Halloween review

HALLOWEEN:

MICHAEL MYERS AND THE FRANCHISE GO BACK TO THEIR SLASHER MOVIE ROOTS!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

UNIVERSAL PICTURES AND MIRAMAX

Michael Myers is back to finish what he started in Halloween

            The legendary slasher movie killer, Michael Myers (Nick Castle-Escape from New York, The Last Starfighter, Major Payne) returns in the eleventh installment of the long-running Halloween film series and a direct sequel to the original 1978 John Carpenter classic. The original Halloween movie remains one of the most cherished and iconic films of all time, it was a hit with both critics and audiences at the time of its release, made Jamie Lee Curtis (A Fish Called Wanda, True Lies, Freaky Friday (2003)) a household name, and it continues to be watched by many every year.

            Even if you’ve never seen the movies, you know who Michael Myers is and have probably seen his image before. You could make the argument that he was one of the original slasher movie villains and an inspiration for Freddy Krueger from A Nightmare on Elm Street and Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13^th.  

            Halloween stood on its own as a horror movie classic, but then it made money and the studios wanted more. What was once a self-contained scary flick is now a massive franchise spawning seven sequels from 1981-2002 as well as a remake in 2007 directed by Rob Zombie, which also spawned its own sequel in 2009.

            While commercially successful, most of the Halloween sequels were poorly-received, some are better than others not going to lie, but none of them were able to recreate the fear and thrills of the original…until now.

            Ignoring the continuity of the sequels, director, David Gordon Green (Snow Angels, Pineapple Express, Joe) and producer, Jason Blum (The Purge franchise, Split, Get Out) take the franchise back to its roots with Halloween (2018). A direct follow-up to the original film with Carpenter returning as an executive producer and Curtis reprising her role as Laurie Strode, the babysitter who survived Michael Myers’ 1978 killing spree.

            Taking the Jurassic World approach and ignoring the events of the previous sequels and bringing Michael and Laurie back together to settle the score was the right thing to do. I don’t think it’s better than the original, but this is a damn good follow-up that’s as nostalgic as it is thrilling, kind of like a high school reunion…with a lot of blood.

            The film is set forty years after the Haddonfield murders of 1978 and Michael Myers has been locked away to spend the rest of his days in a mental institution. However, when Myers and several other patients are to be transferred to another institution, the bus suddenly crashes, and he escapes to finish what he started all those years ago.

            Meanwhile, Laurie Strode (Curtis) has shut herself out from the rest of the world and anticipated Myers’ inevitable return. Laurie spent the past forty years training every day, was married and divorced twice, and even had a daughter, Karen (Judy Greer-Dawn of/War for the Planet of the Apes, Jurassic World, Ant-Man 1 and 2) who she taught day and night in how to fire guns and fight to prepare her for a dark world.

            Karen, who started a family of her own, hopes her mother will one day be able to put Michael Myers in the past and move on. But as the news comes that Michael has escaped and returns to Haddonfield, Illinois, Laurie gears up for one final showdown to settle the score and protect her family.

            The film also stars Andi Matichak (666 Park Avenue, Orange is the New Black, Blue Bloods) as Karen’s daughter, Allyson Strode, Haluk Bilginer (Ishtar, Buffalo Soldiers, The International) as Dr. Ranbir Sartain, Will Patton (Armageddon, Remember the Titans, Falling Skies) as Frank Hawkins, Jefferson Hall (Game of Thrones, Wizards VS Aliens, Vikings) as Aaron Korey, Toby Huss (King of the Hill, Carnivále, Halt and Catch Fire) as Ray, Virginia Gardner (Project Almanac, The Goldbergs, Marvel’s Runaways) as Allyson’s best friend, Vicky, and Miles Robbins (The Greatest, Blockers, The X-Files) as Dave.

            Overall, Halloween is a bloodily satisfying return to form for this long-running film series and the filmmakers knew to celebrate the 40^th anniversary of the first movie with a bang, unlike Halloween H20 which was released for its 20^th anniversary. Bringing Curtis and Castle back as Laurie and Michael, ignoring the previous installments, paying homage to the original through its opening credits and music score, and delivering plenty of over-the-top deaths.

            Fortunately, the kills and homages never interfere with the film’s story and characters, it explores more of Michael Myers’ past which I found interesting and managed to transform Laurie from a babysitter into a Sarah Connor type character. Like the original, you grow attached to the people Michael is out to get and want to see them survive the night with very few stock characters.

            The acting is solid, but it’s Jamie Lee Curtis who steals the show as Laurie, she acts like someone who’s been through hell and will do whatever it takes to protect her family. She’s tough but has vulnerability, Laurie is prepared to kill Michael but shows fear and even though she pushed Karen to extreme lengths during childhood, it’s done with the best intentions.

            This is some of Jamie Lee Curtis’ best acting and a refreshing change of pace for Laurie’s character. She wasn’t prepared back in 1978 but she’s prepared to fight him again right now.

            This is the best Halloween sequel by far, a nostalgic and bloody trip down memory lane but with modern updates. I doubt it will become a classic like the original, but as a scary movie to watch this month, it’s a thrilling slasher movie treat.