Halloween (2018) Review

While the names may be the same, this is a direct sequel to the original film. It completely negates all previous entries to provide one head to head battle. Michael Myers has returned and during the course of one slashing time goes directly against his former surviving victim Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis). She has been preparing for this meeting and you get to see the entire family this time around as her daughter and granddaughter are caught in the middle. Myers at this point in the modern times is just a myth, a legend to many and it's at this moment he comes back into the fold.

It's Halloween, and that's his favorite time of the year. This was a mostly action driven horror film with a focus on gruesome slashing. He was a creepy figure going around taking out anyone that could give him a sense of prey to hunt or just eliminate. The killings didn't always have reasoning and that's fine as it was really what a slasher film should be about. That being said, some core individuals had development as did others which seemed to strangely disappear while the narrative progressed.

This was generally a quality production, most shots were chilling and presented so many unique angles. There was a sense of chill and progression as you'd see this killer with a purpose carefully move with a silence from house to house. A killer that never runs, it was all about planning and strategy which is even more terrifying behind the mask. It seemed like a fairly realistic situation with the police keeping things rather calm and then twists that mix it up further.

The core of this really was a victim changed through experience and a showdown with the one that caused it. There were some scenes that felt out of place, but for the most part this was thrilling. I had a great feeling about it right from the creepy opening and the intense usage of the iconic theme. The deaths were well done being creative and then at times with restraint to set up more interesting reveals. It took this classic creature, adding a level of being a crazed human in a suit and then threw him into the modern setting.

The Conclusion

Halloween (2018) delivered on its premise being a thrilling slasher film that brought back an iconic character in a refreshing way. It took the modern setting while doing no cheap tricks to get everything into motion. It had some excellent kills, some with purpose and most without. It was just one killer on a war path after being locked away for so long.

While it wasn't necessarily a direct battle it definitely merged into one intense showdown between two long term connected individuals. There were some great characters involved here with a tune that kept the intensity going. It had some minor issues such as certain parts being out of place or some individuals fading away, yet it was just exciting to watch. It very much felt like a perfect way to continue the original being a fantastic way to wrap that up with this basically second entry in the franchise. I believe this will be a film that will be watched many years down the road just like the original.

Halloween (2018) Review at Theater with Standard Viewing

Rating Overall: 9.2