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Halloween (2018)
Directed by David Gordon Green
Cinematography by Michael Simmonds
"There's a reason we're supposed to be afraid of this night."
HalloweeN (2018)
Halloween (2018)
2018’s Halloween isn’t the first time we’ve received a sequel years later with a now-mature cast of characters. It isn’t even the first time this slasher franchise has done it, but are the results the breath of fresh air we’ve been waiting for, or just another Halloween H20?
Forty years after Michael Myers' rampage, the killer is about to be moved to a different facility when he escapes. Hearing this, Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) insists he is coming for her. This time, however, she’s ready. For years, Strode has been preparing her home, her estranged daughter (Judy Greer) and granddaughter (Andi Matichak) for Michael’s return.
Dispensing with all of the sequels, the puzzlingly-titled Halloween is simply a sequel to the 1978 film. Don’t let that title fool you. This is a follow-up, and a good one. The characters’ actions are built upon what happened to them before. Myers (or as he is referred to in the credits, “The Shape”) has been in a state of "hibernation", biding his time until he can once again strike. Meanwhile, Strode's trauma has transformed her into a gun-toting survivalist who has installed extensive security measures into her home. While you wait to see their inevitable showdown, director David Gordon Green shows off plenty of gore as Michael dispatches unsuspecting civilians in increasingly gruesome ways.
What struck me is the attention to detail. Like before, we never see Myers’ face, and the killer’s motivations are left terrifyingly vague. Certain shots from the original picture are replicated but then reversed to put Strode in Michael’s place, or vice versa. Even the pumpkin shown in the intro credits – the best opening sequence outside of a James Bond movie since say… Monsters, Inc.? – is a perfect replica of the one from 1978. Then there’s the music, which reuses John Carpenter’s theme and expands on it when appropriate – I’m buying it to play next Wednesday when the trick-or-treaters come. There’s even a nod to Halloween 3: Season of the Witch!
If the beginning may seem a bit slow, give it time. It’s building towards a number of great shots that highlight Michael’s possibly supernatural abilities and the climax is thick with suspense. I love the way it plays with the idea that Michael may be the literal Boogeyman by hiding him in the dark and in closets. These all prove writers Jeff Fradley, Danny McBride, and Green love the original film but, more importantly, understand why it’s so effective.
2018’s Halloween is sure to please the series' fans. It also offers a good number of horrifying visuals, good tension and interesting turns for those who are a little hazier about the series’ mythology and its trademark killer. I like 1981’s Halloween II but this is a better film and a great pic if you want some chills this October. (Theatrical version on the big screen, October 24, 2018)
“In this town, Michael Myers is a myth. He's the Boogeyman. A ghost story to scare kids. But this Boogeyman is real. An evil like his never stops, it just grows older. Darker.”
Halloween (2018)
Director: David Gordon Green
Writer: Jeff Fradley