Time and time again, we horror fans have witnessed an endless wave of lackluster, bland, and otherwise unnecessary sequels to otherwise classics in the horror genre. This is especially prevalent within the slasher genre, as these sequels continue to squeeze every last bit of charm, horror, and brilliance out of their respective franchises. But we shouldn’t ignore some of the gems that have come from these sequels, whether it’s 1994’s Wes Craven’s New Nightmare or even the cult classics like 1982’s Halloween III: Season of the Witch.
Speaking of which, we now have a sequel in the Halloween series that is designed to not only move the franchise forward but to also overshadow and throw away all the other sequels. It’s quite the gamble the way I see it, but luckily, the gamble paid off, and despite many instances of typical horror tropes and clichés, what we got was a sequel that brings back everything we love about the original by respecting what came before while also being an incredibly enjoyable entry in its own right.
40 years after the events of 1978’s Halloween, Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) has isolated herself from everyone around her, preparing herself for the eventual return of relentless serial killer Michael Myers. Consequently, however, she has isolated herself from the rest of her family, particularly her daughter (Judy Greer) and granddaughter (Andi Matichak), who continue to disregard Laurie’s warnings and try to live a normal life. Michael Myers, in the meantime, has been incarcerated for the past 40 years in a sanatorium. But during a prison transfer, Michael’s bus crashes off the side of a road, and is now free to continue his onslaught on Halloween night. That is, unless Laurie Strode has anything to say about it.
Jamie Lee Curtis acts as the epitome of the “final girl” trope in most horror/slasher films, and the traumatic effects the original has had on her shines through Curtis’ fierce and unapologetically cutthroat performance. With qualities reminiscent of Ellen Ripley, Curtis acts as sort of veteran in the slasher genre. While most sequels will have the protagonist move on and so forth, Curtis embodies a much more active and engaging role as someone who remains steadfast, strong, capable, and relentless. It’s easy for a protagonist to move on in the sequel, but Strode has not only prepared for Michael’s eventual return, but also prayed every night for Michael to one-day escape so as to end the horror once and for all.
Yet, despite her deeply driven conviction and tenacity over Myers’ eventual escape, Curtis displays a side of her character that is also mentally and emotionally broken, fractured, and vulnerable because of the trauma she experienced 40 years ago. This vulnerability is especially prevalent whenever she interacts with her family, particularly her daughter Karen and granddaughter Allyson who continue to resent her over her paranoia. It’s very refreshing to witness the amount of damage that that kind of experience can affect not only the individual, but also the people around them.
This familial and emotional dilemma also allows you to connect with the family itself in many ways. Judy Greer and Andi Matichak are mostly sidelined as your typical horror side characters as Karen and Allyson respectively, but in some ways, the granddaughter specifically, can be reminiscent of Laurie Strode in the original film. While both start out as nothing more than your average supporting cast, as the film progresses, you start to connect with them a little more as you begin to feel more empathetic to their relationship with Laurie Strode, and that empathy builds all the way to the climactic finale where you are invested in the trio. Sadly, not much can be said about the rest of the supporting cast. Most of the time, the rest of the cast are either disruptive to what’s interesting, cannon fodder for Michael to prey on, or just don’t contribute much to the story.
What Halloween does best, however, is do what the original managed to pull off 40 years ago, and that’s keeping it simple, yet uncomfortable and terrifying. Dr. Sartain provides intrigue and fascination regarding Michael as he attempts to understand Michael’s murderous habits. Why does he kill? What does it feel like to him? Does he get some sort of pleasure out of killing? It leads up to a point where he’s even anticipating Michael to say something. All of these are questions that are presented in a way that does leave the audience wondering as well, but they are thankfully never answered, leaving the mystery wide open and effectively scary. Much like in the original, despite the interesting questions, Michael is nonetheless presented as an unstoppable, merciless force of nature, a dark entity who hides in your closet, in the darkest shadows, in the corner of your eye, on a relentless mission to simply kill. Not since the original have we seen a film that embodies and embraces the mythology that surrounds Michael Myers, that appropriately gives meaning to “The Shape” and “The Boogeyman.”
From start to finish, it becomes clear that David Gordon Green is passionate about the original. Throughout the entirety of the story, you can tell that this film was made with love and passion. Green smartly reverts the franchise back to its much simpler roots and relies on tension, patience, and dread to bring out the scares. Along the way, Green drops little clever callbacks and references to the franchise, but not to the point where is shoved in the audience’s face. He does so with love and care. The musical score is so expertly interwoven into the tension and dread at just the right moments and is by far one of the best parts of the film. The violence contributes very much to the dread that is felt. Some of the kills are nice homages to the original while others are made specifically for this film. The film can be brutal and relentless in its violence and gore, and sometimes we see it, other times we don’t. Either way, it can be unsettling, ruthless, and disturbing. But what’s most surprising is how funny this film can be, thanks in most part to some of the supporting cast. Many of the jokes don’t land for sure, but a lot of them do nonetheless. While comedy in a Halloween film can seem out of place, it effectively provides relief to the audience.
Overall, Halloween is a return to form for the franchise, bringing back everything we loved about the original while also acting as an incredibly fun and exciting entry in its own right. The passion and heart put into the craft is clearly there and Michael Myers has been brought back from the brink of humiliation and brought to a new generation of horror fans. It’s certainly not perfect, with its reliance on clichés and underwhelming supporting character. Regardless, Halloween is a worthy sequel that encapsulates everything that we love about Michael Myers and why he is so terrifying and memorable even 40 years later.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ek1ePFp-nBI&t=1s&w=585