Much like Friday the 13th, Halloween seems to be a franchise that will not die and keeps rebooting itself in various ways. John Carpenter's original, which premiered in 1978, and introduced the world to both the unstoppable Michael Myers and the now legendary Jamie Lee Curtis, is a classic for good reason. Watching it now decades later, one can still marvel over the mood, the atmosphere, the creepiness and the genuine investment that one has with the characters on the screen.
Alas, the myriad sequels seemed completely at sea as to what made the original so memorable and compelling. Halloween II degenerated into an assembly line gorefest with Curtis given the thankless task of being drugged into a stupor for its running time. Halloween III did not even have any relation to the prior films. The subsequent Halloweens 4 through 3000 are complete trash, including the misguided remakes from Rod Zombie. Curtis was coaxed out of retirement from the franchise in 1998 for a 20 years sequel, which boasts a terrific cast, her great lead performance and enough charm, atmosphere and clever touches to bring it the closest to the original. It also treated films 3 onward as though they never existed (not a bad idea). Alas H20 was followed by one of the more rubbishy sequels.
Now we get this latest effort, which again erases the timeline from the end of the original film onward and starts over. This film now tells us that Michael was caught just a few blocks away after being shot by Dr. Loomis and was returned to his institution ever since. Surviving victim Curtis has dealt with PTSD and stress by living in seclusion, training for the day when she knows Michael will escape, and turning her property into a booby trap. Naturally, while being transported with his latest psychiatrist (Hiluk Bilginer) and a few other patients, the bus has an accident and Michael is on his way to Haddonfield to wreak havoc.
There are a number of things that work here and a number that misfire, which makes some of the feverish raves from critics that should know better puzzling. Obviously the film's best asset is Curtis, who turns in a multi-faceted and fascinating turn as Laurie. Laurie is looked on by others with a mixture of pity and annoyance with her almost single-minded obsession with protection. She is tough and unyielding, but definitely loves her semi-estranged daughter Judy Greer and granddaughter Andi Matichak.
Given that this picks up after the original Halloween, this means that the hoary old cliche of Laurie being Myers' sister is mercifully scrapped. Unfortunately, the screenplay is juggling too many balls. We have Michael's escape and reign of terror, the psychiatrist teaming with the local sheriff Will Patton to find him, Laurie's story, Greer's reluctance to be drawn into her mother's world again, and Matichak's subplot on hanging out with her friends unaware of the hell about to break loose. This does not leave an abundance of time to spend on much. Whereas in the first Halloween, we got to know the potential victims well before Michael had his spree. Here, we have been barely introduced to them before they are killed, so the kills have limited impact. And given that Myers has no reason to focus in on Matichak or her friends, it seems a striking coincidence that he just happens to land on them.
Director David Gordon Green lacks John Carpenter's ability to convey atmosphere or tension. For all of the success achieved with the main role, the film is just not scary. There is one adequate sequence with a security light and Michael edging closer to a victim, but otherwise not much else. There are too many scenes of Michael robotically marching into stranger's homes and murdering them in plain sight with no build-up. It is dull rather than scary.
Ditto, the whole subplot about Myers and his oddball psychiatrist should have been scrapped. Bilginer seems a weirdo from the start, so his actions later in the film are less surprising than a foregone conclusion. We hope the film is not going there, but it does. Then again, Myers has no reason to end up at Laurie's booby-trapped home for the climax, so the script needs to conspire contrivances to make it happen.
While Curtis carries much of the burden of the film, Greer is also strong, if strangely underused. Matichak also does well and Patton is solid as the sheriff. The less said about Bilginer, the better. The Strode women definitely have men issues. We never know anything about Laurie's former spouses, but Matichak is stuck with the charmless weedy Dylan Arnold, who somehow escapes the action by being a two-faced snot. Worst casting is definitely Toby Huss as Greer's husband. Although only a bit older than Greer he looks and acts like he would be better suited playing her dad. At first we think the character is comic relief, but then it becomes apparent it is sketchy writing and bad acting. We cannot believe for one moment that Greer would be married to him or that he spawned Matichak. His character is a complete irredeemable moron and it says something that when he and Michael predictably cross paths and tragedy strikes that literally no one in the film gives him a moment's thought.
The climax is pretty well done and elevates the film. Curtis, Greer and Matichak all handle themselves admirably and it is interesting watching their changing dynamics in these moments. Of course, these are the three characters we are invested in, so there is the rooting interest missing earlier in the film when Michael meanders around town offing unknowns. Still, I really miss the creepiness of the original film which is no where to be found here. Truthfully, I think H20 gave Curtis a strong showcase as well and worked better than what plays out here. Naturally, the ending leaves room for the inevitable sequel(s).
Alas, the myriad sequels seemed completely at sea as to what made the original so memorable and compelling. Halloween II degenerated into an assembly line gorefest with Curtis given the thankless task of being drugged into a stupor for its running time. Halloween III did not even have any relation to the prior films. The subsequent Halloweens 4 through 3000 are complete trash, including the misguided remakes from Rod Zombie. Curtis was coaxed out of retirement from the franchise in 1998 for a 20 years sequel, which boasts a terrific cast, her great lead performance and enough charm, atmosphere and clever touches to bring it the closest to the original. It also treated films 3 onward as though they never existed (not a bad idea). Alas H20 was followed by one of the more rubbishy sequels.
Now we get this latest effort, which again erases the timeline from the end of the original film onward and starts over. This film now tells us that Michael was caught just a few blocks away after being shot by Dr. Loomis and was returned to his institution ever since. Surviving victim Curtis has dealt with PTSD and stress by living in seclusion, training for the day when she knows Michael will escape, and turning her property into a booby trap. Naturally, while being transported with his latest psychiatrist (Hiluk Bilginer) and a few other patients, the bus has an accident and Michael is on his way to Haddonfield to wreak havoc.
There are a number of things that work here and a number that misfire, which makes some of the feverish raves from critics that should know better puzzling. Obviously the film's best asset is Curtis, who turns in a multi-faceted and fascinating turn as Laurie. Laurie is looked on by others with a mixture of pity and annoyance with her almost single-minded obsession with protection. She is tough and unyielding, but definitely loves her semi-estranged daughter Judy Greer and granddaughter Andi Matichak.
Given that this picks up after the original Halloween, this means that the hoary old cliche of Laurie being Myers' sister is mercifully scrapped. Unfortunately, the screenplay is juggling too many balls. We have Michael's escape and reign of terror, the psychiatrist teaming with the local sheriff Will Patton to find him, Laurie's story, Greer's reluctance to be drawn into her mother's world again, and Matichak's subplot on hanging out with her friends unaware of the hell about to break loose. This does not leave an abundance of time to spend on much. Whereas in the first Halloween, we got to know the potential victims well before Michael had his spree. Here, we have been barely introduced to them before they are killed, so the kills have limited impact. And given that Myers has no reason to focus in on Matichak or her friends, it seems a striking coincidence that he just happens to land on them.
Director David Gordon Green lacks John Carpenter's ability to convey atmosphere or tension. For all of the success achieved with the main role, the film is just not scary. There is one adequate sequence with a security light and Michael edging closer to a victim, but otherwise not much else. There are too many scenes of Michael robotically marching into stranger's homes and murdering them in plain sight with no build-up. It is dull rather than scary.
Ditto, the whole subplot about Myers and his oddball psychiatrist should have been scrapped. Bilginer seems a weirdo from the start, so his actions later in the film are less surprising than a foregone conclusion. We hope the film is not going there, but it does. Then again, Myers has no reason to end up at Laurie's booby-trapped home for the climax, so the script needs to conspire contrivances to make it happen.
While Curtis carries much of the burden of the film, Greer is also strong, if strangely underused. Matichak also does well and Patton is solid as the sheriff. The less said about Bilginer, the better. The Strode women definitely have men issues. We never know anything about Laurie's former spouses, but Matichak is stuck with the charmless weedy Dylan Arnold, who somehow escapes the action by being a two-faced snot. Worst casting is definitely Toby Huss as Greer's husband. Although only a bit older than Greer he looks and acts like he would be better suited playing her dad. At first we think the character is comic relief, but then it becomes apparent it is sketchy writing and bad acting. We cannot believe for one moment that Greer would be married to him or that he spawned Matichak. His character is a complete irredeemable moron and it says something that when he and Michael predictably cross paths and tragedy strikes that literally no one in the film gives him a moment's thought.
The climax is pretty well done and elevates the film. Curtis, Greer and Matichak all handle themselves admirably and it is interesting watching their changing dynamics in these moments. Of course, these are the three characters we are invested in, so there is the rooting interest missing earlier in the film when Michael meanders around town offing unknowns. Still, I really miss the creepiness of the original film which is no where to be found here. Truthfully, I think H20 gave Curtis a strong showcase as well and worked better than what plays out here. Naturally, the ending leaves room for the inevitable sequel(s).