Halloween (2018)

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Halloween Reviews

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Remember back in 1978 when 'Halloween' came along and more or less ushered in the slasher genre as we know it? Without it, we might not have characters like Jason Voorhees or Freddy Krueger. But then, it spawned many sequels and slowly followed its lore into oblivion. This movie decides to retcon everything we've seen from 'Halloween 2' to 'Halloween: Resurrection' and pick it up from the first film. And yes, that even means 'Halloween II,' which takes place the same night as '78's 'Halloween,' is also out of the game.

One of the biggest things they do here is rid the franchise of the idea that Laurie and Michael are siblings. Instead, Myers is just a dude who killed a couple of babysitters one night back in the late 70s. He was since evidently captured and living at Smith's Grove Rehabilitation Hospital, and that part of the retcon kinda irks me due to how the first 'Halloween' ends. There's a big chunk missing between 1978 and 2018, and I'm usually all for using our imaginations to fill in the blanks.

As much as I enjoy this chapter, I must be fair. This asks us to accept quite a lot over forty years. The big question is, who captured Michael in the end, anyway? 'Halloween' ('78) ends with Michael disappearing and decidedly still alive somewhere, doing his thing. I think we're supposed to assume that Loomis eventually gets him, but they could have explained things better rather than going from "he's on the loose" to "he's been rotting away in an asylum for a while now." However, we can call this a nitpick on my part. After all, forty years is a long time, and a lot can happen within that time.

In the meantime, Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) is still struggling with the memories of losing her friends at the hands of Michael Myers (James Jude Courtney) that fateful night. She has since trained herself to be a bit of a badass for the last four decades in preparation for Michael's potential return. However, her daughter, Karen (Judy Greer), and granddaughter, Allyson (Andi Matichak), try very hard to convince her to think everything's over. Michael's locked away, and she has nothing to worry about anymore. But soon, there's talk of a breakout, sending Laurie into action, hoping he'll come after her for a final showdown she's determined to win.

The film does a good job with its overall intensity and allowing us back into this world the way it was before all of the occult and "Thorn" stuff took it over, and for that, I love it. Things feel "right" here despite a slight flaw or two, and I'd even argue that this is a better "Halloween II" than the original one from 1980 as it moves a bit quicker, and I love seeing Laurie have a "take no shit" attitude. But unfortunately, at least in my opinion, this does continue a rough trend for this franchise in that it picks up from a certain place, retcons a bunch of other stuff, and sequels itself into (as mentioned before) oblivion. More on that with 'Halloween Ends.'

However, sticking with this film, I can confidently say that Courtney makes a great Michael Myers in how he movies and creates an imposing figure. Laurie has officially become a badass over the years, which is awesome, and the film has a more dramatic tone that frankly outdoes most past sequels. It leans closer to the style and feel of the original, which is a breath of fresh air. We also tend to like a few horror tropes in these movies, and the film doesn't do a bad job of executing them to where they still work. The whole sibling thing between Michael and Laurie that they cut here doesn't bother me, but I might suggest it's unnecessary and may very well irk some of the more hardcore fans.

Ultimately, the film returns to the series' roots, focusing on camera work, lighting and music to make things more intense and creepy. It's nice that it went back to something much more simplistic than where it went originally, ending on 'Curse.' It further proves what 'Halloween' showed in the first place upon its release in '78 in that simplicity is often much more effective in horror. On top of that, Curtis returns as a toughened-up heroine, much better than her return in 'H20' as an overprotective parent. All in all, it's actually a pretty great flick. But it also marks yet another path to take on the franchise timeline, ending in disappointment, as they all tend to do.


​4/5

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