Halloween Movie Review

Is it a sequel? Is it a remake? Who cares because it’s pretty darn good.

by Sharuna Warner
Movies & TV Shows Review

31

Halloween Movie Review

Michael Myers finally returns to Haddonfield to finish off what he started forty years ago on Halloween night.

John Carpenter’s Halloween has always been one of my favourite horror/slasher movies, hands down - so much so that I’ve written two dissertations that feature it heavily. It’s precise pacing and skilfully mastered tension has lead to it standing the test of time and keeps it up there on the list of best horror movies.

But following on from the huge success of the 1978 release of Halloween came seven sequels and a remake with it’s own sequel, none quite coming close to living up to the standard that Carpenter set back in ’78. So, forty years on comes yet another sequel, this time from Director David Gordon Green who penned the script with Danny McBride and Jeff Fradley. But thankfully these chaps have done their homework and have, quite rightly, done away with the old remakes and sequels creating a direct follow on from the 1978 movie set forty years after that one Halloween night in Haddonfield, Illinois.

The structure of the film is pretty standard horror movie fare but updated to be more befitting of today’s world.

After committing 5 murders (one as a six-year-old) Michael Myers has been safely locked away in a high security psychiatric facility under the watchful eye of Dr. Loomis’s protégé, Dr. Sartain (Haluk Bilginer), who is about to relinquish his care as Myers is transferred to a new facility. Eager to get a glimpse of the man who was once described as having ‘the blackest eyes, the devil’s eyes’ are two investigative journalists desperate to shed fresh light on the Myers’ case for their podcast.

Despite surviving Michael’s attack and outliving her friends, Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) has in no way forgotten or moved on from that fateful Halloween night. Tucked away in a secluded location, cut off from society, with all the security imaginable, Laurie spends her days preparing for the night that Michael will inevitably make his way back to her to finish what he started. But Laurie is no longer the teenage girl she once was she’s older now and both a mother and a grandmother.

As brutally murdered bodies are discovered in and around Haddonfield it soon becomes apparent that a familiar face has made a return and it’s not long before Laurie gets to have her final showdown.
Halloween
As I’m sure many others were, I was very anxious about seeing Halloween. It had a lot to live up to and it could so easily have been yet another rubbish remake catering to generic mass audiences, foregoing all the brilliance that the ’78 Halloween mustered up. So it was more than a pleasant surprise to discover that it was far from a disappointment. Green had clearly paid close attention to the original film and includes a number of references to the original that makes it feel like an homage as well as sort of a remake at times. There’s so much that I want to mention but I don’t want to give away any potential spoilers.

The structure of the film is pretty standard horror movie fare but updated to be more befitting of today’s world. There are some definite positive changes that have been included but for the most part it is what you would expect. That’s not to say it’s boring or predictable though. There are a few narrative threads that don’t go the way you would expect, thankfully, and work to keep things interesting. The music, created by John Carpenter for the original film, has also been updated and is used to punctuate certain moments perfectly. There is an added element of humour, which the rest of the audience found thoroughly hilarious, that felt like it was added in for good measure, but ultimately didn’t feel necessary.

It was never going to surpass Carpenter’s film but at least now there is a worthy sequel that can proudly sit next to the original.

It felt like Jamie Lee Curtis finally got to play the version of Laurie Strode, post-Micheal-attack, that she always wanted to play. Suffering from PTSD, Laurie is as equally fragile as she is resilient. Harnessing an air of Sarah Connor, she’s packing enough heat to put down a small army. Judy Greer plays Laurie’s daughter, Karen, who find’s her mother’s obsession with Michael Myers more than a little frustrating especially when it comes to her own daughter Allyson, played by Andi Matichak.

This version of Halloween is very much a female centric film and perfectly shows the evolution of the final girl into a final woman. Sadly, with no Donald Pleasance the role of the doctor falls to Haluk Bilginer who is good but maybe feels like he is trying to fill the shoes of Dr. Loomis a little too much. It was also awesome to see Nick Castle reprising his role as ‘The Shape’ in the credits.

For fans of the 1978 Halloween (and how could you not be a fan?!) I am sure that Green’s latest film will not disappoint. There are maybe one or two moments that feel a bit too on the nose, but you can also look at these moments as one filmmaker taking inspiration from and acknowledging another. It was never going to surpass Carpenter’s film but at least now there is a worthy sequel that can proudly sit next to the original.

Scores

Verdict

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8

8
AVForumsSCORE
OUT OF
10

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