Halloween (2018)

 



Name: Halloween

Directed By: David Gordon Green

Subgenre: Slasher

Series: Spooktober 2018 entry #31

Review: Come on, you'll had to know I was going to save this one for last! Halloween is a sequel the original Halloween (1978) and effectively ret-cons the other movies in the franchise as urban legends about Michael Meyers after the events of the first film. For those somehow unfamiliar with the franchise up to this point (hey, no judgment: we all start somewhere in the hobby!), Halloween follows Michael Myers as he dons a pallid mask of William Shatner's face, grabs a butcher's knife, and starts killing teenagers and is subsequently institutionalized. The movie picks up as Michael is set to be transferred from the psychiatric hospital to a high-security prison facility. Unsurprisingly, Michael escapes and starts slaughtering his way toward the one that got away (from being brutally murdered): Laurie Strode, but she's been preparing for this for a long, long time. Halloween has been rebooted a number of times, but this one feels like the truest successor to the series, what with Jamie Lee Curtis at the helm once again. Oh, and John Carpenter returns with his characteristic musical arrangements which only heighten the tension (and return to form for the franchise). Halloween is a slasher, and while the movie doesn't breathe new life into the subgenre, it does capture the spirit of it quite well: there are a number of interesting and brutal kills and the film works hard to capture the creeping tension the genre is known for. Unexpectedly, there are a few bit characters that are incredibly likable (the sassy kid being babysat comes to mind), but there's also the usual trope of unlikable characters the movie makes you feel as cold and psychopathic as Myers himself for enjoying them being offed. All in all, it's a grand entry to the Halloween franchise, but one that doesn't quite take the throne from its predecessor.

And with that, my friends, I wish you a very happy Halloween 2018!




Overall Score: 3.5 out of 5 Chads kind of morbidly curious as to what Michael Myer's mental health records look like, but that's not exactly the intended takeaway from the franchise. Did Halloween scare you? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

IMDB: Here

How to Watch: Halloween is available on these platforms.


Official Trailer



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