When you count them all up, there are, like, 11 Halloween films. Halloween III didn’t have anything to do with Michael Myers, so, it’s hard to count that one. But Let’s just say that this franchise has had multiple sequels, and a couple of reboot kind of things. All of these with various levels of success and/or watchability.
Now, in this version of Halloween, we have a direct sequel to the original Halloween from 1978. It’s 40 years later, and Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), has been living in a house that she has turned into a fortress, waiting for what she knows is inevitable: Michael Myers will escape from his pysch hospital at some point and will come looking for her.
The official synopsis: Laurie Strode comes to her final confrontation with Michael Myers, the masked figure who has haunted her since she narrowly escaped his killing spree on Halloween night four decades ago.
When thinking about sequels/reboots like this, we all pretty much eye-roll now. At least I do. There better be something new or interesting to contribute to the franchise if you’re going to do this. Thankfully, this Halloween film actually feels a lot like the original. Writers Danny McBride, David Gorden Green and Jeff Fradley kept the script simple and very much an homage to the original film, and even took the script to John Carpenter himself to get his approval – which he gave. In fact, he even co-wrote the soundtrack to the film which gives it even more of a feel of the original.
There’s plenty of creepy in this Halloween, and a couple of grisly moments of gore, but it’s full of the trademark cat and mouse scenes of Michael Myers hunting someone down and doing what he does best.
Obviously, Jamie Lee Curtis returns as Laurie Strode, but Strode now has her own daughter, and a granddaughter, played by Judy Greer and Andi Matichak, respectively. Other familiar faces are Will Patton as Officer Hawkins, Toby Huss as Ray (Judy Greer’s character Karen’s husband), and Nick Castle, who well, you won’t recognize per se’, seeing as he plays Michael Myers in the original Halloween AND this Halloween, complete with mask. But he is the same guy. He also director movies like The Last Starfighter and The Boy Who Could Fly.
There is even some humor here, and some little nods to the original Halloween if you pay attention. All in all, I had a good time with this film. However, in a sense, this is also a bit of a jump start for the franchise, so take that as you will.
Either way, I say close to four kittenhands. I think it’s a worthy sequel, despite all of the other wacky Halloween films, and especially if you simply disregard them all as this one does. Go out and have fun with Halloween 2018.
~ Neil T Weakley, your average movie-goer, also recommending The Haunting of Hill House series on Netflix.