‘Halloween (2018)’ | Film Review

Probably the best advice to should be given is to never be out and about on Halloween night in Haddonfield, IL because it’s the one day of the year where you know who comes to kill. Luckily, it’s all fiction to what fans of this franchise come to now. Can 2018’s “Halloween” be a return to form to the series? Can this also bring redemption to Ben Tramer? No to that last question.

After Michael Myers/ The Shape (Nick Castle and James Jude Courtney) escaped from an institution while being transported to another medical facility, the crazed killer returns to Haddonfield on Halloween night. Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) has prepared for the day Myers would return after she’s been traumatized 40 years ago, but this time, this might be the time to finally kill him once and for all.

John Carpenter’s “Halloween”, released in 1978, was the beginning of the slasher genre, and it’s been deemed as one of the best horror movies of all-time with its tension, creep factor and how surprisingly well-made it turned out to be. And it’s been a yearly viewing during the holiday. But then it was followed by seven sequels that never reached the potential that the original had. And don’t get me started about Rob Zombie’s two movies that lean more focus on excessive gore and very bad writing.

Though when the news broke of this new “Halloween” is basically retconning the continuity of all the movies after the first and making this a direct sequel with Curtis returning, who wouldn’t be excited? That idea could really work and makes everything from “Halloween II” to “Resurrection” totally irrelevant now. With the anticipation coming at the right time, there has to be one thing to make this good: Michael Myers has to be scary and must be a true sequel. Does it so? Indeed it does since I had a fun time with “Halloween”.

Director David Gordon Green (“Pineapple Express”, “Vice Principals”) was able to give fans a good sense of fear and an appropriate amount of atmosphere in trying to make this new installment worth the watch. He co-wrote the script with Danny McBride (yes, the actor) and Jeff Fradley, and I was curious to see how they were going to treat this franchise in a new light where this new movie is being like the laid-back professor telling his students to pick up their book and rip out the pages because it doesn’t matter anymore.

We see how that night 40 years ago has affected Laurie when she was just a babysitter having the worst night of her life when her friends were killed by this psychopath. Because of the traumatized she experienced, she had a difficult relationship with her daughter Karen (an excellent Judy Greer) and Laurie’s granddaughter Allyson (a memorable breakthrough Andi Matichak). And they were able to keep the mythology safe in still acknowledging that Michael is pure evil. Laurie needs to kill him so can finally be free from all this fear that was brought upon her.

Michael himself is still terrifying in every aspect. He still walks slow and doesn’t say a single word wearing his signature William Shatner mask, but he knows how to kill and be menacing about it. Do we get some good kills from him? That’s why I paid to see this. There are some pretty cool moments to these scary sequences that were well-shot. Two scenes stood out in which there’s a tracking shot of Michael going from house-to-house and a scene involving motion sensor lights that actually had me shield my eyes.

If you want to make a strong female character, look no further than Curtis’ return as Laurie. She really changed after that night where she’s been practicing shooting and securing her remote home. Paranoia is the main factor within herself at any given moment knowing Michael will escape. I just love seeing her back in the role that made her a star and the original “scream queen.”

Some might be thrown off with the homages to the first film, but they really didn’t bother me.

The humor that was provided in here didn’t actually taint the entire movie. Since McBride was one of the writers, there have to be some good jokes. Most will probably take criticism with those moments. Most of the jokes land while others didn’t. One kid who was being babysat, in particular, had me laughing. This doesn’t at any point become like a full-out comedy like “The Predator” where every character makes a joke; it balances out the tension a little bit.

And we also need that iconic Carpenter (who also was involved as a producer) score and the new score provided by him, his son Cody and Daniel Davies. Gives me chills every time it plays, especially during the opening credits.

There were some problems that I took that some may or maybe agree with. This is one of those movies where some characters make dumb decisions, which is always a pet peeve in horror movies. And as much as I liked Allyson, the stuff that’s going on her boyfriend wasn’t all that important. Also, a stupid jumpscare got me, and I hate myself for that.

If you’re a fan of the “Halloween” franchise, chances are you’re only gonna think it’s okay. Not everyone is gonna be impressed. Predictable? Of course. Although it didn’t make the movie the least bit unwatchable. “Halloween” is worth checking out around this season ranking this as one of the better horror sequels and the best “Halloween” sequel we’ll get. As I left the theater I thought to myself “I could go for another one”. Applauds for Blumhouse for bringing back a horror icon right.

“Halloween” offers up the perfect amount of scares and fright that the other sequels (and remakes) failed to accomplish in what appears to be a surprisingly captivating horror flick that fans will hopefully enjoy.

Grade- B