Review: Halloween (2018)

Directed by: David Gordon Green
Written by: Jeff Fradley, Danny McBride and David Gordon Green
Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, Andi Matichak, Nick Castle, James Jude Courtney, Will Patton and Haluk Bilginer

It's been more than 40 years since John Carpenter terrorized moviegoers with his iconic horror masterpiece Halloween. I still vividly remember locking myself away in my bedroom in 2008 celebrating the 30th anniversary of the classic. It's been a whole decade since? Time is flying way too fast. When it was announced that another Halloween sequel was being made and Carpenter would be serving as an executive producer, I was ecstatic. More than hearing about an upcoming horror movie, it felt like a personal service to myself and the rest of the Halloween fanbase. My excitement was only amplified when my friend got us tickets to the Sydney premiere, which happened to feature a short Q+A with Jamie Lee Curtis herself beforehand. I need not say the night was terrific.

So what do I think of the new movie itself? It's made choosing a favorite Halloween sequel much more difficult. I wish I could agree with John Carpenter and declare it the best since the original, but my love of Halloween II, Halloween 4: The Return of Michaels Myers and Halloween H20: 20 Years Later isn't something I can overlook. Passion and nostalgia undoubtedly lead me to looking at the series in a biased way. However, I think this and the 1978 classic make the best double feature.

This film begins 40 years after Michael Myers' original rampage on Halloween Night. Laurie Strode has spent decades in paranoia and in preparation for what she sees as Michael's inevitable return to Haddonfield. The experience of almost being murdered has cost her marriages and fractured her relationship with her family. Michael Myers has been held in Smith's Grove Sanitarium since the killings and under the care of Ranbir Sartain, a doctor whose approach to the case is a stark contrast to his predecessor, Samuel Loomis. During what should have been an orderly transfer to another facility, Michael escapes to finish what he started years earlier.

What's most remarkable about this sequel is the fact that it retcons every single sequel before it. Rebooting the series and discarding timelines established by previous films is nothing new to this franchise. Rejecting Halloween II however really challenges the normal paradigm of these films. Throwing out the idea that Laurie and Michael were siblings had me a little skeptical at first. It actually works out very well and has the effect of transforming Michael back into the incarnation of pure, unrestrained evil as the original would have us believe. It's also admittedly the first time I've ever found Michael Myers to be terrifying. The treatment of Laurie Strode however is where Halloween truly shines. Her visible anguish is tragic and distressing to watch. I found myself identifying so much with this version of the character. This is a Laurie that despite not coming through the horrors of 1978 undamaged has become a stronger and authoritative individual. A far cry from the meek bookworm of the past. Laurie Strode has gone full-fledged heroine.

If I had to draw attention to some flaws, I found the graphic violence to be very out of touch with the almost bloodless original it's trying to bring us back to. Ironically I'd go so far as saying it's one of the most graphic films in the series. Not to say I don't love cinematic violence, but it really did feel like another plain sequel in this respect. There's also a minor amount of comedic relief too that in my opinion detracts from some of the more serious emotions at hand. These flaws considered, they also happen predominantly in the first half of the film. A few stumbles, sure, but not something that diminished the flavor of that satisfying finale. That alone makes this film and I'd implore you to watch it rather than read my review.

2 sequels are upcoming and I'm really not sure what to expect from this. The titles are questionable and I don't know how one would follow up on such a strong ending. I guess we'll find out in 2020. While this film throws aside all the past sequels, among them some films I truly cherish, it doesn't mean you have to. The 2018 sequel is a different Halloween that serves as a companion piece to the original alone. The gift of this film is that it's given us another way to enjoy one of the greatest horror franchises of all time, and it's a gift given to us by many of those who were involved in the classic from 1978.

To the late Donald Pleasence, Debra Hill and Moustapha Akkad, I wish you could have seen it. It would have made you proud.

My Rating: 9/10