Halloween – Review

Directed by: David Gordon Green

Runtime: 105 minutes

I must admit when I first heard that they were making yet another Halloween movie I wasn’t thrilled. To begin with, I was more of a Friday the 13th sort of gal and the disappointment of Halloween Resurrection was enough to turn anyone with half a brain away from the franchise. However, the trailer made me relent as I saw Jaime-Lee Curtis acting like a total badass in what promised to be a true cat and mouse game between the two most recognisable characters in the franchise.

Helmed by director David Gordon Green, the new film is definitely one for the fans with subtle nostalgic references to the first film as well an update on what the passage of time has done for some of the franchises most revered characters. While the beginning of the film fell a bit flat, it flicked a switch about halfway through, so much so that I could see members of the audience literally on the edge of their seats as the ultimate showdown between Laurie Strode and Michael Myers began to unfold.

While the films horror and action sequences shone through, Halloween suffers—as most horror movies do—from cliché syndrome. I found the opening sequence of the film to be particularly laughable as the audience was taken through Michael’s current residence: a high-security sanatorium. The endless “crazy people” shots coupled with the weird grunts and screams grew tiring, as did the awful dialogue from the two investigative podcast journalists that visited the facility to try to interview the notoriously mute Michael. The icing on the cake was when one of the journalists uttered into his recorder, “We have now seen the animal in his natural environment”. Even the satisfaction of seeing those two silenced by Michael early on in the film wasn’t enough to convince me they were needed in the script.

Despite the film’s false start, everything starts looking up when Michael escapes from his confinement as he is being transferred to a different psychiatric unit with a bus full of his mentally unstable inmates. Michael once again returns to the town of Haddonfield on Halloween night, leaving behind a trail of destruction in his pursuit of ‘the one that got away’: Laurie Strode.

The major subplot of Halloween—and possibly one of the more insightful parts of the film—covers the tense relationship dynamic between Laurie Strode and her daughter Karen (played by Judy Greer). It is revealed early on that Laurie suffers from PTSD, stemming from her chilling interaction with Michael Myers, and that her constant preparation for Michael’s return is what caused her to lose her daughter to social services at a young age.

Allyson (Laurie’s granddaughter) also features in the film with a posse of her high school pals. The high-schoolers often provide some comedic relief amongst the chaos whilst also supplying Michael with a steady supply of fresh meat for the slaughtering.

Halloween isn’t just a story about a deranged madman, it is more about the impact the actions of Michael Myers has had on the Strode family. It is obvious from the get-go that Michael is the reason the Strode family ties are so strained. This gets turned on its head when he ends up bonding them together in the most unconventional of ways—by this, of course, I mean scaring the shit out of them.

All in all, I would say this film is a lot of fun for anyone who loves a good horror flick. While it isn’t as finessed as recent horror films like Get Out or Hereditary, it certainly entertains whilst building good tension throughout. Littered with nostalgic references and a few comedic elements—as well as slashing and bashing—this installment of Halloween is a worthy follow up to the classic film that introduced us all to the concept that the bad guy sometimes gets away.