Image courtesy of Universal Pictures
After so many years of sequels and remakes, David Gordon Green has wiped away the slate and delivered the best Halloween film since the original.
Since 1978, John Carpenter has set the standard for slasher films. Halloween spawned numerous imitators, made a household name of Jamie Lee Curtis, created an icon of cinema, and began a franchise that, while containing a few standout films enjoyable in themselves, never recaptured the same magic of the first film.
While that’s still debatably true, there’s no denying that the latest attempt, which sets itself up as the true sequel to the first film by ignoring everything but the original, is not only a great follow-up story, but also a thoroughly entertaining horror film in its own right.
Image courtesy of Universal Pictures
It’s been 40 years since that Halloween night where famous masked killer Michael Myers menaced the streets of Haddonfield, Illinois, and Laurie Strode, the sole survivor of Michael’s rampage, has never forgotten it. Living in constant fear that Michael may, once again, escape captivity, Laurie has remained in isolation from the world, including her own family, to prepare for the worst. Her fears are soon realized when Michael, having remained silent and inactive all this time, breaks free and returns to Haddonfield to continue where he left off. With her family to protect, Laurie must engage Michael head-on in hopes of finally ending the nightmare she has lived through for so long.
Green’s direction is worth commending. Certain shots and scenes are definitely owed to Carpenter, but Green’s method of bringing the film to life is his own, as it doesn’t feel as though he’s trying to imitate Carpenter. Long takes and wide-angle shots recall the original, but there’s a modern sensibility that helps the film stand apart. For instance, one scene feels like it would have been staged by Carpenter, but its execution feels new and eerie. If you’ve seen the trailers you’d know I’m referring to the tracking shot of Michael as he goes from the streets to someone’s garage to someone’s house to steal a knife and kill the person inside. It’s all done in one, continuous take as it follows Michael, and it’s a stunning moment.
Image courtesy of Universal Pictures
The acting from most of the cast was excellent, with Jamie Lee Curtis giving the best performance. You feel how the trauma of that event has affected her character solely through her body language and line delivery. She’s reclusive, withdrawn, paranoid, and depressive, having occasional crying fits in public. It’s uncommon for slasher films to focus on how the life of a victim, or “survivor girl,” was impacted by their encounter, and, thankfully, Curtis was able to impeccably realize this rare opportunity by giving one of the best performances I’ve seen from her in some time. Other notable performances include Judy Greer as Laurie’s estranged daughter, Karen, who feels as though her mother ruined her childhood, Will Patton as the town’s deputy, and Jibrail Nantambu, an unknown child actor who easily stole the show whenever he was onscreen as a funny little kid babysat by one of Laurie’s granddaughter’s friends.
Image courtesy of Universal Pictures
Then there’s the core question posed about the film: is Michael Myers, a character that most people are familiar with and has been used to, scary? Yes, he is. Not another film in this series, apart from the second, has been able to make Michael as fearsome or alarming as he was in the beginning. Fortunately, that’s been rectified with this film. Michael is as brutal and unpredictable as he’s ever been, going after characters you wouldn’t expect him to target, setting up gruesome, macabre decorations for people to find, and stalking the night without anyone being aware of his presence until it’s too late. The tension when he’s on the screen is palpable, and even if you don’t see how some characters meet their demise, the aftermath paints an even more horrifying image in the viewer’s heads.
Image courtesy of Universal Pictures
Part of the advantage with Michael in this movie is the fact that the creators focused on what made him threatening to begin with. He’s still human and, feasibly, able to be hurt and stopped, unlike in some of the sequels where he felt like a copy of Jason Voorhees. In the first film, an almost supernatural quality showed about how ghostly and determined he was. It fools the audience in believing that he is this unstoppable force or, as Samuel Loomis put it, purely and simply evil.
While nothing ruined my satisfaction with the film, a few negatives are worth addressing. For starters, the film does fall into the usual horror tropes that we’ve come to know for years, especially for the slasher subgenre. Characters, no matter how appealing or likable, make illogical decisions only to further the plot or build tension, teens partake in scandalous activity only to be viciously murdered, predictable jump scares are present (thankfully, minimally), and so on. Another point against the film is the pacing. For long stretches the film trails on and on, specifically in some moments of comic relief that stops the film in its tracks, and takes away from time that could have been dedicated to other, more important, characters. Finally, a certain plot twist near the end of the film, while interesting in concept, feels too last minute and confusing. I won’t go into further details than that to spare everyone from spoilers, but know that there is a twist and it is a touch perplexing to say the least. Once again, if the film took a little more time from moments of comedy, that twist could have been stronger and easier to grasp.
David Gordon Green’s Halloween is a welcome return for Michael Myers and Laurie Strode, and judging by how well the film has been doing at the box office, Blumhouse Productions may be opting for a continuation. If they iron out some of the issues here while maintaining what worked well here, I think we’ll all be in for a treat in Halloweens to come.
8/10
The film is now playing in cinemas.