Like all slasher franchises Halloween has had its ups and downs over the years. Sure there’s something to appreciate in even the worst of the eight original films and two Rob Zombie reboots, but it’s hard to argue that the franchise hadn’t fallen from its once lofty heights.
You see, also like nearly all slasher franchises, Halloween started with a truly scary, genre-defining film and then sort of just blew up, and this is coming from a guy who loves bad slashers. That first movie, though. Man, does it still stand up. In an age where slashers have become torture porn, the original Halloween looks pedestrian. Its body count is woefully low, almost all the violence takes place off-screen, and there is practically no blood whatsoever. And yet, it is easily one of the most chilling slasher films ever made and still strikingly disturbing despite its lack of gore and violence. John Carpenter’s direction and uncanny ability to scare you with what you’re not seeing is a master class in what horror should be.
David Gordon Greene’s direct sequel to it, also called Halloween, took all those lessons and then did something new.
Source: Destructoid Review: Halloween