Review of Halloween (2018) by R Z — 25 Oct 2018

Michael Myers is the glass-ceiling-breaker of the modern slasher genre. Freddy, Jason, Ghostface, Chucky; these iconic figures owe their existence to John Carpenter's 1978 classic. But where many of those monsters have grown into obscurity or dated camp, the unstoppable force of evil that is Halloween's hero/villain is as striking and haunting as it was 40 years ago. With this 2018 sequel, Myers imposing shape and menace is on full display, even if the movie itself pales in comparison to its timeless predecessor.

Writer/director Green opted to ignore all 10 previous series' entries, using only the original as a basis for his story. Myers has been institutionalized for 40 years, Lauri Strode is a doomsday prepper, and the town of Haddonfield looks back on that infamous Halloween night with fable-like disinterest...until, of course, Myers breaks out. There's a lot of OG Halloween mirroring, both ethereally (quiet, open space, slow-movement) and exactly (balconies, closets, resurrecting, the musical score). However, where the film works best is in its creative terror, when the filmmakers aren't so worried about honoring legacy and instead focus on screams.

But that legacy still casts a formidable shadow. When this one tries to recall the original, it works fine, but only in the way that great fan-fiction reminds us of what we already love; and when it breaks away from its inheritance (especially answers provided in the previous sequels), it leaves questions that aren't so much mysterious as they are frustrating. What's Michael's motivation? Why has Laurie not moved on even a tiny bit in 40 years? Still, despite plot-holes, lazy flashbacks, and clunky exposition, Halloween 2018 provides enough October-fun to warrant sitting among the Michael Myers' collection.