Halloween (2018 film) (spoilers)

Last edited Sun Oct 22, 2023, 11:56 AM - Edit history (1)

With Halloween approaching, this movie might be interesting to fans of the 1978 original. This was to be a return-to-form sequel that brushed off the canon from the mediocre sequels and included the talents of Jamie Lee Curtis and John Carpenter. Was it successful? 40 years had passed both in real and story years which is unusual in a sequel. Laurie Strode was compelling as a 17-year-old teenager in 1978, and her sweet innocence provided stark contrast with the monstrous "Shape". Now we have the 57-year-old version who is paranoid, jaded, and battle-hardened. Unfortunately, her likability hasn't aged well. The babysitter "Vicky" sort of steals the show here.

The original movie featured a slow burn and less-is-more approach. The effectiveness of the soundtrack can't be overstated. Carpenter composed the famous theme himself which features an odd time signature (5/4). It doesn't rely on the go-to tritone to achieve spookiness, but rather chromatics and an odd minor to major micro-modulation. These oddities form a unique, unsettling sound, and there are also jarring, dissonant little piano riffs sprinkled throughout. I don't believe a classically trained composer could have come up with this. The 2018 version features a modernized version of the main theme. It's adequate and doesn't take any new risks with it.

The setup is painfully predictable. Michael Myers gets loaded onto a bus for transport due to...reasons. Need I say more? Myers gets right to the killing, so the slow burn aspect is out the window. Michael is spotted by the young boy Julian in his house at one point. His concerns are brushed off by Vicky, which is odd because he is somewhat adult-acting in nature. Let the bad decision-making begin!

Apparently, Laurie has spent the past 40 years planning for his return. She has built an elaborate set of traps in her house to ensnare him (this is revealed as a twist). Unfortunately, this plan was rushed. Each trap has only a single point of entry, so luring Michael as human bait means having to cross paths in close quarters safely somehow. Also, Laurie has to quickly abandon the safety of the basement bunker and perform a room-by-room search in the dark with no advantages. Despite these blunders, the basement trap miraculously works, and Michael is caught! However, the sequel is actually the first of a trilogy, and Michael is wearing plot armor as the house is burned to the ground. So, we don't get to see the body.

TLDR version: I'd say skip it unless you are a hardcore fan of the original.