8 Friday, March 30. 1979 University Daily Kansan 'Halloween' satiates terror hunger Reviewer Bv VINTON SUPPLEE One of the anomalies of human nature is the enjoyment of fright as entertainment. Real danger is to be avoided; vicarious danger is to be savored as an almost sensual pleasure. John Carpenter's "Halloween" is a notable exception to the pervasive mediocreity of current horror films. An extremely well-made film, "Halloween" is credited with creating one of the most distinctive to earlier horror classics by drawing directly from them for inspiration and effect while retaining enough originality to be considered a worthy successor. As coauthor and director of "Halloween," Carpenter is primarily responsible for its success. THE FILM CONCERNS two Halloween nights in a small Illinois town. The first, which serves as a prologue, takes place in 1963. The camera initially functions as the KANSAN Review eyes or a murderer, in effect converting the audience into killers. The murderer sees a teenage girl and her boyfriend making love in a pleasant old house. The killer enters the house with a knife, then kills the girl for the butcher knife. As he leaves the house, he is recognized by a couple getting out of a car in the driveway of the house. They address him. The camera suddenly shifts to the role of neutral observer, revealing the significance of the events. The killer is a child, the couple his parents and the victim his sister. Fifteen years later, Michael escapes from an insane asylum and returns to his hometown. The asylum a chief psychiatrist, Dr. Hobson, helps him reclaim his life. Pleasance, follows Michael to warn the cowhouse that they are in danger. Despite his efforts, history inevitably repeats itself. Michael stalks three teen-age girls who live near Lee Curtis, P.J. Solles and Nancy Loomis. CARPENTER HAS a keen sense of atmosphere. The photography in "Halloween" is excellent and makes an integral contribution to the film's pervasive mood of dread. The use of filters converts the daytime sky into aicky yellowish-hot hue during night time, evokes a subconscious fear of the dark that is eerily realistic. Carpenter has an unsettling ability to make the commonplace menacing. As Michael effortlessly prowls through the town in search of his prey, the reassuring familiarity of its typically American ambience suffused with a hidden, lethal danger. Carpenter's attention to detail is skillful and sardonicly conceived. In one scene, two of the girls drive aimlessly around town, while another character that Michael is in the car following them. THE FILM reaches its climax as the girls are babysitting in two houses across the street from each other. Laurie, the most innocent, is watching television with the children in one house. The Creature Feature Season 1 was on Planet. "During the last movie, one of the children looks out a window and sees Michael carrying a body into the other room," Laurie says. "For 'Forbidden Planet' gives the scene an unearthly quality that is grounded in a plausible reality. This is true of Halloween's entirety. The events it depicts are fantastic externally within the realm of possibility. "HALLOWEEN" INVOLVES a minimal amount of gore. Carpenter prefers to use psychological suspense to generate fear and he is successful. He also has gotten fine performances from his cast. The three actresses made contributions to the portrait of the grimly determined psychiatrist makes him an effective therapist. IN VIEW OF THE horror genre's general decline, Carpenter's achievement in "Halloween" is truly impressive. He has made a horror film that is intelligent, suspensive and frightening. It makes being scared a deliciously squirming pleasure. Last week we wrote of the retribution that follows evil doing. "Be sure your sin will find you out." *Numbers* 32-23. History reveals the truth of that statement. Only a very few examples are given as follows: "WHY DO THE HEATHEN RAGE?" "The domestic peace and prosperity of the good old archarch. Jacob was sadly lamented; life is compelled to be made worse by his insistence on life before the aroused wrath of his brother — to suffer a long oppression and wrong in the family of Laban, his Khmanian; to suffer the death of his wife, whose death that suddenly he is bereaved of his favorite wife — Joseph is violent torn from his embrace by his own sons — and at last he is released from prison. The aged father seemed to respose, must be bled up to an uncertain destiny, and his cry is heard." All these things are true. Psalms 2:1 and Acts 4:25 David was a good man, yet he sinned a great sin. And his sin had afflicted him with the curse of afterward afflicted in his domestic relations, his subsequent history remained the sad memorial. The Voice of God announced, "The sword shall never depart from your house!" The brother, killed Ammon! Later on Abasalam usurped his son, killed Amos! Finally, Abasalam usurped "man after God's heart" — a man after God's heart in the war Examples crowd upon us from every quarter; every neighborhood furnishes them! Haman was hung on the gallews to be mortaled. Dogs athec the carcasses of Queen Jazebel, and kicked up the blood of her husband, King Ahab. Herods burnish leafless examples. But consider Pontius Pilus, who suffered in Sunday's public worship: "Suffered under Pontius Pilate." he repented and accepted the severe judgement of God, reminding one of the words of Job: "Yea, though he lays me "Plate, evacitating between the monitions of conscience and a miserable time serving policy, delivered up Jesus to be crucified. He believed him to be innocent; yet that his own conscience was wrong, he denied his conscience and condemned the innocent. He must secure his friendship of Ceasar, though it be at the expense of his master, but miserably he failed, and there was in the retribution which he suffered for the punishment to the crime. He hastened at nothing to please his imperial master at Rome. Yet he two years later sent a message to his master as an providence, in disgrace and abandonment, and with a burden on his conscience which was at the burning he, put and end to an existence which was too wretched to comprehend. He set forth the words: "He that confesses and forsake his sin shall lind mercy." P. O. BOX 405 DECATUR, GEORGIA 30031 Nightlife Lawrence Opera House, 642 Massachusetts St. UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN Spare Time Tantrum with Secrets, March 30-31 Gary Burton Quartet, April 6 Paul Gray's Jazz Place, 926 Massachusetts St. - Earl Robinson and the Red Hot Scamps, - March 30-31. Off the Wall Hall. 737 New Hampshire St. - Smart Pills, March 30 * People's Record, New Hampshire St. - Rosie's Bar and Grill, March 31 Concerts - Judy Collins, March 30, 9 p.m., Hoch Auditorium. - Swarthot Recital Hall. * KU Collegium Musicum. April 1 3:30 - KU Collegium Muscat, April 1, 3:30 p.m. Spenzer MuseumAdr. - University Singers, March 30, 8 p.m., Swarthout Recital Hall. - KU Jazz Ensemble II, April 3, 8 p.m., Swatworth Recital Hall. *Jean-Pierre Ramalp with the Kansas City Paintball team, April 3 at p.m. and April 4 at 6 p.m.* Films - Girl Friends dir. by Claudia Well with Michelle Skinner, 3:30-7:00 and 8:00-10:00 and 11:00-March 30-31 - Women in Art: Louise Nevelson In Pro- girl friends presents a film by Claudia Well "Girl Friends" starring Melanie Maxwell featuring Aksun Skinner. Elwall Wallace, Christopher Guest Bob Balaban, Gina Rogak-Amry Wright Visual Lifers, & Mike Kellin produced & directed by Claudia Well. coproducer Willie Westerholt music by Claudia Well & Vika Polen music, Michael Small Distributed by Vermont Bureau & Aware of Communications Company 1918 Vermont Bureau, Inc. All rights reserved "Melanie Mayron is romantic and offers evidence that some mysterious quality we call sex appeal is harder to define than it ever was and continues to be what movies are all about." — Molly Hashell, New York Magazine PG PARENTAL LIABILITY LIMITED sua films Friday 3:30,7:00,9:30 Saturday 3:30,7:00,9:30 cess, dir, by Susan Fansheli andILL Godilmon, Helen Frankelman, dir, by Berry Miller Adato, and Mary Cassatt Impressionist from Philadelphia, 730, April 12. Recitals Kathy Wolfe. cello. March 30, 3:30 p.m. March 30 & 31 Kathy Wolfe, celio, March 30, 3:30 p.m. Cathy Crispino, soprano, and Emily Young violin, March 30, 8 a.m. Woodruff Auditorium Mary Lou Robinson, organ, April 1. 3:30 p.m. Sally Shumway, viola and Brenda Elliot, flute, April 12, 8 p.m. Admission $1.50 Oread String Trio, April 2, 8 p.m. Jon Davis, trumpet, April 4.8 p.m. Alecia Toner, piano, April 5.8 p.m. All recitals are in Swarthout Recital Hall. Collins' talent, empathy get gig Myres, a committee chairperson for programs and speakers, said Collins was one of several female performers on a list of special guests to Alan Shaw, SUA special events chairman. The other singers included Joan Baez and Joni Mitchell, Shaw said. Susan Myles, the one of the organizers, said yesterday that "The main reason we chose her was because she was the woman we wanted someone who would give a performance that was not necessarily toward the women's movement, but who was also a participant in the women's movement." Singer Judy Collins' participation in the women's movement is one reason the Intercollegiate Association of Women Students steering committee suggested her as a flexible performer during the IAWS convention and conference, according to a convention organizer. Collin will perform at 9 p.m. tonight in Hall Auditorium. The doors will open at 10 a.m. Her current release is "Hard Times for Lovers." In 16 consecutive years of recording, she has released 15 albums, six of which have been gold records, grossing $1 million in sales. Collinas has had a multi-faceted career involving singing, film directed, song writing. She is a producer. DROWN DRINK 1-7 Today Guys—$3 Girls—$2 BIGK 708 Massachusetts OPEN HOUSE Saturday, March 31 1-5 p.m. Sunday, April 1 1-5 p.m. Because we know that Meadowbrook living is enjoyable . . . because we know we have a unit designed for you and your lifestyle . . . because we'd like to have you living in Meadowbrook, we're inviting you to our OPEN HOUSE. meadowbrook Located 3 Blocks West of Iowa on 15th, North 1 Block on Crestline... Phone 842-4200 Live Entertainment Located in Hillcrest Shopping Center Disco formerly J Watsons II Live Entertainment Disco 842-5765 Sunday - 9-Midnight— ALL DRINKS—50° (plus liquor pool) (disco) Monday—9-Midnight—DIME BEER (plus liquor pool) Tuesday & Thursday FOXES HOUR Open 8-9 for LADIES ONLY All Ladies enter free—ALL Ladies drink free (plus liquor pool) after 9—regular price Friday— Entertainment TGIF'N 4-7 ... 3.00 at the door ... ALL YOU CAN DRINK (plus liquor pool) Tues & Wed— Boogie Fever Thurs-Sat— Shade Tree