Halloween (2018)

In Haddonfield, a podcast team approaches a non-verbal Michael Myers with his infamous mask and a hardened, survivalist Laurie Strode separately. Their goal is to reunite them (and open old wounds) for their audience. Things don't quite go as planned. Myers remains impassive and Strode flat out refuses. When he is supposed to be transported to a different facility, the bus crashes and Michael escapes, returning home to Haddonfield and killing as he makes his way back to Laurie.

Halloween (2018) had a lot of expectations to live up to even considering many of the recent sequels and remakes have been varying levels of disappointing. I went into the film with cautiously optimistic expectations and the film proved to be more than that. First, it's ignoring every other Halloween film except the original. Trying to keep track of the curse of thorn, Rob Zombie's remakes, or the H20 timeline (where Laurie is alive) as opposed to the Halloween 4 timeline (where she's dead) would be an insurmountable task for anyone. The choice to exclude the second film seems odd, but it gets rid of the revelation that Michael and Laurie are related and keeps Myers a random killer (which makes him more frightening) and . This simplifies things and starkly shows the change (or lack thereof) in the main characters.

Michael Myers and Laurie Strode are forty years older than in the first film. Myers is essentially unchanged. He doesn't speak or even react to things. Idiotic podcasters shove the iconic white mask in his face expecting some sort of change and leave disappointed. Of course he looks different than we assume he looked in the original and we do get a small glimpse of his face to reveal the damage Laurie inflicted with her knitting needles. Once the mask is on and he's on the move, he seems more motivated and brutal than the first film. Myers goes door to door, killing those he happens by and collecting and discarding weapons until he finds his kitchen knife. His victims range from an old woman obliviously leaving doors open to a teenager hunting with his dad, but he seems to ignore people who stay out of his way, such as a baby in a crib or the little boy of a babysitter. His violence occurs offscreen or bloodless in the beginning and then steadily progresses to the most ridiculous, gory death near the end, reflecting the journey the franchise has taken over the years.

Laurie Strode, on the other hand, has changed tremendously from happy, normal teen to paranoid, tense adult. She lives in a house that's more of a fortress with traps and tons of weapons. She's constantly training, keeping up her physical fitness and skill with weapons, waiting for the inevitable day when he would return. All of this comes at a cost. She married, had a child named Karen, then divorced and had the child taken away due to her choice of survivalist life, outside of society. It's amazing to see Laurie so strong and capable, but it also takes into account the effect of the trauma she experienced and how she chooses to cope with it. Her mental state is especially in shambles when Michael is transported and she lives in constant fear of attack. I can see how she doesn't ever want to be a victim and wants to save those around her, but the way she expresses it can be hurtful to those around her. Karen, now grown with her own teenage daughter, chooses to live a normal life and keep optimistic, barring Laurie from her home if she won't get help for her mental issues and keeps living in fear. Both women are living their lives in a way to keep themselves mentally and physically safe and they happen to contradict the other, creating this rift.

The film is complex, alternating suspense with moments of humor to alleviate the tension. The majority of characters are surprisingly fleshed out from the sassy little boy being babysat to the young teen who hunts with his dad and enjoys his dance classes. Even the three teen boys in the film are different from one another. Since Donald Pleasance has died, a new character, Dr. Sartain, fills his shoes. The character is a bit of a surprise later since I shoehorned him into Dr. Loomis' role without a second thought. The only flat characters here are the podcasters who served to show how true crime outlets can exploit the people involved for views and fame and to get the mask back into Michael's hands. They didn't get to show much more than their desperation to get their story and have Laurie and Michael face each other for their audience.

The confrontation between Michael and the Strode women is everything I wanted it to be. I especially enjoyed how the Strode women were all capable and strong in their own ways. Each of them decided to blaze their own path and made different choices than those who came before them. I've read some people saying that Laurie essentially turned into Michael at the end, but I disagree completely. There is a role reversal because Laurie is on the offensive and sets traps, but she is essentially human while Michael is not. She is afraid and makes mistakes at times, but her thought out plan and training serve her well in the end. Her ability to fight back or use violence against him does not take her humanity away, especially when she does everything she can to save her daughter and granddaughter. Michael is the same as always: slowly pursuing and going over any obstacle like a robot programmed to do so.

Halloween truly surprised me with how good it was. I would put it as the second best of the entire franchise right behind the original. The pace is steady and the scares are well placed with some humor to break up the tension. There are surprises, plenty of kills, and a heartfelt family story at its core. I would love to see a sequel if it is as well made and thoughtful as this one. The people behind this really showed their admiration and knowledge of the franchise with subtle references to the other films, plot choices, and aesthetic choices. John Carpenter's score is the cherry on top of the whole thing with themes from the original plus new reworkings and new tracks. Highly recommended and well worth your time.

My rating: 4.5/5 fishmuffins