Halloween Review

Starring:

Jamie Lee Curtis

Judy Greer, Andi Matichak

Will Patton, Virginia Gardner, James Jude Courtney, Haluk Bilginer

After John Carpenter's classic Halloween in 1978, nine sequels, prequels, and reboots were made, each appearing less and less successful both critically and financially. The mistake that all of these films made was that they treated killer Michael Myers as the focal point, assuming that he was the one the audience wanted to know more about. He was assumed to be the lynchpin that drove the franchise. It's been forty years and finally someone realized that Laurie Strode, the protagonist once played by the original "Scream Queen" Jamie Lee Curtis, is the emotional core of this always ill-fated struggle between good and evil. This 2018 iteration of Halloween chooses to erase every film before it, a decision that was embraced by the entire film community and indicated the true fatigue of the franchise. But this version has roared the box-office to life unlike any horror sequel before it, and been the first in the series to garner true praise since the original. 2018's Halloween sees an aged Laurie Strode, her spirit the only tangible thing remaining, take on Michael Myers for one last battle. On paper, it is essentially the same film as the original except Laurie is prepared this time. Much like Laurie, I was prepared. I was prepared to love this movie. I am a huge fan of the original. I did enjoy it, but it left me wanting more. Halloween both respects Carpenter's original and makes the same mistakes as its terrible sequels. Jamie Lee Curtis gives a powerful performance that tricks you into believing the entire film will follow suit, yet the same pitfalls exist within Michael Myers that have been present time and time again, only this time with no excuses. Halloween is a good film, but it is held back by these mistakes.

Our introduction to Laurie Strode is when two journalists decide to interview her about Michael Myers' prison transfer. This is where the film first surprised me, as I expected to see Laurie as a bitter women hell-bent on getting her revenge. This is not what we're given, as Jamie Lee Curtis plays Laurie as a woman deeply troubled with PTSD, obviously still reeling from the assault she endured at Myers' hands. She has become the "town nutcase" broken by two divorces, alcoholism, and the loss of her daughter to the state. When Michael Myers is transferred in the early hours of the morning, she camps out all night in her car, clinging to a rifle and crying her eyes out. She is stuck in this trauma and the only way to relieve it is to eliminate the cause. Her struggle with Michael is seen as cathartic rather than angry, and it is clear that this is a very different horror narrative than the films we have become used to. Jamie Lee Curtis is an excellent actress, and she has unfortunately not given a great film performance since Freaky Friday over a decade ago. Halloween is as much a return to form for Curtis as it is for the franchise.

The most noticeable problem in Halloween comes with its depiction of Michael Myers. In the 1978 original, Myers was credited as "The Shape" and set the example for slasher films. He had no lines, and was just an ordinary man antagonizing a young woman. Myers mask made it seem as if he could be anyone. Yet forty years later, he is a horror icon, and the film unfortunately cannot bring him back to what he once was. Myers is inhuman, and murders innocent people — a stark contrast to his first appearance, yet reminiscent of the ridiculous twists and turns the series has endured. One of the refreshing aspects of the high-concept horror renaissance is that it has been mostly devoid of gore. Films like The Conjuring, It, and A Quiet Place substitute shocking gore with terrifying atmosphere. Yet Halloween is one of the goriest movies I've ever seen. It is made even sadder that the series can be so progressive in its depiction of Laurie, yet misses the mark when it makes Myers a bloodthirsty killing machine. To make matters even worse, the film is peppered with odd and awkward humor that is a staple of B-level horror films. That isn't an endearing compliment. One of the credited writers is comedian Danny McBride, and I believe this is a mistake that someone should have forseen. His humor is at times funny but it does not mix well with the high-concept horror that the story of Laurie and Michael exists in. Factor that in with the poor depiction of Michael, and it is as if Jamie Lee Curtis is in a different movie than nearly everyone else working on Halloween. 

Though I think Halloween is a very flawed film, it is the type of movie where the good greatly outweighs the bad, even if the less desirable qualities resurface often. The film's climax is the kind of extended silent terror that harkens back to when horror was about more than just jump-scares. The significance of Laurie's final confrontation with Michael Myers makes the scene even more intense, and the payoff is spectacular. Much like the original Halloween, the film simply ends when the conflict does, and does not attempt to tie things up with a bow. However, I worry that Halloween will get a sequel and double-down on the things that hold back Michael Myers rather than build upon the exciting new direction with Laurie. As the horror world experiences a renaissance, I can only hope that this re-emerging franchise ends up on the right side of the history books.

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