Weekly Written Analysis 5

Freddie Scott

Assignment 5-1

Weekly Written Analysis 5

Professor Price

October 31, 2010

Every year around this time, we celebrate the ghoulish holiday of Halloween. It is something about the brisk fall weather, the smell of fallen leaves, the carved pumpkins, and the Friday night high school football games that give Halloween its allure. For this one day, children pick out their Halloween costume, the parents decorate their homes and buy candy for neighboring children, and my personal favorite is the horror film marathons that air on television.  

If you are in my age group, there is an unholy trinity of horror films that have been the stalwart of my generation as it relates to horror films. If you do not know the name of these films, you know the main character of each film by first name; Freddy, Jason, and Michael. These three men are responsible for many spooky nights. Nights when the house settles and you turn on the light to be sure that you are truly allow, many night light inspired bedtimes, and sometimes even nightmares! 

My Halloween is not complete without catching my favorite of the three Michael Myers in the Halloween series which originated way back in 1978. Michael Myers is a former child murder who grew up to be a deranged serial killing adult. There is no proof of the reason behind his unbridled rage, but he is obsessed with killing all of his family members. Even though I was only 1 years old at the time, I feel a certain sort of connection to this series of films. This ritual has become the staple of this holiday for me. I have passed this ritual on to my two eldest children as we tend to watch more horror films this time of year. There have been many Saturday nights in the dark, popcorn aroma fills the air, and covers slightly pulled over beady eyes as our favorite slasher film plays. 

It amazes me how horror films have changed over the years. I can recall stories that my father told me about films such as the Exorcist and Psycho and how they terrorized the country, but they are almost laughable to me now. However, the Halloween films have stood the test of time, still able to stir a fright out of the most undaunted of individuals. The proof lies in the success of the series that has been given new life by gothic rocker, Rob Zombie. He has produced the last two films in this rebooted series, with plans for a third in 2011 that will be its first in 3-D. 

            With a slew of foreign adaptations in recent years, the originally has been somehow lost in the mix. “The Ring”, “The Eye”, “Grudge”, and “Let me In” are a few of the movies that were originally done aboard but have been remade for the American audience, for better and in some cases for worse. The stories have become too sensational so the “horror” of horror films has become more media spectacle than scary. Films like Twilight almost mock the original vampire inspired films like the Nosferatu. I will always be a fan of horror films and my Halloween ritual will be a family mainstay, I just hope that the Halloween series never loses its relevance as me and my family enjoy the simplicity of Michael Myers the most.