Before Jason or Freddy, there was Michael Myers. It’s been 40 years since the original classic starring Jamie Lee Curtis hit theaters and terrified babysitters and horny teenagers alike. Warning, spoilers ahead…
Since 1978, the franchise has spawned a total of 11 films including the Rob Zombie remake in 2007 and 2009. Now comes the latest film simply called Halloween, which serves as the direct sequel to the ’78 classic ignoring all other sequels that followed. The premise is generic as it begins with two true-crime podcasters Aaron and Dana (Jefferson Hall and Rhian Rees) wanting to interview Michael Myers. apparently Michael was captured by Dr. Loomis after shooting him off the Doyle house balcony. This is one of a few corrections this sequel makes which in a way negates the surprise element of Michael not only surviving the shooting but disappearing. The podcasters fail in their attempt to get Michael to speak even after showing him his old mask and mentioning Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis).
Afterwards the Aaron and Dana seek out Laurie to speak to her. Laurie has lived a secluded life in a compound that would be the envy of many during a zombie apocalypse. We learn that Laurie has had two failed marriages and has a daughter, Karen (Judy Greer) that was taken away from her at an early age and a granddaughter named Allyson (Andi Matichak). Laurie doesn’t cooperate in wanting to speak to Michael and the two podcasters leave. Later, the prison bus carrying Michael and several other inmates from Smith Grove mysteriously crashes causing Michael to escape. My girlfriend and I have a theory on what happened which I’ll explain in a moment. This is where the film starts to gain some of its momentum.
Somehow Michael is able to track down Aaron and Dana at a gas station and kills them both. He then recovers his mask from the trunk of their car and heads to Haddonfield. When Laurie finds out about the crash, she too heads to Haddonfield to protect her daughter and granddaughter. After arriving in Haddonfield, it doesn’t take long for Michael to go on a killing spree as he wanders the old neighborhood. After a 911 call had been made, Sheriff Hawkins (Will Patton) discovers he bodies of two teens that Michael had murdered. Laurie having heard the dispatch on her CB radio, also arrives at the house and goes looking for Michael. After spotting him, she shots him in the shoulder but he soon disappears.
Meanwhile, Allyson walking home from a party discovers her friend Oscar was killed and sees Michael. She was able to run and find refuge inside a neighbors home and is later picked up by Hawkins and Michael’s doctor Dr. Sartain (Haluk Bulginer) who also survived the earlier bus crash. As Hawkins drives to bring Allyson to Laurie who had taken Karen and her husband back to her fortified home for safety, Hawkins spots Michael and runs him over. This is where things get interesting, when Hawkins gets out of the car to shoot Michael, Hawkins is stabbed and murdered by Dr. Sartain. Sartain then takes Michael’s mask and puts it on. He wants to “understand” what drives Michael to kill. This leads to the theory I spoke of earlier that my girlfriend and I discussed. That bus crash might have been caused by Dr. Sartain to fulfill his wish of seeing Michael function in a non controlled environment. It’s a plausible theory given his excitement when meeting Laurie at the house of the two teens. Think of it as a clinical study of a serial killer.
Sartain places Michael’s unconscious body in the back with Allyson and continues the drive to Laurie’s. As predicted, Michael regains consciousness and kills Sartain allowing Allyson to escape. Michael then kills two officers and Karen’s husband before entering the house. Laurie sees Michael and bolts the door and yells for Karen to go to the safe room down below. Michael breaks through the door window and attacks Laurie but she fights back shooting Michael’s hand freeing herself. The final stages of the last act is a game of cat and mouse as Laurie hunts for Michael room by room. Michael gains the upper hand by tossing Laurie out the window but when he checks on her, in classic Halloween form, she has disappeared. Nice touch echoing the original film. Michael turns his attention to Allyson who is now in the house searching for her family. She finds her mother and the safe room and await Michael who is looking for them and finally discovers the safe room. There Karen baits Michael to show himself and when he does, Karen shoots him. Laurie then attacks from behind send Michael down the stairs. Karen and Allyson race up and Laurie traps him in the safe room before setting it ablaze and watching him burn.
Is this the best Halloween film ever? Nothing will beat the original. I enjoyed it far more than the remakes and it’s better than most if not all the sequels that this film wants to wipe the slate clean from. Overall it’s a worthwhile film to sit through and enjoy. Judging by the long lines at the theater this past weekend and the early box office returns, it’s a safe bet that we have not seen the last of Michael Myers.
Directed by: David Gordon Green
Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, Will Patton, Andi Matichak, Haluk Bulginer, Jefferson Hall, Rhian Rees, James Jude Courtney and Nick Castle
R 109 Mins
HALLOWEEN (2018) – ***1/2 (out of 5 stars)
May the Dork be with you,
JPB
The Dork Knight
