HALLOWEEN (2018) – Review

As Tommy says to Laurie in the original 1978 film, “You can’t kill the Boogeyman.” It was never a question if he would return to the big screen… just a matter of when. Unfortunately, HALLOWEEN and Michael Myers have always been misinterpreted since the John Carpenter classic. His story has gone in directions that never lived up to the “Boogeyman” status. He once existed as part man and part dark fantasy. What he’s capable of in the original film goes beyond the suspension of belief, but it’s always grounded by John Carpenter’s masterful handling of the story. While the new 2018 film is the one sequel that comes the closest to presenting this idea, it once again falls victim to the same missteps that the later films in the series and the slasher genre as a whole embraced with open arms. The original was never about the kills and gory imagery on screen, but rather how the power of suggestion can make you believe that both man and myth can form a monster.

I have to give him credit. David Gordon Green tries hard to make this as faithful to the original as possible, coaxing Carpenter to return as producer and composer, Jamie Lee Curtis to reprise the role of Laurie Strode, and Nick Castle, as the “the Shape” of Michael Myers. Even compositions, at times, like the silhouetted inmates walking in the moonlight following a bus crash remind the viewer of Dean Cundey’s original cinematography. And yet, for all the good intentions, the film still feels the need to abandon what worked so well in the original in lieu of more flashy content like a killing spree depicted in a long single-take shot between households.

One of the most glaring issues with the film is the casting. As an integral part of Laurie’s emotional arc, Judy Greer is completely miscast as her daughter Karen. Now a mother of a teenage daughter, the character serves as the “voice of reason” who has moved on from her mother’s painful past. Her backstory as a former survivalist-in-training under her mother’s wing is never truly felt, and her scenes with Jamie Lee Curtis where she looks on her mother with embarrassment, never feel balanced opposite Curtis’ gut-wrenching and genuine performance. “The new Loomis,” as described by Laurie in the film, also struggles to find his place in the film. In the hands of Haluk Bilginer, Dr. Sartain comes across as a mix of Udo Kier and a Donald Pleasance impersonator in a 70s Italian horror film. That’s not even acknowledging the unnecessary turns in his story.

John Carpenter gives new life to his classic score in faithful and suspenseful style which also adds an emotional texture to Laurie’s survivor story. The connection between Michael and Laurie – the hunter and hunted – and how they relate to each other is the most sincere and effective element of the film. Laurie’s trauma is portrayed with a steely intensity by Curtis. She has trained herself to become an unblinking and unwavering warrior, but the film isn’t afraid to show her break down as a result of her trauma. Curtis lives up to the physical and mental challenges of the role, especially in the final act. The original HALLOWEEN may have ushered in the “woman in peril” genre, but the new film shows how peril can create a somber and strong story of redemption. How the events of 40 years ago have shaped each of them is what becomes the jumping off point, but along the way, this idea takes a backseat and the script veers into post-modern winking and bloodshed.

David Gordon Green’s HALLOWEEN rather quickly becomes about the unstoppable nature of this man. And while the “Boogeyman” idea is often referenced, the film relies heavily on the malicious killing power of Michael Myers. The bulk of the film seems like a melee of carnage until the finale, when audiences are finally treated to an entertaining blend of nods to the original with a modern take on the home invasion model. HALLOWEEN (2018) is exactly what you would expect from a film made 40 years later: a continuation of a horror classic that can’t commit to the restraint that Carpenter showcased in his masterpiece. 

In the opening moments of the film, a journalist pulls out the mask Michael wore 40 years ago and taunts him by saying, “You feel its power, don’t you?” The mask is a central theme to HALLOWEEN. The original opens with a young Michael Myers putting on a simple clown mask and murdering his sister. You don’t know his motives, and it’s not until the mask is pulled off that we see the face of a young boy emotionless and frozen with fear. He doesn’t even answer when his parents call his name. At this moment, Carpenter shows that anyone can become the “Boogeyman.” And yet the fantastical power of the mask isn’t felt with this new film. Watching Michael slip on the mask again doesn’t feel the same as it once did. It might look like and sound like HALLOWEEN at times, but it doesn’t necessarily feel like it. And for some die-hard fans of the series, that might be enough to welcome the long-awaited return of the “Boogeyman.”

Overall score: 3 out of 5

HALLOWEEN (2018) opens in theaters Friday, October 19th