Movie Review—Halloween

Theatrical release poster

by Peter J. O'Connell       

Halloween. Released: Oct. 2018. Runtime: 106 mins. MPAA Rating: R for horror violence and bloody images, language, brief drug use and nudity. 

Sequels seldom equal the quality of the original film in a franchise. This year's Halloween, directed and co-written by David Gordon Green, comes close to being an exception to that rule. Appearing 40 years after John Carpenter's iconic original—which introduced many of the tropes used by horror films since and also made a star of Jamie Lee Curtis, who became known as the “scream queen”--Green's film manages to seem both new and (dis)comfortingly familiar. 

That is because Green has dumped all plot developments from the nine sequels between 1978 and this year and made the current film a direct sequel to the original. Laurie Strode, Curtis' teenaged babysitter character then, and Michael Myers (Nick Castle), then and now the relentless, masked, silent, serial killer, once more are in conflict, but 40 years older.

The film begins with two journalists, Dana and Aaron (Rhian Rees and Jefferson Hall), seeking to develop a podcast about Michael and his crimes of 40 years ago. In a visually striking scene at the sanitarium where Michel has been held, they attempt to get the killer to speak before he is transferred to a maximum security prison. 

Dana and Aaron are unsuccessful in getting Michael to speak, so they then visit Laurie to interview her. Laurie reluctantly agrees to talk to them (for $3,000). She explains that she has been dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder for four decades as a result of her experiences with Michael. Paranoia about his possible return to stalk her has led her to acquire guns and learn marksmanship and martial arts and to equip her house with all kinds of security features and surveillance technology.  

Laurie's PTSD also led to the failure of her two marriages and her loss of custody of her daughter, Karen (Judy Greer). Laurie now has a loving but somewhat iffy relationship with Karen and seeks to be very protective of Karen's daughter, Allyson (Andi Matichak), who also loves Laurie but resents her “hovering.” 

When Dana and Aaron ask Laurie to meet with Michael in a final attempt to get him to speak, she kicks them out of the house. She then gives the $3,000 to Allyson, but has a panic attack. Allyson seeks to comfort her. In the meantime, cause for terror beyond panic takes place as Michael escapes from the transport taking him to the maximum security prison, killing several people in the process. Michael's psychiatrist, Dr. Sartain (Haluk Bilginer), is injured in the incident. Sheriff Frank Hawkins (Will Patton) sets out on Michael's trail. 

The next day is Halloween, and Michael starts the day off in a brilliantly brutal scene in which he kills Dana and Aaron in a gas station bathroom and recovers his mask, which the two podcasters had obtained. Michael is now ready for a repeat of his previous killing spree.

While costumed trick-or-treaters roam the town streets Halloween night, the masked Michael uses hands, feet, hammer, knife, and a spiked fence to kill or attempt to kill several anonymous residents and Vicky (Virginia Gardner), Allyson's best friend; Julian (Jibrail Nantambu), a young boy babysat by Vicky; Oscar (Drew Scheid), a friend of Allyson's; Dr. Sartain; Ray (Toby Huss), Allyson's father; Karen; and, of course, Laurie. Sheriff Hawkins meets his fate from a different source than Michael. Events reach a ferocious climax at Laurie's house, whose safe room turns quite unsafe for several of the characters. And some of the characters learn the truth that the fact that you're paranoid doesn't mean someone isn't after you. 

Green's Halloween, despite its strengths, falls short of the almost “spiritually spooky” quality of Carpenter's original. It is essentially just a slasher flick, though a superior one. Curtis' performance as she transforms from PTSD sufferer to woman warrior is totally convincing. The rest of the cast is adequate or better, though Haluk Bilginer overacts compared with Donald Pleasance as the shrink in the original. Also, Andi Matichak looks too old for her part. But Halloween definitely will provide entertaining, though gory, excitement and suspense no matter what time of year.