Laurie Strode can now rightfully take her place along Alien‘s Ellen Ripley and Terminator 2‘s Sarah Connor.
Halloween fans have learned to expect the unexpected over the last 40 years. After several sequels that promised to be the last in the series and one “re-imagining” of the original film that earned a sequel of its own, here is yet another sequel to John Carpenter’s 1978 slasher classic. The twist this time is that this one cancels out all that have come before. The increasingly confusing storylines of the sequels are dismissed in this film as “stories that people made up” and that’s that.
Director and co-writer David Gordon Green along with co-writers Danny McBride and Jeff Fradley have created what is intended to be an homage to and a continuation of the story of Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and Michael Myers (Nick Castle, reprising the role for the first time since 1978, in some scenes). Laurie Strode, of course, was a survivor of Michael Myers’ murder spree in Haddonfield, Illinois on Halloween night, 1978.
After that night, Myers was captured and incarcerated in Smith’s Grove, the same facility he escaped from in the original film. For 40 years, he hasn’t uttered a word about the 1978 murders or the murder of his sister in 1963. A pair of podcasters (Jefferson Hall and Rhian Rees) visit Smith’s Grove to speak with Myers shortly before he’s transferred to a less accommodating facility. They bring the original (and iconic) mask that Myers wore during the 1978 murders attempting to get a reaction out of him.
Of course, Myers eventually escapes Smith’s Grove a second time. His destination? I’ll give you three guesses. However, this time around Laurie Strode isn’t a scared babysitter. She’s been preparing for a confrontation with Myers for 40 years to the detriment of her family and love life. Her estranged daughter, Karen (Judy Greer), urges her to get treatment and leave the past behind but Laurie refuses to give that a thought. Karen has a daughter of her own, Allyson (Andi Matichak), who is a bit more patient but both agree that Grandma Laurie needs to move on with her life.
Halloween is critic-proof. Nothing anyone says will keep the die-hard fans away from its opening weekend. And, speaking as a fan of the original film (and the much-maligned Halloween III: Season of the Witch, which was not a Myers-themed sequel at all,) I was really hoping for something special. Early press reviews were mostly positive. So, I dutifully shelled out my cash for an 8:00 PM showing on opening night. I can positively say that the 2018 Halloween is, without question, the best of the sequels. Unfortunately, that’s faint praise since the bar wasn’t set very high in the past 40 years.
Green and company were wise to retcon the sequels out-of-existence and focus on the aftermath of the first film. By focusing on Laurie Strode and how the effects of that night shaped her life, the film offers up a perspective that may ring true with #MeToo. That said, the second act takes things down a notch by doing two things it really didn’t need to: delving into a pointless doomed teenage romance subplot and having one character needlessly doing something unexpected. Thankfully, Halloween finds its footing in the third act and, although there are some head-scratching moments, it redeems itself.
Green takes classic slasher elements pioneered by the 1978 film and puts a modern spin on them. Michael Myers is older but he seems to have become more brutal than he was in 1978. The original movie inspired many bloody slasher films in its wake but actually kept the on-screen gore to a minimum. This time around, things are considerably bloodier but nowhere near the extremes of Rob Zombie’s 2007 version. Jump scares are plentiful but never seem cheap.
Visually, Green and cinematographer Michael Simmonds (Paranormal Activity 2) frame scenes in such a way that Michael Myers embodies the slasher icon he’s become over the years. Coupled with John Carpenter’s outstanding new score, which incorporates elements from the original film, these scenes work more often than not.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the stellar performance of Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode. Although she’s returned to play this role in past Halloween sequels, this time the script truly does the character justice and Curtis knocks it out of the park. Laurie Strode can now rightfully take her place along Alien‘s Ellen Ripley and Terminator 2‘s Sarah Connor.
Halloween isn’t perfect as it falls prey to the usual slasher film tropes. Considering its pedigree, though, it would probably seem odd without them. But it does succeed where all other Halloween sequels have failed: making Michael Myers evil again. That alone was worth the price of admission.
4.0 out of 5.0 stars
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