“He’s waited for this night… He’s waited for me… I’ve waited for him…”
Release Date: October 19, 2018
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Length: 1H 46M
MPAA: 18A
I don’t know how I can sum up my love for the original Halloween (1978) film, its a film that changed cinema, it’s a film that jumpstarted a lot of careers, its a classic, the score is highly recognizable, and the image of Michael Myers is a image that has haunted people for 40 years. The Halloween franchise is a franchise of a lot of films, to whichthere is now 11, theres many misses and a couple hits, but the impact has left its mark.
Halloween (2018) was a film that meant a lot of to me, I was always interested in hearing more and more about it, but I was also worried at the same time, but as information started to trickle out about it, my anticipation rose. When Jamie Lee Curtis signed back on, when it was confirmed that John Carpenter was doing the score for it, and it was all solidified when that first trailer came out. I think I watched it 5 times in a row, and that was that.
Halloween (2018) is a horror and thriller film that about Laurie Strode confronting Michael Myers, the masked figure who has haunted her since she narrowly escaped his killing spree on Halloween night four decades ago.
This film is directed by David Gordon Green. His filmography consists of Pineapple Express (2008), and Stronger (2017). You would think from his filmography that horror wouldn’t be his forte, but I was genuinely impressed with his direction, as I have been with the rest of the films I’ve seen of his. I really thought he got into the shoes of John Carpenter, except an updated version. What he doesn’t lack in subtlety, he makes up for in atmosphere. This movie had excellent atmosphere. I really hope to see more from David Gordon Green in the future, as I feel like he has an eye for horror films and I hope he does more in the future.
The script is written by David Gordon Green, Danny McBride and Jeff Fradley. This was the only thing I watched that any of them have written, but I was surprised. I was super interested to see how the script would work, and especially after seeing Danny McBride’s name, I thought “Okay, theres going to be a lot of comedy mixed in.” and I’m surprised to say that yes there was some really forced jokes, that I felt were out of place, but I felt like the movie made up for it, and overshadowed it. I really like how they ignored all the sequels and just made this film a direct sequel to the 1978 original, but they had homages to each of the films, I think this was the smartest idea, as this film franchise was already rebooted in 2007 by Rob Zombie, which I thought was a pretty cool remake, but didn’t hold a candle to the original, but the more background into how Michael Myers was brought up, I thought added a lot to that interpretation of the character. Whereas the John Carpenter version, it was more mysterious and eerie as you didn’t know who this guy was really, he doesn’t talk, his kitchen knife does the talking.
Halloween stars Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode, Judy Greer as Karen, Andi Matichak as Allyson, Nick Castle as The Shape, and Will Patton as Officer Hawkins.
Jamie Lee Curtis’ filmography consists of Halloween (1978), Terror Train (1980), The Fog (1980), Escape From New York (1981), Halloween II (1981), True Lies (1994), Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998), Halloween Resurrection (2002), Freaky Friday (2003), and Scream Queens {TV Series} (2015-2016). What is not to love about Jamie Lee Curtis? What is there to say that hasn’t already been said about Jamie Lee Curtis? She got her start with Halloween (1978), John Carpenter wanted to cast an unknown actor at the time, so that there were no preconceptions of the actor or the character, and this seemed to start a wonderful working relationship between the two, as Jamie Lee Curtis went on to star in 3 different John Carpenter movies and appeared in 3 Halloween sequels. It was super cool to have her come back and be this straight up bad-ass in this movie, and it was even cooler to me who didn’t discover the original Halloween until a bit later in life, that she came back to do this film, and blow my expectations out of the water.
Judy Greer’s filmography consists of Adaptation. (2002), 13 Going On Thirty (2004), Love & Other Drugs (2010), The Descendants (2011), Carrie (2013), Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes (2014), Tomorrowland (2015), Jurassic World (2015), Ant-Man (2015), and War for The Planet Of The Apes (2017). I knew I recognized this woman when she was on screen, I just didn’t know her name or where I could place her in any film. I thought she did a good job in this, and would like to revisit her other movies just as a refresher of her talent, but I thought she played this role very well. From what I remember this is much different than other roles she has played.
Andi Matichak’s filmography consists of nothing I have ever seen. I read that she was chosen because they wanted to get a young unknown actor, as a sort of homage to the way John Carpenter chose Jamie Lee Curtis in 1978. I thought she did a great job, and I hope to see more of her in other films.
Nick Castle’s filmography consists of Halloween (1978). I only put this here, because its a really cool thing that Nick Castle was the original The Shape (AKA Michael Myers) in the original Halloween 1978, and they brought him back to play him in this movie. They split the role between Nick Castle and James Jude Courtney but it was just a cool easter egg to the original film and its legacy.
Will Patton’s filmography consists of Armageddon (1998), Remember The Titans (2000), Gone In Sixty Seconds (2000), The Mothman Prophecies (2002), The Punisher (2004), Brooklyn’s Finest (2009), and The Fourth Kind (2009). I always like this actor but I never knew his name. I find his acting consistent and I liked him in this role.
I thought the acting in this movie was well done, especially from the 3 main lead actors.
The last point I would like to touch on is the soundtrack. I feel like this is major highlight of the film, as it is done by John Carpenter himself with the help of his son Cody. There is nothing more dread filled, eerie, and atmospheric that elicits such a response as that theme has, it always manages to send chills down my spine. Right when the beginning credits rolled for this movie, and that iconic theme started, I knew I was in for something special. The score always adds so much to the films, and to have John Carpenter come back and leave his stamp on it in some way, other than being the executive producer made me very happy. (I’m actually listening to the soundtrack as I write this).
One really fun part for me, was trying to pick out all the homages that they had to the other Halloween films. They mentioned in an interview that this film was going to be a direct sequel to the original film, however they were going to pay homage to certain elements from the sequel films. Some of them were easy to point out, others require another watch of Halloween and all of its sequels, but as a Halloween fan myself, I loved how they did it, and I loved being able to see elements from the other films, but in a different story or adaptation. This is a Halloween fan’s playground when it comes to the legacy of the franchise.
I was a little skeptical at first when I heard they were making another Halloween movie, but as time progressed and I learned more surrounding it, and then that first trailer, I knew this movie and its legacy were in good hands.
I give Halloween (2018) a 5/5.
If you’re a Halloween fan, I don’t have to tell you to go see it. If you’re a horror fan, you already know what you’re getting yourself into. I feel like there is enough here to satisfy you whether you’re a diehard Halloween fan, or if you’re new to the franchise. It nails the atmosphere that was created 40 years ago by John Carpenter and his crew, but it builds upon that to make it feel updated for todays cinema.