I grew up on slasher movies in the 1980s. Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street and John Carpenter’s Halloween are just a few of the movies that terrified me as a kid. Despite the terror, I couldn’t get enough. Every weekend, I took my babysitting money to the video rental store to stock up on horror videos. The bloodier and more supernatural, the more likely I was to rent them. And the fact that they were rent-one-get-one on Fridays meant I could stretch that babysitting money pretty far for a bloody good time.
I still remember the first time I saw John Carpenter’s Halloween. It was actually on Halloween, and I was babysitting. Ironic, I know. At the time, I really liked being scared. After the sugar-high wore off, and the kids went to bed, I sat down and deliberately scared the crap out of myself. Once a month, our local theater hosts Eerie Evenings. They throw back to classic horror movies, and this month’s pick was Halloween.
Eerie Evenings at the District Is Perfect for Date Nights
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Compass International Pictures/Falcon International Productions
We live in the middle of nowhere. Bearing that in mind, there isn’t a lot for adults who don’t enjoy going out to drink and party to do. Once a month, The District, our local theater, hosts Eerie Evenings, featuring nostalgic horror movies. The Exorcist, The Lost Boys and Fright Night are just a few from the last year that come to mind.
We aren’t always able to go, but when there’s something we really want to see on the big screen, we do our best to get there. My husband is still a massive slasher movie fan, so there was no way we were missing out on Halloween. Especially since we missed The Exorcist, the first movie we every watched together, over the summer. It makes for a cozy date night, wrapped in a healthy layer of nostalgia we can both appreciate. It sparks great conversations.
If there’s a theater in your are that does this type of thing, I highly recommend it. We’ve gone twice now, and both times we had a blast. And if you don’t have a theater that does it, be the change you want to see!
People Packed the Theater for John Carpenter’s Halloween
Image property of Compass International Pictures/Falcon International Productions
I was surprised to find there were actually a decent number of people at the theater. One theater-goer even said that as she came in and surveyed the crowd. It wasn’t at capacity, not by a longshot, but I would say it’s the biggest crowd I’ve seen at a movie in years. Parents who grew up on the Halloween movies brought their kids, and teenagers packed into the seats. College kids were ready for a cinematic experience unlike any they’d witnessed before.
I tend to be one of those people who doesn’t go to the theater very often anymore. A., because I’m a hermit crab (thanks COVID), and B., I don’t have to deal with chattering people in my own house. I was pleasantly surprised that everyone there was actually there for the movie. People laughed at the campy moments, as you do, but overall, it was a respectful atmosphere.
We were all horror fans. And we were there to appreciate one of the horror movies that set the standard for almost fifty years of slasher films. Michael Myers may not have been the first horror movie slasher, but he is certainly one of the cornerstones that spawned a legacy. Alongside Leatherface four years earlier, Michael Myers set the standard for masked murderers who were as physically terrifying as they were mentally and emotionally. In essence, they scarred a generation, thickening our skin for horrors far worse than the 1970s could begin to imagine.
Beyond Halloween, Classic Movie Trailers Set the Tone
Before the movie even started, we were treated to a string of classic horror trailers. Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors are the two that stand out. The nostalgia factor had me longing for simpler times, when life’s monsters were the stuff of thriller weekend VHS rentals and nightmares.
Image property of New Line Cinema
I vowed to never become one of those old people who complains about how much better the way things were back when. You’ll never hear me whining about walking uphill to school in three feet of snow with no shoes on. But man, I won’t lie to you either. I do miss Gen X-era slasher and horror movies. I can’t think of the last time a recent horror movie actually made me feel scared.
Maybe that’s because I’m older. I know there aren’t monsters under the bed, as well as I know a killer isn’t going to slash me to ribbons in my dreams. I know that unless the serial killer is wearing bullet proof armor, he’s probably not getting back up to chase me around with someone’s knife after someone shoots him. Those old slasher movies, as absurd as they seem now, hold a level of nostalgia that’s just enough to make the hairs on the back of your neck bristle. That’s enough to keep me coming back for more.
My Nostalgic Takeaway Message After Watching John Carpenter’s Halloween on the Big Screen Is Simple
Beware, teens getting up to no good, especially when you’re supposed to be babysitting innocent little children. The Boogeyman is out there. Whether he’s a psychotic serial killer or some supernatural monster lying in wait, he is coming. Knives and bullets won’t stop him. Your parents can’t save you.
Now, I can’t wait until November. We’ll be heading back to The District theater to watch one of my all-time favorites: Poltergeist.
