Note: This review was originally published on my Halloween blog All Things Halloween.
Laurie Strode and Michael Myers have returned to the big screen for a 40thanniversary showdown. This sequel, simply titled Halloween as its predecessor, is the film fans have been waiting for since 1978.
Halloween is a direct sequel to the original film, taking place in October 2018, 40 years after the events of the first film in Haddonfield. The film opens as two true-crime podcasters, Aaron Korey (Jefferson Hall) and Dana Haines (Rhian Rees) visit Smith’s Grove Sanitarium to meet with Dr. Sartain (Haluk Bilginer), Michael Myers’ psychiatrist since the death of Dr. Sam Loomis (played by the late Donald Pleasancein five previous films).
Dr. Sartain allows Aaron and Dana to visit with Michael (played by James Jude Courtney for the majority of the film and original actor Nick Castle in a handful of scenes), who has remained silent for the past 40 years. According to Dr. Sartain, The Shape can talk, but simply chooses not to. Aaron tries to get Michael to speak, but Michael remains motionless, even when Aaron pulls out the infamous white mask in an attempt to provoke Michael into saying something.
After the opening credits play with a revised version of John Carpenter’s classic score, Aaron and Dana decide to pay a visit to Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), who lives in isolation following Michael’s attack on her in 1978. The pair briefly interview Laurie, who is quickly shown as someone who knows Michael will return, although her actions can be interpreted as paranoia. Laurie warns Aaron that he should believe The Boogeyman and soon asks the two to leave.
As the film goes along, we’re introduced to Laurie’s daughter Karen (Judy Greer), Karen’s husband Ray (Toby Huss) and Laurie’s granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak). Karen is estranged from her mother, having been taken away by child protective services when she was 12-years-old. Karen believes her mother needs to seek help and does not want to pursue a relationship until Laurie gets help. Allyson, however, is much more sympathetic and sees Laurie in secret, knowing how traumatized her grandmother was by the attack.
Eventually, Michael is to be transferred to a different facility to remain incarcerated. While on a bus to the other facility, something awakens in Michael and The Shape spurs into action, returning to his hometown of Haddonfield after reclaiming his long-lost mask.
From there, the story jumps into high-intensity mode as Michael begins slaying anyone who gets in his way, and as Laurie drives around town preparing for their inevitable confrontation, which is an epic battle between a force of a nature and a woman with 40 years of preparation and dealing with trauma taking each other on.
Similar to the original film, Halloween doesn’t rely on a lot of blood and gore to scare the audience. That’s not to say there is no blood, but it’s a healthy mixture of a bit of blood and gore and with suspenseful scares that keeps the audience on its toes.
As for the two main characters, their portrayals in this film are faithful to the original. We find Laurie as a much more broken woman than we did in the last anniversary film (Halloween H20: 20 Years Later). While she is prepared for Michael’s return, it’s clear she struggles with the PTSD resulting from the traumatic experience. Laurie is shown drinking in a handful of scenes, and she breaks down a few times, too. While Karen is impatient with her mother’s breakdowns, Allyson comes to her grandmother’s aide, even becoming a literal shoulder for Laurie to cry on. But when she knows Michael is back in town, she jumps into survivor mode, getting her secure house ready for Michael’s arrival, and having all of her weapons ready to fight him.
The Shape, meanwhile, is back to his original incarnation. While the sequels and Rob Zombie’s remake attempted to explain Michael’s actions in different forms, in this film he is much more mysterious, as he was in the original. The Shape kills indiscriminately; he’ll attack anyone who gets in his way, often before the audience even has time to develop sympathy for the characters. He functions as a force of nature motivated simply by instinct and is the embodiment of pure evil: “I realized that what was living behind that boy’s eyes was purely and simply evil.”
Halloween’s climax will keep your heart racing as you watch Laurie and Michael in a fight that could well kill either one of them. You’ll find yourself rooting for Laurie, while also wondering what will happen to The Shape as they fight. Even after the credits roll, the adrenaline will still course through your veins and leave you hungry for seeing the film once again. Halloween is definitely the strongest sequel of all, and has certainly been worth the long wait.
Halloween is rated R for horror violence and bloody images, language, brief drug use and nudity). David Gordon Green directed the film and wrote it with Danny McBride and Jeff Fradley. Series creator John Carpenter and star Jamie Lee Curtis serve as executive producers. The film runs 109 minutes.
Troy Rigg
Really liked this movie. I thought it was great they brought Carpenter back and that most of the music was derivative of the original music or brand new and not just the same old (though great) music stuck in there. Some of the visuals were really great. Curious to see how it holds up with repeated viewings.