Perhaps the most influential and successful independent film ever made, 'Halloween' is the movie that put director John Carpenter on the map as a viable filmmaker. An exercise in simple, pure horror, 'Halloween' takes us into the world of a mad killer, Michael Myers, who at a very young age stabbed his older sister to death. Locked away for many years in a mental hospital Michael escapes one night and returns to his home to continue his killing spree. Jamie Lee Curtis, in her first role, plays the resourceful babysitter who is chased by the killer on Halloween night. Produced for very little money and a tight shooting schedule, 'Halloween' was a stunning success when it was released. Written by John Carpenter and his longtime producer Debra Hill, the film set both their careers on fire, with both of them working together many times over the next 25 years. The film also made a star out of Jamie Lee Curtis and turned the slasher movie into a viable, successful genre.

'Halloween' has been copied, parodied and even turned into a franchise of its own, but the original is still considered the best of the bunch. 'Halloween' was John Carpenter's first foray into horror, and remains the standard to which all other modern horror films are measured.