After 40 years since John Carpenter introduced Michael Myers to the unsuspecting town of Haddonfield, Halloween has returned with a new sequel. Carpenter’s 1978 classic has set the standard for the modern slasher genre, and has been the foundation for many horror films and franchises. We have had many sequels to this film with mixed results, but David Gordon Green has returned to the basics with this version as everything after the initial film has been ignored. This was an amazing decision and this movie is the Michael Myers we want to see. After watching this movie, I still believe this is one of the best instalments of the franchise.
This film starts 40 years after Michael Myers first went on his killing spree and has seen Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) prepare for his return most of her life. Rather than trying to forget about what happened to her, Laurie has made every decision based around that terrifying Halloween night. She has sacrificed her relationships, family and any chance of living a normal life in fear of Michael Myers. This version of Laurie is very much like Sarah Connor and I loved this. Laurie is paranoid, heavily armed and lives in a fortified house. However, beneath her tough exterior, she has lived in fear for 4 decades. Jamie Lee Curtis is excellent in this film and gives us the best version of Laurie outside of Carpenter’s original. After going through such a traumatic experience it is completely believable that she would live her life looking over her shoulder.
The main attraction of this film is Michael Myers himself. James Jude Courtney gives the best version of Michael Myers in the franchise. This is not to discredit the previous actors that have worn the mask but Courtney does everything right. He moves slowly, with intent and has that ghostly vibe that Nick Castle gave in the original. Michael Myers doesn’t need to run, shout or make dramatic movements. He simply glides through the darkness with full intent. He is very scary as he has full determination to go after his next victim.
The mask is also a huge success. It looks aged and weathered, which is my favourite design in the franchise. The mask and Courtney’s performance makes this Michael Myers feel completely emotionless. Comparing to the original film where Michael Myers looked like a young killer learning how far he could go. However, in this film he is older, more experienced and completely relentless. Every move he makes looks calculated and this gives the film an incredible level of fear. This is Michael Myers at his best.
One of the best scenes in the film is when Michael Myers finally returns to Haddonfield on Halloween night. This long tracking shot shows us Michael Myers moving around the town, casually entering houses and killing unsuspecting residents. This is some brilliant cinematography and really sets the scene for Halloween. It reminds us how easy Michael Myers can blend into his surroundings. This scene is very scary as everything seems normal. Children are going trick or treating, families are enjoying their evening and Michael Myers is just walking around like a ghost. There is no build up as Michael Myers’ presence alone gives us suspense.
I love how this film gives us seemingly unimportant scenes and characters that become more important as the trilogy progresses. This makes Haddonfield feel like a real community. David Gordon Green and cinematographer Michael Simmonds have captured the look and feel of Carpenter’s original and they have also modernised the violence and intensity. Michael Myers is much more brutal with his killings but the suspense hasn’t been lost.
Another great aspect of this film is how the three generations of the Strode family interact. Laurie’s daughter Karen (Judy Greer) clearly has a bad relationship with her mother as she was brought up preparing for an attack that may never happen. She didn’t have a normal upbringing and was basically brought up for the military. This has caused a large divide between them. Laurie’s granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak) just wants to get to know her grandmother. I loved how this gave the film some real emotion. Michael Myers returning causes them to deal with decades of bad feelings, trauma and broken relationships. When everything comes together it is incredible.
I also loved how Dr. Sartain (Haluk Bilginer) was handled. I assumed he would be a similar character to Dr. Loomis trying to understand Michael Myers and stop him causing anymore damage. However, he is completely different. He has become so obsessed with Michael Myers that he actually wants to let him loose. He has been studying his behaviour and wants to see what happens when he reunites with Laurie. It’s like someone has opened up the lions enclosure as they are so desperate to see what he would do. He doesn’t really care if anyone gets hurt, he just wants to see the evil he has been studying. This is a brilliant twist on the Psychiatrist character and it is brilliant that Michael Myers ends up crushing his head. He wanted to get close to evil and he definitely got his wish.
The real highlight of this film is the final showdown at Laurie’s house. Michael Myers arrives, kills Karen’s husband Ray and spots Laurie watching him. The scene where his hand smashes through the glass is brilliant. The film then goes into a tense game of cat and mouse. Laurie has been preparing for this moment for 40 years and it seems like she has created a safe house with a bunker underneath. We soon find out that the whole house has been turned into a giant trap for Michael Myers. This was a brilliant twist and shows how prepared Laurie was for his return.
The suspense in the finale is incredible. Watching Laurie search the house for Michael Myers and not knowing where he will pop up next is very nerve racking. Michael Myers then engages Laurie and after a brief skirmish throws Laurie off the balcony. When Myers looks down she is lying motionless. When he looks back seconds later she has disappeared. This is an incredible twist on the ending of Carpenter’s original. Michael Myers disappears after being shot by Loomis. This time around, Laurie becomes the person who disappears. I loved this. Its almost like she’s the hunter now.
Another great moment after this is when Michael Myers rips up the kitchen island to get to Karen and Allyson in the basement. The island is actually a secret door to Laurie’s bunker/basement/armoury. Karen looks terrified and helpless but then reveals that she has been waiting for the perfect moment to shoot him. “Gotcha”. This was one of my favourite scenes in the film. It shows us that even though she hated the survival training she was given as a child it has saved her family. Everything comes together as the three generations of Strode women trap Michael Myers under the house. Watching him stand there as the flames start to take over the basement is incredible. For a moment you think this could be the end of Michael Myers.
The soundtrack is incredible. John Carpenter, Cody Carpenter and Daniel Davies have returned to give the film that original feel. It gives it a heavier and more aggressive vibe to match the older and determined Michael Myers. Along with the excellent cinematography, the Halloween vibe and some truly shocking deaths, this gives us a film that feels familiar but fresh.
This is everything I wanted from Michael Myers returning. David Gordon Green has understood what made Carpenter’s original so successful and has given us the suspense, atmosphere and scary simplicity of the Shape. Jamie Lee Curtis is incredible and the Strode family storyline gives us a brilliant payoff. James Jude Courtney gives us the definitive Michael Myers. From the incredible tracking shot in Haddonfield to the incredible final showdown, this sequel has done everything right.
Michael Myers has returned 40 years later and he has never been scarier. Halloween (2018) is a bloody brilliant return for one of the greatest horror icons.
Check out more reviews from Action Reloaded
