The movie released Oct. 19 has an 80 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes and set a franchise record with reeling in $77.5 million in North America. Courtesy of Universal Pictures
By Salvador Castillo
Straight out of the gate, I’ll say this: the new “Halloween” movie is worth the wait.
It’s one of the best horror films I’ve seen in a while and the best sequel the “Halloween” series has had in years.
Director David Gordon Green’s project is both a continuation and a loving homage to the original.
The story takes place 40 years after the original film, with Michael Myers having been sent back to Smith’s Grove and Laurie Strode left traumatized and living in a paranoid way, essentially removing all other “Halloween” sequels’ continuity.
Then, after a duo of reporters visits him for an interview, Myers breaks out and makes his way back to Haddonfield, his and Strode’s hometown, running into her family, which pulls her back into the fray against Myers.
The film doesn’t waste time displaying Myers’ brutal acts.
After escaping, Myers begins his rampage. The original had a total body count of four, six if you count the dogs. This film’s body count exceeds the original in the first half hour.
The performances were also a big part of this film’s appeal, with Jamie Lee Curtis reprising her role as Laurie Strode alongside Nick Castle, who reprises his role as Myers and shares it with James Jude Courtney.
Curtis’ performance is great, exploring a facet of horror movies that most don’t ever think about what happens to the “final girl” after the film.
This movie answers that question, portraying Strode as a paranoid shell of her former self, scared that Myers will somehow come back, which she’s right about. But there’s also great performances from Judy Greer and Andi Matichak, who play Laurie’s daughter and granddaughter.
The soundtrack is a modernized version of the original “Halloween” soundtrack and was composed by John Carpenter, who directed and scored the 1978 original.
The opening credits are directed in such a way that they serve as yet another callback to original, with the original design for the credits and a jack-o’-lantern slowly coming into frame.
The new design for Myers’ mask is also interesting since it shows that it’s still the original mask, just weathered and worn. It even has the hole where Strode stabbed him in the original.
And while the final showdown gives most audiences a sense of finality to the series, those who stay after the credits are treated to Myers’ iconic heavy breathing, signaling that he’s not dead.
He’s still out there.
Overall, the film is a top-notch sequel to an iconic horror classic. It manages to please both the regular horror movie audience and the fans of the original, and revives a franchise that most people considered permanently finished.
5/5 stars
