Halloween

Play trailer

0:34

Halloween

R

Released Oct 25, 1978

1h 31m

Holiday

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

97%

Tomatometer

89 Reviews

89%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

On a cold Halloween night in 1963, six year old Michael Myers brutally murdered his 17-year-old sister, Judith. He was sentenced and locked away for 15 years. But on October 30, 1978, while being transferred for a court date, a 21-year-old Michael Myers steals a car and escapes Smith's Grove. He returns to his quiet hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois, where he looks for his next victims.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Scary, suspenseful, and viscerally thrilling, Halloween set the standard for modern horror films.

Read Critics Reviews

Tom Huddleston

Time Out

It’s left largely to the cast to lend the film personality, which they do in spades: Jamie Lee Curtis’s casting was almost accidental (Carpenter wanted someone else) but the film might not have worked at all without her grounding, relatable presence.

Rated: 5/5

Dec 12, 2024

Full Review

Jake Wilson

The Age (Australia)

Carpenter's 1978 slasher classic has inspired a million imitations as well as sequels, but few that demonstrate so clearly that a disreputable genre movie can also be a pure, rigorous work of art.

Oct 26, 2018

Full Review

Jason Zinoman

New York Times

In horror, the jack-in-the-box scare... is the quickest way to get a scream, but the still shocks... are the ones that linger with you. "Halloween" has them both, but it specializes in the second.

Oct 24, 2018

Full Review

Patrick Cavanaugh

The Wolfman Cometh

A masterclass in tone and tension, with the incredible cast adding an air of authenticity that actually makes you care about their fate. Slashers, and horror in general, don't get any better.

Rated: 5/5

Sep 12, 2025

Full Review

Joe Leydon

The Times (Shreveport, LA)

Cleverly photograph, brilliant edited, and carefully designed so that the frightening peaks are separated by few valleys, "Halloween" is so effective that it never needs blatant gore.

Aug 27, 2025

Full Review

David Day

Horror Movie Talk

If you haven’t seen Halloween (1978), you really should. It’s just good, old-fashioned, stabbing the way your mom use to serve it up.

Rated: 8/10

Aug 6, 2025

Full Review

Read all reviews

Mike

Hasn’t aged the best, doesn’t change the fact it’s a much watch.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/14/24

Full Review

Hannah m

I love this movie! It has always been one of my favorites, so getting to see it in theater for the first time made it so much more enjoyable. Seeing it on a big screen really made it feel like I was in the movie. It was much creepier that way and after all thats what youre looking for when watching Halloween right? Fantastic film!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/04/24

Full Review

KXF

5/5. I can die happily now after finally seeing it in theater on a big screen in 2024.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/01/24

Full Review

John S

The absolute immortal classic of slashers!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/01/24

Full Review

Gary

The theater was clean with friendly staff. Theater seating was great. Helped with elevation of legs to reduce swelling. Was hoping to see the Movie Halloween themed souvenir cup or popcorn bucket or even blanket since it was Halloween and the movie Halloween being shown. But over all was a great experience for a great movie

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/25/24

Full Review

Toni

One of the best slasher horror movies to ever been made. Donald Pleasants and Jamie Lee Curtis characters were amazing and their acting was one the best that I have ever seen in years. This movie is over 45 years old and will soon be 50! This movie has paved a way of horror genre that many movies that followed its footsteps and copied its plot. Many Halloween movies have been made but Halloween 1978 will forever be one of the best movies to be made.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/01/24

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

John Carpenter

Director

Donald Pleasence

Dr. Sam Loomis

Jamie Lee Curtis

Laurie Strode

Nancy Kyes

Annie Brackett

P.J. Soles

Lynda

Charles Cyphers

Sheriff Leigh Brackett

Halloween II

34%

63%

Halloween II

Watchlist

Halloween: Resurrection

10%

24%

Halloween: Resurrection

Watchlist

Halloween III: Season of the Witch

49%

30%

Halloween III: Season of the Witch

Watchlist

My Bloody Valentine

56%

52%

My Bloody Valentine

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

The 10 Scariest Horror Movies Ever

Know Your Critic: Dani Bethea, Pop Culture Writer and Horror Connoisseur

New on Netflix in August 2022

Rotten Tomatoes is Wrong About... Halloween (1978)

51:31

Halloween: Event Trailer

0:34

Halloween: Trailer 1

2:40

Halloween: Halloween Oral History - Part 2

10:44

Halloween: Halloween Oral History - Part 1

10:42

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

On a cold Halloween night in 1963, six year old Michael Myers brutally murdered his 17-year-old sister, Judith. He was sentenced and locked away for 15 years. But on October 30, 1978, while being transferred for a court date, a 21-year-old Michael Myers steals a car and escapes Smith's Grove. He returns to his quiet hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois, where he looks for his next victims.

Director: John Carpenter
Producer: Debra Hill, John Carpenter
Screenwriter: Debra Hill, John Carpenter
Distributor: Compass International Pictures
Production Co: Falcon Films, Falcon International Productions
Rating: R
Genre: Holiday, Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 25, 1978, Wide
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Sep 27, 2018
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 18, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $47.5M
Runtime: 1h 31m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

Most Popular at Home Now