The night he came HOME… again!
In what has to be one of the most anticipated films this year is the remake reboot return of the OG Michael Myers in Halloween (2018). I left the theatre with a smile on my face and a ticket to see it again. Here is your mildly spoilerish rundown…
ReShaping a legacy
If you don’t know already, this new iteration of Halloween is ret-conning 40 years worth of history by establishing itself as the TRUE sequel to the original movie. Taking place 40 years after the events from the first movie, Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) has become basically a neurotic Rambo. The evolution of her character in the original franchise timeline was kinda one dimensional but in this new timeline, she’s fragile yet stable at the same time. And has a lot of guns. Like Sarah Connor in T2 level of guns.
The interesting part of Strode’s story in this sequel is how trauma can change a person. Instead of growing up and living life through fear, Laurie grew up with the will to survive by any means necessary. However, the will became an obsession that sent her life into a downward spiral of revenge and paranoia. This affected her daughter Karen (Judy Greer) and subsequentially her granddaughter Allyson(Andi Matichak). They were taught to kill and prep for the day HE would return.
Played off like she was a loon, the family just viewed her as the crazy grandmother who can’t get over her past. This opens up such an interesting point of view of how the victim sees the world. When someone lives through such a traumatic experience, it alters oneself in ways no one can imagine. In society now, as with how Karen treats her mother, it’s the norm to victim shame. Throwing this curveball into a horror/slasher movie was the most fascinating aspect of this film. Yet, I haven’t even talked about the man of the hour yet…
Cue piano solo and heavy breathing
To say I wasn’t cheering when he was on a murdering rampage in this movie would be a disgusting lie to say here. Michael Myers (Nick Castle) is back to kill people and eat candy and he’s all outta candy.
The problem I had with Zombie’s Halloween was the fact that he was trying to humanize a serial killer. Why does every killer have to be humanized? Do we want to make a killing machine, relatable? Luckily, the movie answers those questions and more in a very meta way.
Hell, the whole movie is very meta when it comes to its history. The subtle hints to other movies in the franchise are very sweet easter eggs and a nod to the loyal fans. Never once did it feel forced as it was done in a love letter sort of way. Kinda makes me wish this sort of respect for its past was in The Force Awakens. But that’s another article.
Business is about to pick up!
This movie’s central theme is about parallels and boy does it do it perfectly. Myer’s psychiatrist Dr. Sartain (Haluk Bilginer) describes it beautifully in one line, “One cannot exist without the other. Michael’s undying will to live is to…kill Laurie. Laurie’s will to live is to see Michael die by her hands.”
Reminds me of two other characters from pop culture that I’m sure writer Danny Mcbride had in mind when constructing this movie.
I also want to talk about how wonderful of a job director David Gordon Green (Pineapple Express) did with his first horror movie outing. Cranking the suspense up, setting up scares, and forcing audience members to check every corner of the scene. The people I was sitting next to was high key whispering “LOOK BEHIND YOU! TURN AROUND!”
It grabbed you by the throat and didn’t let go.
There were scenes where I didn’t breathe due to TENSION and that’s so rare in horror movies nowadays. #Throwback
But also there was a lot of comedy to break up all that tension. I wouldn’t have expected any less than the man who gave us Eastbound & Down.
To Laurie Strode, thanks for everything love Michael Myers
Everything in this movie paid off. The homage to the original, weaving new storylines should they do a sequel, and if there isn’t one, completed the story Carpenter started to tell 40 years ago. Speaking of, the incredible score was done by John Carpenter, flanked by his son Cody and his son-in-law Daniel Davies. It’s on Spotify right now and I’ll even link it for ya!
Run like your life was depended on it to see this movie. I give it a 93% out of 100 on the imaginary Nerdbot scale that I made up.
Which we can also translate to 4.5/5
See you in the shadows…
