Here is another remake of a classic film – but wait, this one is actually good.
“Halloween” is one of the iconic slasher films made by the duo of director/composer John Carpenter and producer/writer Debra Hill. “Halloween” has been remade before. Rob Zombie’s 2003 “Halloween” received mixed reviews and made the franchise even more confusing than it already was.
In 1978, one Halloween night, teenage babysitter Laurie Strode survived an encounter with Michael Myers after he attacked her and killed several other people.
And, according to this latest installment, Myers was captured later that night. He was sentenced back to Smith’s Grove Mental Hospital where he hasn’t spoken a word in forty years. In fact, he stopped speaking completely after he murdered his sister when on Halloween night in 1963 when he was 6 years old. It hinted at that Myers isn’t even human; his stuntmen in the credits are listed as playing The Shape.
Meanwhile, Laurie, now an aged grandmother, has spent all that time arming, training and preparing herself for the dreaded day Myers would escape. Now that day has come and their final showdown has arrived – about time, honestly.
Several people return from the original: Jamie Lee Curtis plays Laurie, stuntman Nick Castle is The Shape and John Carpenter is the executive producer and composer. Sadly, Debra Hill passed away in 2005.
Now, I’m not sure how much Carpenter contributed to this film. Maybe he came up with ideas, maybe he didn’t? All that I do know is that 2018’s “Halloween” is a really good movie.
One of the reasons 2018’s “Halloween” might be so good is because some of the people behind it are fans.
Director and co-writer David Gordon Green and Danny McBride are close friends and fans of the “Halloween” franchise. These two people would not seem like first picks to work on a horror film, as they are both better known for their work in comedies like “Pineapple Express” and “Your Highness.”
However, horror is similar to comedy. Both genres have to rely on knowing their audience, how to play with their emotions and catch them off guard. And as Jason Blum said in an interview with Variety, “Jordan Peele was not known for horror before ‘Get Out.’”
This “Halloween” is designed as more of a direct sequel to the original and not, as McBride put it, “Halloween 11.” This is more like “Halloween 2,” despite there already being a “Halloween 2.” Again, it’s a confusing franchise. McBride also said they were paying homage to other films that came afterwards.
Personally, I found this movie to be scary. That said, I scare easily when it comes to horror films. But even if you don’t find this to be a scary movie, “Halloween” is a fun movie.
I appreciate that Myers has a higher body count in this movie. In the original, he only kills five people. Here, it’s more like 20. In a way, it gives Myers more time to shine. Like a true slasher film, it has creative ways for the villain to kill people. I may sound morbid, but it’s highly entertaining to watch.
2018’s “Halloween” does have a much lighter tone than the original with a few comedic moments. There’s only one scene where the comedy felt distracting.
I enjoyed the direction they took this movie. How Laurie has lived this self-destructive life, unable to get over her decades-long private war against Myers. And despite all of her waiting and preparing, she’s still scared when she comforts him again. After all, who wouldn’t be?
You shouldn’t watch the trailers for 2018’s “Halloween.” There are some really creative scares and kills in this movie, and having seen the trailers, I knew they were coming. I just wish they hadn’t been spoiled and seen them on screen.
Is this “Halloween” as good as the original? That’s debatable. As someone who is a fan of the original, I knew that it probably wasn’t going to be better. So I walked in this movie not looking for something that was going to be better; instead, I was just looking for a good movie. And that is what I got.
I do prefer the original. But that may be due to nostalgia or its iconic status. One could make that argument that this “Halloween” is actually equal in sheer quality. To be honest, the original “Halloween” isn’t perfect and does have plenty of flaws to it.
Whether it’s a remake, a sequel, a reboot or whatever, 2018’s “Halloween” is a cool movie. It is fun, entertaining, with creative scares and kills. It’s definitely a highlight in a confusing franchise.
The biggest flaw of “Halloween” would be its title. There are already two other movies in the franchise called “Halloween,” So it’s confusing to explain which one is which. Couldn’t have they just added something to the title, maybe called it “Halloween: The Babysitter Murders?” Or maybe “Halloween: The Final Chapter of Michael Myers… We Swear.”
Although, with this franchise, there probably would be another one eventually…