Review of Halloween (2018) by Kyle L — 23 Oct 2018

After a string of mishaps with the cash grab sequels that nearly placed the nail on the coffin in the Halloween franchise, the series is back to its roots after a long hiatus and the Shape has never been more terrifying than ever from his long absence when John Carpenter introduced him back in 1978, while also giving notes to other studios on how to make a proper follow up to one of the most memorable Horror movies of all time without damaging the things that made the original a big hit.

Forty years after Michael Myers terrorized and killed five people in Haddonfield, The Shape has re-emerged from the shadows after a group of people who are making a documentary about the Haddonfield murders triggered his mind to finish what he started back in 1978.

But he's not alone as his surviving victim, Laurie Strode, has waited for a long time to put him down for good and protect the people she loves. Having the chance to watch the original Halloween forty years ago (and becoming a fan in the process).

I was very surprised with how the latest entry in the long running, successful Halloween franchise turned out. This newest sequel which fully ignores the early sequels captures the spirit of the original Halloween since Halloween H20.

When you look back at the previous sequels from the early 80s up to 2001, you can tell that this new Halloween film goes back to the roots of what made the original John Carpenter classic a big hit. Gone are the connections between Michael and Laurie as siblings along with keeping the Shape an enigma to everyone's mind, that means having no clear purpose on Michael's motivations which is one of the highlights of the original Halloween.

What returned instead are the team behind this masterpiece from old and new faces as a way of introducing new audiences while also giving the die hard fans a proper chance to revive this dying franchise after the abysmal Halloween Resurrection sank its purity to the drain in favor of money for the greedy producers.

What made this new Halloween film special is that it was produced by Jason Blum along with original director and composer John Carpenter with the latter acting as consultant on the narrative for this film and its future follow ups.

This is not some money grubbing sequel, the new Halloween movie expands the lore of the original while also retaining the best aspects of what made the first movie a success from the camera work to the spectacular score of previous director, consultant, producer and now composer John Carpenter.

This movie does a job to keep you on edge as what the original did. While the first Halloween relied on atmosphere and very few kills, this new film relies on some of those elements while also throwing new ones into the mix and balancing them at the same time.

This movie has a higher body count and more gore all the while, it keeps the suspense on track and paying respect to the John Carpenter classic. There are so many scenes that combines suspense and brutality in the best way (The edgy opening scene which sets the tone of the whole movie, the gas station attack, the intense sequence where the bus transporting Michael crashes before killing two innocent folks, Michael walking the streets of Haddonfield before entering a couple of houses, the terrifying closet scene where Michael kills a babysitter, the scary emergency light backyard death scene, Michael killing his new therapist who has gone mad after killing the sheriff, Michael regaining consciousness after getting hit by a police car and the finale where Michael and Laurie face off at Laurie's turf).

It is true that the Halloween films have become nothing but a disappointment with the later on sequels beginning with Halloween 4 to 6 and Halloween Resurrection. Now, with the rights back to John Carpenter and teaming up with Jason Blum.

The franchise has been glorified for all the right reasons thanks to newcomer David Gordon Green behind the cameras with help from fellow collaborator Danny McBride, this made me fill my hopes up for the future of the Halloween franchise now that it is riding on a cart without skidding off the rails.

As for the performances, the cast has done an amazing job with their work on this film. It's good to see two of the original Halloween actors reprise their roles from the original 1978 film. Jamie Lee Curtis is the big star of this film, as we see her character Laurie Strode evolve from a scared teen in the original who manages to fight back against her attacker to a tough as nails woman in this film who has awaited for forty years for her attacker to come back and put Michael down herself while struggling with her traumatic past forty years ago.

Having Nick Castle reprise his role as the Shape is fantastic while new comers like Jurassic World, Carrie (2013) and Ant-Man actress Judy Greer is great for the role of Laurie's daughter. Director David Gordon Green has done a fantastic job in reviving this dying franchise after so many disappointing sequels including an inferior but not bad remake made by Rob Zombie.

I was so interested to see how he takes the risk in going to new directions on what genre he should work on after making Drama and Comedy films. Being a new face in the Horror genre is a tough job for most filmmakers, but for Mr.

Gordon Green. He faces the risk and challenges it in the best way with help from John Carpenter, Jason Blum and Danny McBride, I look forward to see with what he will do next with the future of Halloween.

Overall, this new Halloween film is the best in the series thanks to its well executed reviving methods, respect to its previous lore while also opening the doors for new audiences who are new to this franchise and also welcoming back previous die hard fans who know these films for forty years.

This film gets a 10/10.