Common Sense Media Review
By Charles Cassady Jr.
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Original Michael Myers slasher classic has violence, sex.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Halloween
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 59 parent reviews
Parents say this classic horror film is generally seen as a mild introduction to the genre, featuring low levels of violence and gore, making it suitable for older teens, with many suggesting 12+ as an age guideline. However, caution is advised due to some sexual content and scenes that may be inappropriate for younger viewers, emphasizing parental discretion based on individual maturity.
- classic film
- mild violence
- sexual content
- age recommendation
- parental discretion
- suitable for teens
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
Based on 265 kid reviews
Kids say that while the film is a classic slasher, it is considered relatively tame by today's standards, with minimal graphic violence and gore, making it suitable for tweens and teens. However, parents should be aware of the presence of nudity and sexual scenes, which some reviewers noted could be distracting or inappropriate for younger viewers.
- tame violence
- nudity present
- suitable for teens
- classic slasher
- minimal gore
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
On HALLOWEEN in 1963, a young Michael Myers (Will Sandin) stalks and kills his sister after she has sex with her boyfriend. Some 15 years later, Michael (as an adult, played by Tony Moran) escapes from an asylum on the anniversary of the murder. He soon becomes fixated on three high school girls who are looking forward to hot dates and a horror-movie marathon on trick-or-treat night -- all except for bookish Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis), who has to babysit. While Michael's psychiatrist leads a skeptical sheriff around town in search of Michael, the killer gets to the schoolmates, one by one, until he's left with just Laurie.
Is It Any Good?
Hugely influential on the genre and widely considered a classic, this movie still provides scares with more taste and subtlety (you rarely see blood -- you just think you do) than its imitators. Like Hitchcock, director John Carpenter has an innate sense of exactly where to put the camera, how to light a scene, and what to have going on in the frame to make you shudder and jump, and he shows it with real expertise in Halloween. His use of careful silences and the sudden bursts of his now-famous pulsating electronic musical score are especially unnerving and effective.
Many critics hail the original Halloween as a masterpiece, and while Carpenter went on to direct the likes of The Fog, Escape from New York, and The Thing, it's this movie that has proved the most enduring.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what makes Halloween so scary, especially since it doesn't fall back on using gory visual effects. How do the point-of-view camerawork and music help create suspense?
How does the movie depict teen life in the 1970s? How is it similar to and different from teen life today?
Have you seen any other films in the franchise? How do they compare? How does the Halloween franchise compare to other long-running horror series?
Movie Details
- In theaters : October 25, 1978
- On DVD or streaming : September 28, 1999
- Cast : Donald Pleasence , Jamie Lee Curtis , Nancy Kyes
- Director : John Carpenter
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Female Movie Writer(s)
- Studio : Anchor Bay Entertainment
- Genre : Horror
- Topics : Holidays
- Run time : 93 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : violence, sex, profanity.
- Last updated : February 11, 2026
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