Halloween (2018) Review

What would happen the night that Michael Myers came home again? Thanks to numerous sequels and a subversive redneck reimagining from Rob Zombie, this isn’t really a question we have had to ask. So, director David Gordon Green (Pineapple Express, George Washington) has decided to play God with the franchise, relatively speaking. Instead of steering the series into a new direction, he completely denies that the vehicle ever went off course by building solely on the events of the original film. By taking it back to 1978, the filmmaker also takes the films back to basics; it is a pure sequel, which gives the poorly titled film - Halloween, once again - both its fire, and its extinguishment.

Taking place forty years after the events of John Carpenter’s original classic, Green’s direct-sequel reunites returning audiences with Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis reprising her role). Since the perilous showdown with iconic masked-killer Myers, she has continued to replay the events in her head, never moving on from that one painful memory. Her subsequent family life completely fell apart, with her daughter refusing to allow her daughter to live with the fear she found herself instilled with from childhood. After decades, Michael’s presence still haunts the Strode family; in a woeful turn-of-events, the killer finds himself among society once again after escaping from a facility transfer bus. Of course, he returns to Haddonfield to ignite fear once again on Halloween night, the fortieth anniversary of the babysitter murders, and the night Laurie has been praying for ever since. The chance to end her curse and confront the boogeyman not in the mind but in the flesh. Ready.

Halloween certainly has its strengths. The emotional core of the production is provided by Curtis’ performance; it’s an undeniably powerful turn, and through her character the actress is able to explore the pains of PTSD and delve into forty years of anguish and turmoil, of which her performance is rather miraculously able to convey over the course of mere days within the narrative. Without her involvement, this sequel wouldn’t even warrant existence. As cruel as this sounds, it’s honestly the case. However, Green’s project has her full cooperation, and it’s all the better for it. The importance of her participation is highlighted in one scene in particular: the familiar classroom scene. Directly borrowing from the original, there is a scene in which Laurie’s granddaughter is in class - the teacher can be heard discussing fate. As Allyson (Andi Matichak) looks out the window, we are reminded of the scene in which Laurie spies the masked Myers outside; instead, stands Laurie. She has become a shadowy, absent figure, very much in the vein of her antagonist. With her return also signals Michael’s. There is a bond and an inexplicable link between them, and this is what Green’s film succeeds in conveying.

As referenced, the concept of fate is once again acknowledged. However, Halloween (2018) is much more about tempting fate than fate itself. Michael Myers is transferred the night before the fortieth anniversary of his famous killing spree. He has been seen by numerous experts in their field, and none have been able to access the enigmatic mind of the notorious murderer. Many of those who speak of him are skeptical of his humanity: superstitious. Yet, he is transferred alongside essentially harmless patients, on the very night of which - decades ago - he proved he had the capacity to escape. In this universe, superstition should be heeded, and fate respected. Nonetheless, these foolish decisions lead to Myers' freedom, and the film has its narrative.

Although a sequel, once Myers is free the film feels very much like a strict revision of the original film in many respects. Watching the cold killer roam the streets and invade houses to find victims feels familiar, appearing to do nothing more than present a modern perspective of the events which transpired in the original. Sadly, these sequences fail to achieve the atmosphere of the 1978 film. While Carpenter managed to achieve scenes flooded with tension, Green is only able to achieve frames. This outing is much more polished than the original, and feels much more expensive than the concept. To give the film credit, there are some gorgeous shot compositions of Myers shrouded in the night, it’s just a shame that these impressive shots only serve to bookmark the film’s procedural and uninventive killings. That is, until the film’s climax, which is more inventive, but perhaps only by comparison.

As the narrative progresses, there is entertainment offered, but never a sense of true fear, which the original is still successful in communicating even forty years after its release. What this venture does offer instead is a simplistic #metoo parable, of which will earn the film its stripes with those who have likely only begun to champion horror films since A24 decided to broaden their genre approach. The narrative arc of three generations of women coming together to overcome their abusers is certainly there, however, it isn’t necessarily explored to the best of its ability; yet, you cannot deny that it is in fact there. This contributes to a message, but also prevents Halloween from becoming something satisfying for more seasoned genre fans; closure replaces ambiguity to provide conclusion, which stunts this sequel from leaving audiences with a true lingering sense of dread. This is something Carpenter’s film did perfectly, so if Green was aiming to achieve the effects of the original (which he evidently was), why deviate when it matters most?

2018’s Halloween plays it safe, and without returning stars and the name of the franchise, this would be held in the same breath as the next slasher. However, existing properties sell, obviously. Perhaps the most annoying element of the film is that while Green eventually throws the audience absolutes, a sequel is surely on the horizon. So, his conclusion is not only disappointing, but false.