and Bryant Griffin The following is one of Rabid Doll’s Top 13 horror films of all times picks. We highly recommend this flick for excellent Halloween viewing. As we're introduced to Haddonfield, Ill., it's an autumn-tinged template of an American suburban dream. Yet behind the carefully trimmed hedges and billowing clotheslines lurks an iconic "shape" that forever twisted the dream into cinema's quintessential night terror. John Carpenter's Halloween (1977) is quite simply the definitive film of Rabid Doll's top 13. Dubbed "the shape" in the film's credits, Michael Myers stands with unnerving ease as one of horror's preeminent villains. Like a force of nature, Myers is relentless. Who knew a kitchen knife, mechanic coveralls, and a William Shatner mask spray painted white would carry so much impact? Much fanfare has been directed at the hockey mask worn by Friday the 13th films' resident maniac, Jason Voorhees. Jason adopts the mask midway through the third film in the series. Myers though adopts the mask as part of his persona within minutes of arriving in Haddonfield. Carpenter's greatest feat, however, may be how he makes the ordinary, everyday world so utterly terrifying. Halloween, trick or treating, and babysitting are all hallmarks of the American adolescent experience. Haddonfield, of course is a fictional town, but it represented the Midwest norm so well that it made viewers comfortable while Carpenter turned the world upside down on them. The world is so utterly believable that the viewer simply assumes that the events that unfold are as well. The acting in Halloween is surprisingly good. Jamie Leigh Curtis shines in her inaugural role as Laurie Strode, while Donald Pleasence portrays Dr. Loomis as a tormented doctor who has been over matched by something as pure and simple as evil. The supporting cast members are believable in their roles, particularly Nancy Loomis and P.J. Soles as Laurie Strode's best friends. These are not sappy-sweet, superficial friendships. Both girls like to torment the bookwormish Laurie, yet few viewers feel they truly deserve the fate that befalls them. An interesting element Carpenter pulls through is the strength and dedication of the lead characters. A teenage girl goes to extreme lengths to protect the children she is babysitting. A doctor tries to put right a situation in which he has failed. A sheriff tries to keep his townspeople safe. While it is much easier to see Laurie Strode as a victim, and Dr. Loomis and Sherriff Brackett as failures, they each represent the normal world that has been torn apart by evil. The tragedies of this Halloween night are not only represented by the characters who die, but by those who have to live with the knowledge of the unstoppable power of evil. When you examine the impact of "Halloween" on cinema, it's surprising to note how deep it successfully cuts. Countless clones emerged over the years to desperately carve a piece from the resulting slasher craze. "Friday The 13th" is a prime example. But also surprising is how many of these knockoffs failed. Many went for the jugular, bathing the screen with blood and increasingly shocking deaths. If imitation is indeed the sincerest form of flattery, then even the failures, in their own bizarre fashion, still pay tribute to the success of Halloween. What they failed to replicate was "Halloween's" simplicity. Remember, we're exposed to little blood here, yet we are talking about a classic fright flick. This is a film taking a moment to slow down, focus on setting, music, and opulent widescreen framing. The result speaks for itself.  To learn more about Rabid Doll’s Top 13 horror movies, click here. Express yourself and be part of the news! Leave a comment below or join our rabid discussions on the SyBoards.