Review of Halloween (2018) by Joseph D — 18 Oct 2018

OUR MIKEY BOY'S FINALLY COME HOME!!!!!!!

HALLOWEEN (2018).

4 decades after he came home the first time, & now we get a sequel that retcons everything! As far as we're concerned, everything past the end of the first film didn't happen! And IMHO, there's more good than bad because of it.

At one hour & 46 minuets, there's a solid beginning, middle, & payoff to this film's plot; with setup & development for most of the cast, ending with a......wait, don't wanna spoil things. A high point of my viewing was playing spot the reference, there were quite a few, but they weren't annoyingly in your face.

The cast was awesome! Jamie Lee Curtis still hasn't lost her touch! I believed her as someone who went through a trauma & then spent decades using prepping to cope with the resulting PTSD. The folks playing her family did well. Judy Greer really sells it as Laurie's daughter, a person robbed of their childhood, due to parental baggage. Andi Matichak as Laurie's granddaughter was a typical modern teenager, very believable. And I was surprised to find Toby Huss, or as I know him, ARTIE, THE STRONGEST MAN.....IN THE WORLD, playing Laurie's son-in-law; he sorta took a back seat, but he was entertaining when we saw him. The rest of the cast added their own subtle flavors & textures to this pumpkin pie of a film, making it all the sweeter. Michael has returned to his roots, he IS The Shape, able to use whatever's on hand, or just his two hands, to do what he does best! No reason, no method to the madness. He. Just. Kills. And that's what makes him so awesomely terrifying.

The effects were minimal, & all practical. We went to real locations, each one with their own atmosphere of dread. Despite knowing what was gonna happen, they were able to build a solid amount of tension without relying on too many cheep jump scares.

The music was pure Halloween. They didn't use the main theme or the classic score too much or too little, it was juuust right.

Halloween (2018) was a Halloween sequel WORTHY of being a Halloween sequel! It made Michael Audrey Myers frightening again. And while we may have lost the continuity of the second film, this one really made up for how bad the post H5 films were! I just wish the guy who originally produced these films had lived to see this one. I'm giving it 4 pumpkins outta 5! Happy Halloween, I can't wait to see what comes next; 'cause you KNOW he ain't dead, as the best slashers never die!