REVIEW: Hallowen (2018) tells nothing but answers so much...

A NOT SO BRIEF HISTORY OF HALLOWEEN’S BLOATED MYTHOLOGY

Forty years ago John Carpenter, a first time director with a shoe-string budget, no-name actors, and less than a month to work with invented the slasher genre. He was twenty-nine years old and not only directed Halloween, but also co-wrote the film and composed the now-iconic piano melody that drives the on-screen horror. He was twenty-nine years old! Carpenter went on to make films such as Big Trouble in Little China, Escape from New York and the sublime remake of The Thing (ten top all-timer for me). His movies have reached cult-classic status but it’s his very first that everyone knows. It’s his first that actually made big money (it was, for a long time, the highest-grossing independent movie ever made). It’s his first that keeps being revisited.

Halloween was a simple movie about an escaped mad man who returns to the town of his youth (where, at age six, he committed his first murder) and seemingly-randomly targets a high school girl and her friends on Halloween night. Spoiler alert: everyone dies except for the sole survivor, nerdy square Laurie Strode. Michael is gunned down in the film’s climax, falls out a second-story window, lands with a thud and…disappears.

What should have been an open-and-shut little murder movie became, despite savage reviews, a box office phenomenon. A sequel was inevitable and three years later it was released. Carpenter and original co-writer Debra Hill wrote the movie and added the twist that Laurie was actually Michael’s other sister. At the end of the film, once again, Michael seems well and truly dead. But after a failed attempt to turn the franchise into an anthology series of unrelated plots, Michael returned in Halloween 4, released ten years after the original. There’s been no stopping him ever since. Halloween 4 was followed by Halloween 5 (1989) which was followed by The Curse of Michael Myers (1995) and then finally Halloween H20, released in 1998 on the franchise’s twentieth anniversary. That movie saw the return of Laurie Strode and a climax centered around ending their feud once and for all. The movie ends with Laurie taking off Michael’s head with an axe, once more leading us to think he was finally dead.

Of course he came back in a movie called “Halloween: Resurrection.”

It too ended with you thinking Michael was dead only for him to awaken once more in the last shot of the film. At this point, however, the franchise was all but dead. H20 had a nice little box office take of 90mm on a 17mm budget, but the follow-up only brought in about 35mm. Still, after twenty+ years of this, Hollywood wasn’t stopping. Twenty+ years of the Michael Myers myth was told and then Rob Zombie(?!) decided to wipe the slate clean and start from scratch. The first of Zombie’s two Halloween movies had modest box office success but the follow-up bombed. Fans rejected the new mythology which put a heavy emphasis on Michael’s relationship with his mother.

HALLOWEEN (2018)

After the failure of the Rob Zombie sequel, plans for a third film fizzled and for a while, the franchise was shelved. Current horror movie godfather Jason Blum picked up the rights, brought John Carpenter back on board and decided to do another one, this time doing it right.

The result is a movie that does everything the previous six sequels and two remakes tried to do—give depth to Michael Myers and Laurie Strode—without succumbing to the failures of the previous movies, whose backstories and expanded canon entries all felt hackneyed.

In just one movie, Halloween (2018) offers up everything you ever needed in a Halloween (1978) sequel, to the point where the franchise could end for good and it would end with true closure. How does it do it? It does it by revealing no secrets while also answering all the questions that really matter. I mean really, what questions would you have coming out of Halloween (1978)? I suppose a lot of people would want to know why Michael Myers did what he did. A lot of people would probably want to know how Michael Myers was so seemingly-invincible.

The movie says nuts to all that, though.

The movie even raises a question I had never considered until now: Does Michael Myers talk and if so what would he say? The movie teases that idea from the very first scene, where a pair of true crime podcasters are told of Michael “he can talk…he just chooses not to.” Later in the movie a character practically begs him to speak. Even at the end, there’s a moment where the camera holds on him and you think “is he about to say something?”

No. He’s not, because that question, like the ones about his supernatural abilities or his psychopathic motives, is not really important.

No, what this franchise has always needed in the sequel was for Laurie to become the main-character, not Michael. Instead of “the girl who lived” as she was in the first one, or “the girl who lived again, wow that’s pretty lucky” as she was in the second one, we needed a Laurie Strode who had let time and nightmares unravel her mind to the point where SHE was borderline nuts. H20 tried to offer up a “Laurie vs Michael: The Final Battle” concept, but everything was too slick in that one. Laurie really didn’t come off as someone who had suffered after twenty years.

This Laurie, whose character exists in a world where the only Halloween was the first (no “Michael is my brother,” no weird cults or numerous resurrections, etc), is a woman suffering from forty years of PTSD. She’s manic, unhinged, looking and sounding more like Sarah Connor (especially when she shows off her gun collection). It’s exactly what you’d expect from someone who suffered the way she did in 1978. I mean, of course she’d spend the rest of her life in a constant state of paranoia: A seemingly unkillable boogieman escaped once; why not twice? And when they finally face off in the film’s climax, it ends up being the best climax in the franchise, even surpassing the original, because the movie has made us believe Laurie has prepped for this and was finally ready to stand up to Michael.

I don’t care about Michael’s motives. Having him be a killer who seemed to randomly pick a group of friends and come just short of killing them all is good enough. Sometimes the less we know (or the less there is to know), the scarier it is. Likewise, Michael’s remarkable ability to catch-up to any prey, despite their running and his walking, not to mention his skill at disappearing and reappearing like he’s a freaking wizard was never something I needed to be explained. He’s the boogieman for crying out loud.

What I wanted out of this movie were character-driven answers. I wanted to know “what would the events of 1978 do to Laurie over the course of 40 years and how would she handle Michael’s sudden-freedom.” I wanted to know “would Michael see Laurie as just another would-be victim or would there be something special about her and the fact that she’s the only one he failed to kill?” This movie was always about those two; you don’t need to make them siblings to make their connection significant; the whole first movie does that for you.

There are some surprises which I will not spoil, as well as a plot twist or two that threw me for a loop but which I appreciated for its ability to drive the story forward in a surprising way. But that’s all window dressing to the strong character-driven plot at work here.

As for the technical merits of the movie: It’s expertly shot, the screenplay is sharp, the acting is excellent across the board (Jamie Lee Curtis is especially perfect), the film is beautifully scored (John Carpenter returns!), and fans of the original will be able to spot several little homages to the 1978 film that work in this movie precisely because of the way the story plays out. Too many sequel/reboot movies try to copy the original just for the sake of copying it; it’s the laziest way to score nostalgia points. This movie features a LOT of callbacks to the first, but they are in-story references, not stupid winks and nods to the audience. Laurie’s forty years of prep time have made her a little Michael Myers-esque and the movie really plays that up in some great visual cues from the 1978 original.

If I wanted to nitpick I could talk about some subplots that went nowhere, some characters that disappeared without either (A) getting killed or at least (B) getting closure, or the overly-long first act (the initial suspense gives way to patient waiting before impatient waiting kicks in before the fun finally begins). Those would be minor nitpicks and really don’t hinder the movie’s excellence.

IS THIS THE END?

Halloween the franchise is a lot like Michael Myers the unkillable boogieman. Is this the movie that finally puts the franchise to bed? Not necessarily. I have a theory on what they might do with the sequel and it involves a character who seemed like he was going to be an important one only for him to disappear near the end of act two without any formal exit. I’ll save that theory for another time, however.

Still, it’s on track to make a lot of money and reviews are stronger than ever before; critics are praising this movie in ways no Halloween film has ever had before. It will be very tempting for the studio to just “do another one” the way so many “other ones” in this franchise have been done (and sucked at). However, maybe—just maybe—this movie can provide us with something we’ve never gotten from the Halloween films to this point. Maybe—just maybe—these two characters, Michael and Laurie, can have what they’ve never had before: Closure.

And if so, what a way to go out.

9/10 – A few quibbles maybe but overall it’s the best Halloween movie since the original, which is good since it basically asks you to pretend none of the other ones happened anyway.

COMMENTS

Please read our Commenting Policy before you join in with the discussion.

Note: If you have email notifications enabled, please check your email spam folders to ensure emails are not missed.

10 Comments

Inline Feedbacks

View all comments

Snarky-Guru

1 year ago

The film is good, Jamie Lee Curtis in particular is outstanding, but I couldn’t stop thinking of the Halloween franchise films as a timeline. I still see Michael and Laurie as siblings and kept anticipating that their relationship would play more of a role in this film.

KeeperofUnicorns

Enough time has passed between films that I had no problem pretending away every show, but the first movie in the franchise and this one. I did want the answers to the unanswered questions though, particularly why it all started in the first place. Was he just a psychopathic kid?

Salome G

Although I like(d) H20, I have to admit that the best part was when I first saw it in the theater. During the scene where the girl gets her leg stuck in a dumbwaiter, the man behind me yelled, “TEAR IT OFF AND GET A PEG LEG–GO!” and I think that’s words to live by.

Reply to Salome G

Did you bust out laughing? I would have choked on my popcorn from laughing so hard. My husband can get really involved in shows like that. My imagination just doesn’t work as well to put me in the scene.

Reply to KeeperofUnicorns

Of course I did! It’s by far my most favorite (positive) audience reaction.

Rebel

I’m glad that Michael and Laurie have a closure this time. However, I don’t think this is the last time we will see Michael Myers. A spin-off can be done with this movie because of the duration that the movies have been made.

Stargazer

Halloween is like the Saw franchise. When we thought the story is over then we will be proven wrong when another part will be shown. These kinds of stories can have a different twist and turn that we can never be sure if the last installment will truly be the last.

Bigfoot

Reply to Stargazer

What I like with these kinds of movies is that the villains don’t die quickly. As long as there is a good story to tell then the franchise can be renewed.

Regarding John Carpenter, I think he is the story. His mind cannot be replaced and that is why the latest Halloween is great because the mind of John has been shown again in the movie.

Micah

I haven’t seen all the Halloween movies before 1995. Now that you’ve mentioned it, I will try to find those other films in movie rental shops in our area. I hope they have a copy in DVD’s because I don’t have the Betamax or VHS players.

Thatcher

Reply to Micah

I believe you can stream the earlier versions on Hulu and Amazon Prime Video. I can’t find it on Netflix though. The first movie in the franchise is definitely worth a watch. Hope this helps!

Cookie	Description
_pxvid	This cookie is used for detection of the browser and distinguishing whether it is a real user or malicious bot.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Advertisement".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics	This cookies is set by GDPR Cookie Consent WordPress Plugin. The cookie is used to remember the user consent for the cookies under the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-non-necessary	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Non Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance	This cookie is used to keep track of which cookies the user have approved for this site.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-preferences	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Preferences".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-uncategorized	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Uncategorized".
CraftSessionId	This cookie name is associated with the Craft web content management system, where is functions as an anonymous session identifier.
csrftoken	This cookie is associated with Django web development platform for python. Used to help protect the website against Cross-Site Request Forgery attacks
DSID	To note specific user identity. Contains hashed/encrypted unique ID.
JSESSIONID	Used by sites written in JSP. General purpose platform session cookies that are used to maintain users' state across page requests.
PHPSESSID	This cookie is native to PHP applications. The cookie is used to store and identify a users' unique session ID for the purpose of managing user session on the website. The cookie is a session cookies and is deleted when all the browser windows are closed.
viewed_cookie_policy	The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.

Cookie	Description
b30msc
btc
CMST
cref
d
gpl
i
icts
ig_did
mdata
na_rn
na_sc_e
na_sr
na_srp
session_depth
visitor-id

Cookie	Description
__gads	This cookie is set by Google and stored under the name dounleclick.com. This cookie is used to track how many times users see a particular advert which helps in measuring the success of the campaign and calculate the revenue generated by the campaign. These cookies can only be read from the domain that it is set on so it will not track any data while browsing through another sites.
__stid	The cookie is set by ShareThis. The cookie is used for site analytics to determine the pages visited, the amount of time spent, etc.
_ga	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, camapign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookies store information anonymously and assigns a randoly generated number to identify unique visitors.
_gat_gtag_UA_60765351_1	Google uses this cookie to distinguish users.
_gid	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the wbsite is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages viisted in an anonymous form.
ad-id	Provided by amazon-adsystem.com for tracking user actions on other websites to provide targeted content
demdex	This cookie is set under the domain demdex.net and is used by Adobe Audience Manager to help identify a unique visitor across domains.
DigiTrust.v1.identity	Registers data on visitors’ website-behaviour. This is used for internal analysis and website optimization.
dmvk	This cookie is set by DailyMotion who display videos, it registers statistical data of visitors' behaviour on the website.
gid	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the wbsite is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages viisted in an anonymous form.
GPS	This cookie is set by Youtube and registers a unique ID for tracking users based on their geographical location
is_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
is_visitor_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
sc_is_visitor_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
v1st	This is set by DailyMotion to display videos.

Cookie	Description
__asc	This cookie is used to collect information on consumer behavior, which is sent to Alexa Analytics.
__auc	This cookie is used to collect information on consumer behavior, which is sent to Alexa Analytics.
__qca	This cookie is associated with Quantcast and is used for collecting anonymized data to analyze log data from different websites to create reports that enables the website owners and advertisers provide ads for the appropriate audience segments.
_cc_aud	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_cc	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_dc	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_id	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_kuid_	The cookie is set by Krux Digital under the domain krxd.net. The cookie stores a unique ID to identify a returning user for the purpose of targeted advertising.
_px2	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
_pxff_tm	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
_pxhd	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
ab	This cookie is generally provided by agkn.com and is used for advertising purposes.
ad-privacy	Provided by amazon-adsystem.com for tracking user actions on other websites to provide targeted content to the users.
ayl_visitor	This cookie registers data on the visitor. The information is used to optimize advertisement relevance.
bafp	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bafp_t	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_pl	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_rf_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_rt_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_t_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_td_2d31c94105a0aa6d1ceaea0c86c6b656	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bito	This cookie is generally provided by bidr.io and is used for advertising purposes.
bitoIsSecure	This cookies are generally provided by bidr.io and is used for advertising purposes.
bsc	The cookies is set by ownerIQ for the purpose of providing relevant advertisement
CMID	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
CMPRO	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
CMPS	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
dc_id	This cookie is used to deliver adverts more relevant to you and your interests. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement as well as help measure the effectiveness of the advertising campaign. They are usually placed by advertising networks with the website operator's permission. They remember that you have visited a website and this information is shared with other organisations such as advertisers.
did	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
didts	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
dpm	The cookie is set by demdex.net. This cookie assigns a unique ID to each visiting user that allows third-party advertisers target that users with relevant ads.
eud	This cookie is from Rocket Fuel and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
euds	This cookie is from Rocket Fuel and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
everest_g_v2	The cookie is set under eversttech.net domain. The purpose of the cookie is to map clicks to other events on the client's website.
evo5_popin_instance	Prevents an interaction from reoccurring for visitors not accepting 3rd party cookies.
id	This cookie is set by DoubleClick (which is owned by Google) to build a profile of the website visitor's interests and show relevant ads on other sites.
IDE	Used by Google DoubleClick and stores information about how the user uses the website and any other advertisement before visiting the website. This is used to present users with ads that are relevant to them according to the user profile.
io.narrative.guid.v2	This cookie is generally provided by io.narrative.io and is used for advertising purposes.
KADUSERCOOKIE	This cookie is generally provided by pubmatic.com and is used for advertising purposes.
KTPCACOOKIE	This cookie is generally provided by pubmatic.com and is used for advertising purposes.
matchliveramp	This cookie is provided by w55c.net and is used for advertising purposes.
mc	This cookie is associated with Quantserve to track anonymously how a user interact with the website.
mxpim	This cookie is generally provided by mxptint.net for advertising purposes.
na_tc	This is a Social Media sharing tracking cookie.
NID	This cookie is used to a profile based on user's interest and display personalized ads to the users.
nnls	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
pxrc	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
pxvid	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
rlas3	The cookie is set by rlcdn.com. The cookie is used to serve relevant ads to the visitor as well as limit the time the visitor sees an and also measure the effectiveness of the campaign.

Cookie	Description
__jid	Cookies set on the website by the third-party commenting platform Disqus.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
disqus_unique	These cookies are set by Disqus so that users can comment on website/platform.
G_ENABLED_IDPS	The cookie is used by Google and is used for Google Single Sign On.
mid	The cookie is set by Instagram. The cookie is used to distinguish users and to show relevant content, for better user experience and security.
na_id	This cookie is set by Addthis.com to enable sharing of links on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter
ouid	The cookie is set by Addthis which enables the content of the website to be shared across different networking and social sharing websites.
ov	This is a generic functional cookie that provides enhanced functionality and personalisation.
ts	This cookie is generally provided by PayPal and supports payment services in the website.
vuid	These cookies are used by the Vimeo video player on websites.

REVIEW: Hallowen (2018) tells nothing but answers so much…

A NOT SO BRIEF HISTORY OF HALLOWEEN’S BLOATED MYTHOLOGY

HALLOWEEN (2018)

IS THIS THE END?

You might also like

FIND THE TOPICS YOU WANT...

Recommended for you