Michael Myers slips the mask back on with ease in this Blumhouse sequel to the 1978 original
You have a cult classic: a horror film that presents a figure, setting, and score that become iconic. Then a number of sequels meet with middling success, never quite capturing what made the original special (as is so often the case). How do you account for that when adding to the franchise?
Evidently the answer is that you ignore them all. That’s the approach taken by director David Gordan Green, along with co-writers Jeff Fradley and Danny McBride, in this new sequel to the John Carpenter’s 1978 original Halloween.
Halloween opens with a pair of British reporters (Rhian Rees and Jefferson Hall) attempting to dig deeper into the slaughter that befell Haddonfield, Illinois 40 years ago by interviewing both survivors. The killer, Michael Myers, has long been held by the state for psychiatric evaluation under Doctor Sartain (Haluk Bilginer), the “new Dr. Loomis” who has been studying Myers in an effort to understand the true nature of evil. Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), the babysitter who evaded his killing spree, is still dealing with the psychological damage from the incident. A self-described “basket case,” she is something of a recluse, estranged from her daughter Karen (Judy Greer) and granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak) after imprinting her fears upon them. The night before Halloween marks yet another painful anniversary of the incident, but these memories pale in comparison to what unfolds when, during a prisoner transport, Michael Myers escapes captivity. As he resumes his murder spree, Laurie realizes the day she has long prepared for is finally here.
Halloween 2018 opens with a tone that echoes the ‘70s, with production design in an aged mental hospital filled with analogue equipment, including clunky switches and a record player. That small town feel carries over to the rest of the film, one bathed in an autumn palette and driven by a synth score, updated by Carpenter with his son Cody and Daniel Davies. David Gordon Green shifts his camera in a similar way to Carpenter, a voyeuristic approach assuming a first person perspective or trailing behind a knife in the hand. The old fashioned slasher structure is intact, with a freshness thanks to a sharp script. Perhaps the most surprising thing is how funny the film is, often using call backs to the original in brilliant ways to elicit cheers or laughs. It’s superbly balanced between these moments and those that are far more unnerving. It is a very self-aware effort that exudes love for the original crafted by John Carpenter and Debra Hill, surely satiating its fans, but offers enough new to entertain and unsettle newcomers.
One of the most important components of a horror film is characters you actually care about. Laurie has her legacy that ensures we’re invested, but everyone new here is incredibly affable and fleshed out with impressive efficiency, especially some of the younger actors. A babysitter scene featuring solely newcomers is one of the most entertaining and gripping the film has to offer. With this foundation, it only adds to the potency of the kills, which are often brutal and harrowing to watch, burnishing the fearsome reputation of Michael Myers. This does point out one of the minor issues with wiping the slate clean of the sequels, where the fearsome legacy of Myers has gone, and all that remains is the 5 people he killed in the first film. That’s quite tame by current horror movie standards, and at odds with the legacy that is built around this character at the start of the movie by our helpful exposition-heavy British duo. Granted there is a rather tongue in cheek scene between the teens early in the film that looks to head off such criticism, but you get the lingering sense that the narrative has been strengthened by sacrificing some of the lethal legacy of this figure. In fairness, they go above and beyond to show how lethal Michael is in the present day. The first half of the film lets him rip (literally at times) in a town full of people dressed up for Halloween festivities, while the final act lets loose with an inversion of the predator/prey relationship. He seems even more hardened by his time behind bars, and even more brutal. His kill count far exceeds what has come before, and it’s not just quantity either, with Carpenter-inspired style deployed to deliver some truly memorable kills.
The real substance of the film comes from themes involving the trauma of a survivor. Laurie’s life has been permanently altered by her experience 40 years ago, spending her life since preparing — preparing her home, her self, and also her family, for the day she believes Michael will inevitably come home. Jamie Lee Curtis is stunning, going into full doomsday mode (with more than a hint of T2‘s Sarah Connor), running a gamut of emotions feeling like an entirely genuine reflection of the turmoil this woman must be going through. Her issues are exacerbated by her daughter’s disbelief in a well deployed Judy Greer, but are aided by the faith of her granddaughter (Andi Matichak proving a great addition to the franchise and worthy heir to Curtis). In spanning these three generations, Halloween paints a picture of how trauma can be handed down by our parents, but also how seeds of survival and strength can be planted. It’s empowering, with Halloween 2018 not only reviving a horror icon, but also managing to pass on the torch, all while tackling generational trauma, allowing a group of women to tell a victimizer that time’s up.
Halloween screened at Fantastic Fest 2018 and hits theaters on October 19th, 2018.