The original Halloween was and still is my most terrifying experience in a cinema, for reasons that only partly relate to the film itself.   

True, John Carpenter’s 1978 original is a masterpiece of horror cinema. He practically invented the whole slasher genre, and unwittingly ushered in a slew of inferior imitations. I saw Halloween when it came out, at the Nottingham Odeon. I would have been 14 at the time. It was in a large, near empty cinema, at an afternoon screening. Carpenter masterfully builds the tension, right from the prologue, with his roving camera and eerie music. I was so spooked that parts of the film I could only watch through my fingers….  

But then, as I sat there alone, already scared, out of the corner of my eye I saw an older guy enter the cinema, walk down the aisle until he came to the end of the row I was sitting in. Then he walked towards me but instead of stopping at one of the many empty seats, he came and sat next to me. Now, even at a young age I remember thinking this was weird and it made me uncomfortable. A few moments later I felt a hand on my knee, moving upwards. Had I been a little older or tougher I would (I like to think) have punched him in the face, or at least yelled out. But instead I scurried outside in terror and shock, somewhat traumatised. After a time spent hyper-ventilating outside I crept back in and watched the rest of the film from the back of the cinema. The whole experience has always stayed with me and I remember Halloween being extra creepy because of this.  

I remember Halloween II being a poor rehash of the original, which sadly was the case for most of the many sequels that were subsequently milked out of the franchise over the years. It is however for me still way better than the various ‘reimaginings’ of the original (two and counting already) that horror fans have been subjected to over the past few years!

This is the US one-sheet poster for the original, which is the most desirable (first printing) version, as it has the certificate details in a ‘blue box’, which later versions don’t have. The Halloween II poster is the UK quad.

Both of the US and UK posters have now sold. I still have available the stylish French version for Halloween II above, which can be found here.