History YMMV / Halloween1978

* MemeticBadass: Jamie Lee Curtis, thanks to playing the archetypal FinalGirl - and ''{{Film/Scream1996}}'' naming her the "scream queen".

** FYI, Lindesey is the ''little, 6-10 year old girl'' Annie was babysitting. To be fair, Bob was half-drunk.

* FairForItsDay: Although the DeathBySex trope was codified here and slasher films became associated with only virginal girls surviving, Laurie is quite feminist. Notably despite being terrorised 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.

** FYI, Lindesey is the ''girl'' Annie was babysitting. To be fair, Bob was half-drunk.

* AwesomeMusic: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tq4GdBfLjsg The main theme]] is considered one of the most bone-chilling pieces ever put on screen.
** What makes it all the more awesome is that John Carpenter, who did the music for the film, has stated that he cannot read or write sheet music, and plays entirely by ear. "Fortunately, I've got a pretty good ear."

* VanillaProtagonist: Laurie of course. She's the rule abiding good girl who prefers babysitting to parties, in contrast to her wilder friends. PJ Soles joked that Jamie Lee Curtis told her she was lucky she wasn't playing "the boring one".

* {{Narm}}: Laurie runs across the street with Michael stalking her. She runs up to the door of the house and reaches into her pocket to find the keys. Her line?

* MagnumOpus: Carpenter fans either consider this or ''Film/TheThing1982'' to be the director's best work. Carpenter personally agrees with the latter.

* EvilIsSexy: When he's unmasked, Michael is surprisingly attractive.
** Naturally, [[KillItWithFire after the events of the sequel]], his face is never clearly seen again.

* UnpopularPopularCharacter: Guess who. Everyone in the film hate/fear him, [[SerialKiller for obvious reasons]], but he is incredibly popular in the fandom.

** Naturally, [[KillItWithFire after the events of the sequel,]] his face is never clearly seen again.

* RetroactiveRecognition: Michael Myers' actor, Nick Castle, would become a director and made films such as ''TheLastStarfighter'' and ''ComicStrip/{{Dennis the Menace|US}}''.

* ToughActToFollow: Subverted with John Carpenter. Most of his films released afterward (''Film/TheThing1982'', ''Film/EscapeFromNewYork'' and ''Film/BigTroubleInLittleChina'' among them) were not critical or commercial successes but have had second life on home video and cable going on to become classics and VindicatedByHistory. ''Film/TheThing1982'' in particular is now considered a heavy contender for his best film.

* CompleteMonster: Michael Myers, a cold-blooded SerialKiller with a hatred of teenage sexuality and a fondness for carving knives. After killing his sister at the [[EnfantTerrible age of six]], Michael breaks out of prison as an adult and goes on a killing spree through his hometown of Haddonfield, on his way to kill his [[CainAndAbel surviving sister]], murdering three of her friends before targeting her. He's stopped, but the horror doesn't end there. Michael returns repeatedly, making numerous attempts on Laurie, her [[RevengeByProxy daughter Jaime]], and anybody else who gets in his way. Incapable of feeling empathy, and driven by a loathing of seemingly everybody he encounters, the [[ImplacableMan unstoppable]] and [[SilentAntagonist perpetually silent]] Michael helped to define the SlasherMovie as we know it, and remains one of the most bone-chillingly evil.

* RetroactiveRecognition: Michael Myers' actor would become a director and made films such as ''TheLastStarfighter'' and ''ComicStrip/{{Dennis the Menace|US}}''.

* CompleteMonster: Michael Myers in the original Halloween films is a cold-blooded SerialKiller with a hatred of teenage sexuality and a fondness for carving knives. After killing his sister at the [[EnfantTerrible age of six]], Michael breaks out of prison as an adult and goes on a killing spree through his hometown of Haddonfield, on his way to kill his [[CainAndAbel surviving sister]], murdering three of her friends before targeting her. He's stopped, but the horror doesn't end there. Michael returns repeatedly, making numerous attempts on Laurie, her [[RevengeByProxy daughter Jaime]], and anybody else who gets in his way. Incapable of feeling empathy, and driven by a loathing of seemingly everybody he encounters, the [[ImplacableMan unstoppable]] and [[SilentAntagonist perpetually silent]] Michael helped to define the SlasherMovie as we know it, and remains one of the most bone-chillingly evil.

* CompleteMonster: Michael is a cold-blooded Serial Killer with a hatred of teenage sexuality and a fondness for carving knives. After killing his sister at the age of six, Michael breaks out of prison as an adult and goes on a killing spree through his hometown of Haddonfield, on his way to kill his surviving sister, murdering three of her friends before targetting her. He's stopped, but the horror doesn't end there. Michael returns again and again, making numerous attempts on Laurie, her daughter Jaime, and anybody else who gets in his way. Incapable of feeling empathy, and driven by a loathing of seemingly everybody he encounters, the unstoppable and perpetually silent Michael helped to define the slasher as we know it, and remains one of the most bone-chillingly evil.
-->'''Dr. Loomis:''' I met him fifteen years ago. I was told there was nothing left. No reason, no conscience, no understanding; even the most rudimentary sense of life or death, good or evil, right or wrong. I met this six-year-old child, with this blank, pale, emotionless face, and the blackest eyes... the Devil's eyes. I spent eight years trying to reach him, and then another seven trying to keep him locked up because I realized what was living behind that boy's eyes was purely and simply... '''''evil.'''''
*** This is even the quote on the trope's page, at least partially.

* 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 frightnening.

* ToughActToFollow: Subverted with John Carpenter. Most of his films released afterward (''Film/TheThing1982'', ''Film/EscapeFromNewYork'' and ''Film/BigTroubleInLittleChina'' among them) were not critical or commercial successes but have had second life on home video and cable going on to become classics and VindicatedByHistory.

* CompleteMonster: Michael is a cold-blooded Serial Killer with a hatred of teenage sexuality and a fondness for carving knives. After killing his sister at the age of six, Michael breaks out of prison as an adult and goes on a killing spree through his hometown of Haddonfield, on his way to kill his surviving sister, murdering three of her friends before targetting her. He's stopped, but the horror doesn't end there. Michael returns again and again, making numerous attempts on Laurie, her daughter Jaime, and anybody else who gets in his way. Incapable of feeling empathy, and driven by a loathing of seemingly everybody he encounters, the unstoppable and perpetually silent Michael helped to define the slasher as we know it, and remains one of the most bone-chillingly evil.
-->'''Dr. Loomis:''' I met him fifteen years ago. I was told there was nothing left. No reason, no conscience, no understanding; even the most rudimentary sense of life or death, good or evil, right or wrong. I met this six-year-old child, with this blank, pale, emotionless face, and the blackest eyes... the Devil's eyes. I spent eight years trying to reach him, and then another seven trying to keep him locked up because I realized what was living behind that boy's eyes was purely and simply... '''''evil.'''''

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tq4GdBfLjsg The main theme]] is considered one of the most bone-chilling pieces ever put on screen.

* CompleteMonster: Michael.

* CompleteMonster: Michael. Dr. Loomis' quote about his efforts to reach him and his later efforts to keep him locked away is a page quote.

* CompleteMonster: Michael. Dr. Loomis' quote about his efforts to reach him and his later efforts to keep him locked away used to be a page quote.

* CompleteMonster: Michael. Dr. Loomis' quote about his efforts to reach him and his efforts to keep him locked away used to be a page quote.

* ToughActToFollow: Subverted with John Carpenter. Most of his films released afterward (''Film/TheThing'', ''Film/EscapeFromNewYork'' and ''Film/BigTroubleInLittleChina'' among them) were not critical or commercial successes but have had second life on home video and cable going on to become classics and VindicatedByHistory.

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J82gFhtMdmE The main theme]] is considered one of the most bone-chilling pieces ever put on screen.