I was about 15 when Halloween came out and my Dad took me and my older sister to see it at the theater. She was 18. Needless to say I didn't sleep that night. For those youngins thinking, "what a wimp", we weren't as desensitized as the youth seems to be today and there was nothing like it before hand. I agree that it's the ultimate horror movie. First, the premis isn't too far fetched and over the top. There is just enough slash without the total gore, and the music was perfectly suspenseful. Also, I truly believe that movie really catapulted the genre which brought about others like, Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, The Changling, and the original Fright Night.
Thats the other scary movie that I just love but most people seem to have never heard of. "The Changling" with George C. Scott. Just creepy. If you've never seen it, its worth a look.