Josh Reynolds (@jmreynolds.bsky.social)

Halloween (1978) John Carpenter’s 1978 slasher, Halloween. There’s not much more to say about it really, given the reams of essays written about it and its influence on modern horror cinema. I’ve watched it every Halloween since I was introduced to it in high school by a savvy creative writing…

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Halloween (1978) John Carpenter’s 1978 slasher, Halloween. There’s not much more to say about it really, given the reams of essays written about it and its influence on modern horror cinema. I’ve watched it every Halloween since I was introduced to it in high school by a savvy creative writing teacher (hi Miss Cooper!). It’s one of the few annual traditions I hold to. There are other Carpenter films I enjoy more – The Fog (1980), for instance. But there’s something about this one that sticks in the mind. It’s at once realistic and nightmarish; while there’s no overt supernatural element, Michael Myers’ implacability and utter lack of dialogue serve to create an atmosphere of the inhuman about him – he is simply the Shape. http://joshuamreynolds.co.uk/2025/10/31/halloween-1978/