mine her, as she gives a
fantastic performance,
which lead to her being
cast in every other slasher movie over the next
few years. In fairness to
the actress, she’s always
been quick to acknowledge the debt she owes
to this film and was happy to return to the role
20 years later.
The real star of course
is Carpenter himself, both as
director and soundtrack composer. In the latter capacity he
recorded the score in just three
days, basing it on simple syncopated rhythms taught to him as
a child by his father, a music professor. It’s a perfect score, flawlessly employed in the film. The
main theme has become iconic,
as recognizable as those of Jaws
and Star Wars. What Carpenter
also cleverly does, and a highly
original idea at the time, was
NewJerseyStage.com
to incorporate the music as a
sound effect. Every time we see
Myers jump out from the darkness we get a stabbing sound,
which varies in tone for each
situation. Like his earlier score
for Assault on Precinct 13, it was
entirely composed on a synthesizer, a method which would become the norm for low budget
films over the next decade.
Carpenter’s direction is flawless, remarkable given the pressures of time and budget imposed on the young film-maker.
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