Halloween (2018)

Review

I think this movie truly is a perfect Halloween movie. This is a classic slasher ripped straight from the 80s and updated to suit the needs of modern audiences. It adressed the issues of the orginal movies while acknowledging and adding to the strengths of the original as well.

Halloween (2018) is about Michael Myers returning to Haddonfield 40 years later to hunt down Laurie Strode and the family she's made in this time. However, Laurie's been preparing for his return so this movie isn't a deranged murderer chasing down a helpless victim but is instead a clash between old foes.

This movie does a good job supercharging the pacing within the movie, when compared to the original. I think my general rule of thumb for slashers is that the slasher should be fully in gear killing people by 45 minutes in and this movie falls in line with this. The balance between the slow suspense of the beginning and the fast-paced ending where characters are dying left and right is done super well.

I think Michael Myers was very intense and scary in this movie. They put a lot of legwork into simultaneously dehumanize him and also elevate him to an almost mythological status and I think it’s really cool. The fact that we never get a good look at Michael’s face is super cool, it works as a way to distance him from the audience further removing him from human despite him being unmasked for a large part of the movie.

The gore in the movie was very impressive, I didn't really notice any bad effects throughout the film and a lot of the individual effects stood out as unique and interesting. I especially loved the head Jack-O-Lantern, even if its not particularly in character, and I kind of want to get it tattooed on my other shoulder to match my other Halloween pumpkin tattoo.

I think this movie did a good job with it's characters, it had the tough job of forcing audiences of caring about Laurie Strode and the family she created after all these years and all these reboots and it really lived but to the challenge. I think Karen, Laurie's daughter and Laurie's granddaughter were really strong and you could feel the love that this family had for each other and the different motivations that pulled them apart over the years.

The final girl sequence is really cool, it’s subverted to reveal that instead of Laurie running from Michael, Laurie is trying to trap Michael. The sequence is awesome with some actually good one-liners and an impressive effort against Michael. It culminates in the absolutely amazing shot of Michael staring out of the basement while surrounded by flames which I absolutely loved.

Speaking of things I love, the scene at the sanitarium yard has to be one of my new favorite scenes ever. All of the patients freaking out with Michael being stone-cold with the chaos and the loudness of the yard which leads into the calculated, familiar sound of the score accompanying the title card.

All this to say, this movie is extremely impressive. Another very impressive slasher which rises from the ranks as a really impressive horror film.