**** outta *****

4 outta 5

The long running Halloween franchise has many different directions. The series began with 1978’s Halloween, directed by John Carpenter and starring a then unknown Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode, the final girl who survives the killing spree by the silent masked maniac Michael Myers. Halloween II establishes that Michael and Laurie are brother and sister which explained Michael’s obsession. There were also Laurie-less sequels that turned Michael into an invincible resurrecting zombie. In 1998 there was Halloween H20: Twenty Years Later, which was only a sequel to the first two films as Laurie was back in a final cathartic confrontation with Michael. Annoyingly, years later Halloween: Resurrection had Michael finally kill Laurie. Two remakes by Rob Zombie followed, also called Halloween and Halloween II,and were quickly forgotten. 

After almost 10 years later the series returns in 2018 with Halloween. No subtitle or number which makes it the 3^rd movie simply titled Halloween. This is sort of like H20 where Laurie confronts Michael after decades except here she seems way more traumatized. Directed by David Gordon Green, the film has a back to basics approach that borderline approaches remake but Green keeps things inventive. Also the scare scenes are exceptional well done. And Myers is pretty dangblasted terrifying in this as Curtis returns to one of her most famous roles with gusto.  There’s a lot of blood splatter throughout as Myers’ chaos is seemingly unstoppable.

40 Years after Michael Myers went on a killing spree and sent to prison, two journalists show up waving Myers’ mask. In Haddonfield, the elderly Laurie Strode (Curtis) has learned that Michael is being transferred to another prison which really agitates Laurie as she has spent decades preparing herself and her family for his return. The years of constant survivalist training has taken a toll on Laurie’s relationship with her daughter, Karen (Judy Greer), however Laurie’s granddaughter, Allyson (Andi Matichak) relates to her crazy grandma. A psychologist fascinated with Michael Myers, Doctor Sartain (Haluk Bilginer), accompanies Michael on his transport and naturally Michael escapes. He returns on Halloween night to Haddonfield to get back his mask, his coveralls, and massacre unsuspecting folks but this time Laurie is waiting for him.

Myers is probably the most interesting character even though he doesn’t say a damn thing. But oddly he is incredibly compelling, especially early on when he is in captivity. Green’s camera pointed at Michael barely has Myers’ face in frame when he isn’t wearing his mask and the slightest turn of his head speaks volumes. Only when Michael recovers his mask, his true “face”, is that he is seen fully and it’s terrifying the power a simple white-painted William Shatner mask has. The character is also known as “The Shape”, which makes sense because he doesn’t say much, he is simply a menacing, ever advancing Shape of evil wanting to take people out, particularly babysitters.

Curtis as Laurie Strode is a great because this is a woman who has been broken by her experience 40 years ago. There are a few scenes where she goes nuts on her own family members due to the terror of Michael returning. Since this movie discounts the events of Halloween II Michael and Laurie aren’t siblings anymore which unfortunately makes it less twisted. Greer and Matichak as Laurie’s offspring get in some good moments, Greer has a fantastic bit where is unable to fire a shotgun and Matichak has a great bit where she is stuck in the back of a car with an unconscious Michael. As the doctor, Bilginer’s Sartain gets to slobber about how dangerous Michael is. At one point, Laurie spitefully calls him “The new Doctor Loomis”, a reference to the doctor who looked after Michael in the original film. Loomis’ voice is used in creepy, distorted old audio recordings about how evil Michael is which demonstrates the stakes.

One of the teenagers tries to dismiss what Laurie went through and, quite rightfully, he later dies a spectacular death. Like the original Halloween there is a bit too much of teenager relationship melodrama but it’s mostly there to establish who the eventual victims are. The best thing about the movie is the sense of creeping terror as the scare scenes are excellent. One of the movie’s best scenes simply follows Michael in one long take as he walks amongst the Halloween revellers and enters unsuspecting houses, featuring a terrifying moment where he simply lingers over a crying baby in a crib. Another great bit involves a drunk teenager stuck in a backyard with Myers as a flashing motion sensor keeps things off balance. There is a long sequence involving a babysitter (Virginia Gardener) who is taking care of a hilarious, smart-mouth kid who seemingly knows he is in a horror movie. Gardener has some great reactions to the kid which makes her eventual confrontation with Myers more satisfying.

Horror movies go through cycles of popularity and while the supernatural horror movie has taken the forefront lately with The Conjuring franchise, the slasher movie genre is due for a resurgence. It is apt the granddaddy slasher movie, Halloween, returns in full force. This has an amazing survivor striking back against the creature who ruined her life. When it gets rolling, it doesn’t let up. Just like Michael Myers.