20 Reasons Why Halloween is My Favorite Horror Film

Happy Halloween! Here's a special list (in no particular order) on John Carpenter's 1978 classic. (SPOILERS)

1978 CinSpec Awards

I still have a ridiculous amount of films to see from this year, but here's my ballot, which I'll update after I see more. Winners indicated (*).

Double Feature: Heaven Can Wait (1978) and The Accidental Tourist (1988)

Note: Out of the 496 films nominated for the Best Picture Oscar, I'm down to 148 left to see.

Heaven Can Wait:

When he is prematurely sent to Heaven, quarterback Joe Pendleton (Warren Beatty) is forced to inhabit the body of a recently-deceased millionaire. He meets idealist Betty Logan (Julie Christie), falls in love with her, and buys a football team in an attempt to play in the Super Bowl. But he must leave the body, as per the deal he made, and inhabit another - a football player's. As a quarterback once again at the end of the film, he must play until the game is over and try to get Betty back in the guise of a complete stranger. This film is so likable that it's easy to see why the Academy honored it.

The film received nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor (Jack Warden), Best Supporting Actress (Dyan Cannon), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, and Best Original Score. It took home one statuette for Best Art Direction.

The Accidental Tourist:

Lawrence Kasdan's adaptation of a noted bestseller features William Hurt as Macon Leary, a travel guide author. After his wife Sarah (Kathleen Turner) divorces him, he meets Muriel Pritchett (Geena Davis), a dog carer/trainer, as he leaves his dog at a kennel so that he can go away for work. Of course, he is reluctantly taken in by the woman and her son when he returns, and he grows to love them. Then his wife shows up to reconcile their marriage upon the finality of their divorce. Will he choose to go back to his wife or start a new one with Muriel? You probably know the answer, but it doesn't change the enjoyable aspects of the film. A.M.P.A.S. likes movies that go down easy, and this one certainly does.

The film received nominations for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress (Davis), Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Original Score. Davis won a deserved Oscar for her scene-stealing performance.

Double Feature: Midnight Express (1978) and Breaking Away (1979)

Midnight Express:

In this true-story film directed by Alan Parker, Brad Davis stars as Billy Hayes, who was imprisoned in a Turkish prison from 1970 to 1975. Though their is controversy over the events portrayed in the film, it does remain an effective political thriller from a great decade in American cinema.

The film received nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (John Hurt), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing, and Best Original Score. Oliver Stone won his first Oscar for the film's screenplay, and Giorgio Moroder's synthetic score was also honored with a win.

Breaking Away:

Peter Yates' 1979 film is another true-story film, chronicling the "cutters" (townies) of Bloomington, Indiana and their cycling victory at the Little 500. While it is light and comedic, the film does hold up as a great sports movie and a worthy Best Picture nominee.

The film received nominations for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress (Barbara Barrie), Best Original Screenplay, and Best Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Best Adaptation Score. Aside from winning Best Original Screenplay, it is slightly disappointing that Paul Dooley didn't get a Best Supporting Actor nomination.

Double Feature: Coming Home (1978) and Missing (1982)

Coming Home:

In Oscar-winning performances, Jon Voight and Jane Fonda headline this controversial 1978 drama about the effects of the Vietnam war on veterans. Bruce Dern also gives a fine performance in this terrific Best Picture nominee.

The film received nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor (Dern), Best Supporting Actress (Milford), Best Original Screenplay, and Best Film Editing. It was worthy of all of them, and the film still holds up today.

 Missing:

Jack Lemmon and Sissy Spacek star as a father and daughter-in-law in search of their son/husband in this 1982 drama. Costa-Gavras (and Donald Stewart) won an Oscar for the film's screenplay, arguably as a reward for his superior Z (1969 Best Picture nominee).

The film received nominations for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Since the film is an intriguing politically-charged work, it fits well within the standards of the Oscars and is in the league of a great many films nominated in the 1970s.