Director: David Gordon Green
Screenplay: Jeff Fradley, Danny McBride and David Gordon Green, based on characters created by John Carpenter and Debra Hill
Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, Andi Matichak, Will Patton, Virginia Gardner, James Jude Gardner,
Running Time: 105 minutes
Genre: Horror
On October 31 1978, serial killer Michael Myers (Gardner) went on a murderous rampage in the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois. Forty years later, Myers is incarcerated in an institution and Laurie Strode (Curtis) who survived Myers' attack is a hardened survivalist, obsessed with Myers and the idea that he will return one day. Her obsession has alienated her from her daughter (Greer), and granddaughter (Matichak). Until Myers escapes while being transferred and returns to Haddonfield to finish what he started all those years ago.
This is technically the eleventh film in the Halloween franchise, including the 2007 remake by Rob Zombie, and it's 2009 sequel. However, this hits the reset button being a direct sequel to Halloween (1978) and rewriting the entire chronology. The idea that Laurie Strode is Michael Myers' sister which was introduced in Halloween II (1981) and has been canon ever since, is specifically stated here not to be the case. Also, here, Michael Myers has been locked up for 40 years. This is very much a traditional slasher film although it does have a 2018 makeover, Myers doesn't exclusively kill horny teenagers, here he kills pretty much anyone who he happens across. He also expands his repertoire from exclusively slashing and stabbing to include hammers and banging people's heads against anything solid. The film returns Myers to the enigmatic killer of the first film, and makes him less of a supernatural being, although he does have seemingly supernatural powers of strength and resilience. Curtis is great as the traumatised Laurie as are Judy Greer and Andi Marichak as her estranged daughter and granddaughter. The film benefits from a strong supporting cast, who make the characters more than just the typical faceless victims. The film takes it's time to get going and does at times get bogged down in subplots that don't go anywhere. However, while it is never exactly scary, it is tense and exciting and gory enough to appeal to fans without being violent enough to alienate more mainstream audiences. It also has humour and some fun nods to previous films in the series (including a cameo from Nick Castle who played Michael Myers in the first film, and supplies some of Myers' sound effects here), and is certainly one of the best in the franchise.
Trick or Treat: Michael Myers (James Jude Gardner) in Halloween
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