The original Halloween movie was released on October 25, 1978.

I’ve enjoyed some of the additions to this franchise, or parts of them, at least, but nothing beats the original. It’s the most simple of all of the Halloween movies, right from the opening with the flickering jack o’lantern and tense, repeated piano line. All of those point of view shots. And the sense of humor – the scene with Myers standing in the doorway wearing a sheet (what is it with this guy and sheets, anyway?) manages to be downright goofy without ever losing its menace. I mean, he remembers to put the glasses on over the sheet. Michael is a different breed of cat.

We also don’t get any explanation for why Myers is who he is. That’s better. It’s more frightening if there’s no explanation, or at least not one the audience has access to. Once you know why a beast is what it is, you can start to gain some control over it. Or, as one of my favorite songwriters, Beaver Nelson, puts it, “if you name a thing it dies.”

The latest film in the franchise, Halloween Ends, just hit theaters. And as much as I’d love to see a truly great new Halloween movie, I hope this is where Myers ends his cinematic run. I’ll always think of him, somewhere out there, lurking in the linen.