Halloween has had 11, that's right, 11 sequels. I haven't even bothered to watch most of them because much like the other 2 slasher franchises from the 80's (Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th) I feel as though the movies have kind of been done to death. Even John Carpenter (the inventor of the entire thing) hasn't seen all of the Halloween sequels / prequels / spinoffs so I think it is excusable that I haven't.
The other day when the anniversary of the original film happened it occurred to me that I recalled that the 2018 sequel had actually been praised by critics and i figured i may as well check it out. I wasn't disappointed.
The story takes us back to the fictional area of Haddonfield where the original Halloween movies were meant to take place. For reasons unexplained (likely because it was necessary for the story,) Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) still lives in this community, as does her daughter and granddaughter.
Michael Myers is (conveniently enough) being kept at the nearby Smith's Grove Sanitarium (an actual real place where John Carpenter got his inspiration for the Michael Myers character) where he is awaiting his death sentence for the murders that he committed previously. A couple of (I think British) podcasters / media-something-or-other go to the sanitarium to try to get a story out of Mike before he is put to death. These are some of the best sequences in the film as it shows a shackled Myers who is imposing, quiet, and avoided by all the other inmates and most of the staff. They are very careful to not show his face but if you stop the camera you can kinda get a look at him.
Of course Micheal ends up breaking out of his bonds on Halloween night because there isn't much of a story otherwise. While this is all very easy to see coming I found it to be more entertaining than a lot of the past episodes of the franchise because even though it is exceptionally predictable, something about it simply works.
Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) lives in the woods away from society and is ostracized by her family because she is a bit nuts as she selfishly obsesses about the danger that is Mike Myers constantly and as the film will eventually show, she has been preparing for his return for quite some time.
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On a side note: In their perpetual quest to ruin all things fun, SJW's again came out of the woodwork to criticize Curtis' "excessive use of firearms" in the film because of the fact that Curtis is pro gun control in real life... urgh!
And I think you can kind of fill in the pieces from this point forward. Michael Myers definitely wants to finish the job that he started during the early 80's original film and that is basically what the movie is about. I suppose i am not doing great justice to what happens in the film in regards to how entertaining it is but at the same time I am trying to avoid spoilers.
While this film goes down the path that you definitely expect it to, it manages to remain entertaining despite definitely following the well-trodden path of a typical slasher film. Director David Gordon Green managed to sneak in opportunities for nostalgia by including many homages to the original film including (of course) using the original iconic musical score.
from the official Universal Pictures channel
There are 2 more of these films to come before the franchise (reportedly) will finally be put to rest. One in 2020 and the final (so they say) episode which is meant to be released in 2021. One interesting piece of information is that a big part of the reason why this movie, and the subsequent sequels ever got made was because of the dedication of none other than comedian Danny McBride, who is one of the lead writers on the project and a major part of why the film(s) was ever made.
Just like most of the slasher movies from the 80's that honestly, went on too long, I went into this movie not expecting a great deal and was actually nicely surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Furthermore, I don't really feel as though it is necessary for a person to be familiar with the original films or any of the convoluted sequels in order to understand what is going on in this one.
I have watched maybe a dozen or so horror films in the past week in the effort to find a decent film for this Halloween season and most of them have been relatively disappointing. This film was anything but that.
My overall rating?
