Review: Halloween

Directed by David Gordon Green

Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis

The plot follows Laurie Strode (Curtis) as she prepares to face Michael Myers in a final confrontation when he returns to Haddonfield

I have waited years for this (ever since that horrible remake Rob Zombie directed back in 2007). This film has ditched all the sequels and takes place 40 years after the 1978 original. With a clean slate, this film showed it's potential leading up to the film's release, and after watching it, I can safely say it was worth the hype (At least from a Halloween fan's perspective).

Jamie Lee Curtis is back as the already familiar Laurie Strode, who's suffering from PTSD since the events from the original Halloween 40 years back, and has been preparing for Michael's inevitable return, thus straining her relationship with her family, especially her daughter. Curtis was really good and brought me back memories of her performance in the original, but this time she's prepared and knows how to outsmart Michael. James Jude Courtney played Michael Myers (While Nick Castle had some scenes) and was menacing, he played the role perfectly. Also I love the mask, after seeing some horrible Michael Myers masks (shout-out to Halloween 4, and H20), I can safely say this is one of the best masks in the franchise, and it being gritty and dirty, adds to the realism and creepy factor.

The sequences were well shot, and very original. The cinematography was stellar, and the music was incredibly done by John Carpenter alongside his son Cody Carpenter, and Daniel Davies (Although I was disappointed there was no "use of the "Shape Stalks" track in the film). The film has easter eggs and nods to past Halloween films which will make any Halloween fan smile, and pays so much homage to the first with it's title card/introduction looking like it's the original, as well as it's attention to detail with Strode's scar on her upper arm, and Michael being blind in one eye after being stabbed with a coat hanger. I am glad this movie was risky, unlike Rob Zombie who basically played too safe with his remake (making it almost exactly like the first one).

I felt the flaws in the film, was the lack of atmosphere and suspense, the film felt a little too fast and should have been slowed down. There were unnecessary subplots which turned out to be completely pointless. The plot was a bit predictable and some of the dialogue just felt out of place and cheesy. Apart from that, the film was still thrilling and entertaining.

In conclusion, While there were some flaws in the film, such as the lack of atmosphere in certain scenes and barely any suspensful chase scenes (which the first movie was known for), the positives outweigh the negatives and the franchise returned back to the originals roots with it's suspense and tension rather than over the top gore (although the film is pretty violent), and the film overall was entertaining and thrilling. A huge step forward for the franchise, and I am extremely happy to say that Michael Myers is officially back on the silver screen.

My rating: 8.0/10

#FilmReview #2018