Although the DeathBySex trope was codified here and slasher films became associated with only virginal girls surviving, Laurie is quite a feminist. Notably despite being terrorized by seeing her friends' dead bodies, she's able to fight off Michael ''three times''. Although she's clearly scared, she doesn't fall apart and prepares to defend herself. She demonstrates that she'll do whatever she can to keep Tommy and Lindsey safe. Even if Loomis saves her from Michael the last time, ''he'' doesn't stop Michael either.
* FirstInstallmentWins: While [[Film/HalloweenII1981 some]] [[Film/HalloweenIIISeasonOfTheWitch of]] [[Film/Halloween4TheReturnOfMichaelMyers the]] [[Film/HalloweenH20TwentyYearsLater seq]][[Film/Halloween2018 uels]] have their fans, ''Halloween'' is the one indisputed classic in the series, having codified an [[SlasherMovie entire film genre]] as well as having the highest scores on Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB and frequenting many best of lists.

* MandelaEffect: When the film came out, it gained a reputation for being a bloody splatterfest...despite having hardly any blood in it whatsoever. It simply scared audiences so much and its kills ''implied'' such horror (notably Bob's) that people believed it was bloodier than it really was.

* TearJerker: Always in small doses, but there are two obvious moments:

** In a way, Annie's death is kinda sad as we spend so much time with her in the film.

* SpecialEffectFailure: When Michael smashes one of Marion's car windows, he obviously has a wrench taped to his hand. The novelization says the wrench is meant to be there, as it was how Michael managed to escape the sanitarium.

* UnintentionallySympathetic: While this doesn't apply to Michael as an adult, to some his confused, almost catatonic state after killing his sister implies there was something genuinely unwell with him mentally as a child. The novelization also claims he was HearingVoices prior to this and that nobody saw the warning signs. There's also the fact that he spent the next 15 years in a psychiatric ward(the 70s wouldn't be the best era for mental health) which only further stunted his development and didn't help his inexplicable bloodlust. Because of this, some viewers argue Michael may not have become what he is if someone had picked up on what was wrong before it was too late.

** Michael's sister and her boyfriend apparently having the quickest "quickie" in history, lasting exactly as long as it takes Michael to grab a knife in the kitchen. (just over a minute of screen time)

* OneSceneWonder: Bob is off-screen for most of the film, only appearing for around ten minutes. But he's still memorable for a couple of good lines, and those funky glasses (which his actor still has to this day).

* SpecialEffectFailure: When Michael smashes one of Marion's car windows, he obviously has a wrench taped to his hand.
** The novelization says the wrench is meant to be there, as it was how Michael managed to escape the sanitarium.

* UnintentionallySympathetic: While this doesn't apply to Michael as an adult, to some his confused,almost catatonic state after killing his sister implies there was something genuinely unwell with him mentally as a child. The novelization also claims he was HearingVoices prior to this and that nobody saw the warning signs. There's also the fact that he spent the next 15 years in a psychiatric ward(the 70s wouldn't be the best era for mental health) which only further stunted his development and didn't help his inexplicable bloodlust. Because of this, some viewers argue Michael may not have become what he is if someone had picked up on what was wrong before it was too late.

* FirstInstallmentWins: While several subsequent films have their fans, ''Halloween'' is the one indisputed classic in the series, having the highest scores on Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB and frequenting many best of lists.