This was John Carpenter's first feature after Halloween, and I think he was under pressure to repeat his success. Despite his pressure, it seems like a remarkably different movie than Halloween. He was trying to distance himself from the slasher image, while still indulging it in. The pacing on this movie is slow and deliberate, but what's mostly fascinating is his photography. The camera usually pulls back pretty far, and there is a whole lot of landscape to see. The colors are fantastic.
The story is a mixed bag. To start, the premise is a little cliche. The deceased returning to take revenge on the children is a little too "golden arm" for me. But the underlying point, about America being settled by a bunch of evil deeds and murder, is well taken. There isn't that much development, but it doesn't seem to be needed.
I can understand why this doesn't have the frantic following that Halloween does. The villains in this aren't as distinct as Michael Myers was. This is much more satisfying, artistically, and thus, it feels a little more like it should be the preferred movie as I get older. Still, my favorite of Carpenter's work is his short, Cigarette Burns.
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