Halloween (2018)

 

Genre: Horror/ Thriller         Time: 1h 49mins    Director: David Gordon Green

Quick summary: After a narrow escape over four decades ago, Laurie Strode comes face-to-face with Michael Myers after he escapes from captivity. She must confront her worst fears and put an end to his killing spree.

One of my favorite sequels to a movie I have ever seen. 

Now I will say, it doesn't quite manage to fully capture the magic the first one had but it gets really close to it. Chilling background shots and Silent stalks are swapped with Gruesome murders and gut-wrenching gore. Though honestly, I like this new take on it.

Micheal Breaks free of Prison once again and leaves a bloody trail on his way to get revenge for all those years ago. This Halloween effectively reminds us of how uniquely terrifying he can be: an absolute monster, a walking battering ram smashing his way through everyone and everything in his sight. He has no sympathy, no empathy, and no humanity. He is an unstoppable killing machine, and it’s unnerving and terrifying to watch.

There are so many clever references that pay homage to the original while giving us much more to sink our teeth into. It makes use of shadows in innovative ways, giving us suspense almost on par with the original. But the great thing about this one is that the roles are reversed. The final Person from the Original becomes the hunter instead of the hunted.  

Even though this one is very much more Gorey than before, I feel as if this one doesn't rely on that. It relies on good and well-timed jumpscares and the atmosphere that Micheal brings along. 

Unfortunately, there are a few subplots that I felt were a bit unnecessary, such as a silly love plot between teenagers, and just a lot of meaningless characters strewn about that don't really add too much to the film besides giving Micheal more on-screen kills to really bump up the gore factor. There was also one more subplot which I felt was very strange, as someone tries to take his mask and try to mimic his killings. It didn't feel right, and honestly, I wish they just cut it.

The first act is basically a rundown of what happened 40 years ago, and the script is heavy on lazy exposition. Once the movie starts to get its tone and atmosphere right, it outbalances itself by inserting comedy when there's no need to. In some lines, you can just get past them, but some feel incredibly forced and ruin the tone.

The trademark suspense and tension of the original is well present in this one as well. There are a lot of scenes with Michael going through houses, hiding behind doors, and scaring people up, and they are (for the most part) very well-directed.

This film has its ups and downs and could have cut a few things from the script, but I still think it's the sequel it deserved. 

8/10

"Happy Halloween, Michael"

"You don’t believe in the boogeyman?

 No.

 Well, you should."