David Gordon Green's Halloween

An entertaining entry into the franchise but left me mildly unsatisfied…

Directed by: 

• David Gordon Green

Written by:

• Jeff Fradley
• Danny McBride
• David Gordon Green

Cast: 

• Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode
• James Jude Courtney and Nick Castle as Michael Myers / The Shape
• Judy Greer as Karen Nelson
• Andi Matichak as Allyson Nelson

Length:

• approx. 106 min​

Genre:

• Slasher Horror

Let’s face it, the Halloween franchise has always been a hit and miss prospect. One movie is great, the next one is average, etc., etc. With every Halloween: H20, there is the disastrous Halloween: Resurrection. Rob Zombie’s Halloweens were also hit and miss. Say what you want about his version, but at least it was different to everything that came before it.

Which brings us to the new Halloween, 40 years in the making. With Jamie Lee Curtis returning to where her career started; is this as good as everyone is saying it is?
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A little from column A and a little from column B (Simpsons reference – yes!!).

This woman will turn 60 on the 22nd of November - WOW!

Taking place 40 years after the original and completely discounting every movie that came after, Halloween tells the story of Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), who lives alone in an isolated part of town, and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, after narrowly escaping the clutches of the boogeyman Michael Myers, and is always afraid he will come back one day.
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Laurie is estranged from her daughter Karen (Judy Greer), who is married with a child of her own named Allyson (Andi Matichak).

When Michael Myers escapes from a bus, after he was being transferred to another facility, Laurie will do anything to protect her daughter’s family. 

I caught the Sydney premiere of Halloween, which saw a Q&A with the legendary Jamie Lee Curtis. She came off as very funny and witty and is so loyal to the Horror community.

​One thing she said that caught my ear, was the reasoning for David Gordon Green and Danny McBride ignoring all the films that came after the original: they wanted to start fresh without a reboot.

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If you don't count the original, this is hands down the best mask since Rob Zombie's films.

So, what to make of David Gordon Green’s vision of Halloween, co-written by one Danny McBride, as crazy as that sounds. I was so undecided what to make of the film. Initially, I really dug it, but the more I rationalised everything and took all the nooks and crannies from the film, I came to think it was entertaining and there were many amusing nods to the original, but I didn’t think it was great.

"Halloween is a very decent sequel, and will without a doubt, please the masses and Horror fans will be happy. "
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I can't keep up with all of Matthew's celebrity crushes!

Now before you start criticising my opinion and call me a hipster, hear me out. Firstly, I didn’t really dig the idea of them dismissing all the sequels. I truly believe they should've, at the very least, included the events of Halloween: H20 as part of the story. Still could’ve used the idea of Laurie being a recluse and instead of having a daughter, keep the son, like in H20. 

The story is decent though, and Laurie Strode being home ridden and suffering from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) was perfect, and Jamie Lee Curtis nailed it. She faultlessly emphasised what trauma can do to a person, and really felt true to life.
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Mags' favourite scene.

As for the rest of the cast, Judy Greer as Laurie Strode’s daughter Karen, was a great choice and her story makes perfect sense as to her relationship with her mother.

Besides Michael Myers, the star of the show is Allyson, played by newcomer Andi Matichak, who could be a future Scream Queen, and felt like Jamie Lee passed on the baton to her. While I do question why she has to be so damn beautiful, she did extremely well, even if some of her character choices were questionable.
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Andi Matichak, Jamie Lee Curtis and Judy Greer.

​Now, as for the man we all came to see and hopefully would kill a bunch of unlucky humans, Michael Myers is massive and violent as he once was. He messes things up so badly, I was grinning ear to ear with his violent ways, but some things did bother me about the Michael Myers as a character, which I will have to ask true fans. 

Let’s not forget the always familiar soundtrack but there are other beautiful scores that will just blow you away. 

H20 has a special place in Matthew's heart.

7.5/10  

Written by Matthew.

Quote: "He can speak, he just chooses not to."

Trivia: Jake Gyllenhaal convinced Jamie Lee Curtis, to meet with director David Gordon Green, in reprising her iconic role of Laurie Strode. Jake is known as Jamie Lee’s unofficial Godson. 

Ronon's Reviews Merch! Only at REDBUBBLE! Click the photo to check the shop.

Halloween is a very decent sequel, and will without a doubt, please the masses and Horror fans will be happy. It’s highly recommended. It’s not perfect, and not the best sequel in the franchise (waves at Halloween: H20), but it’s most certainly a crowd pleaser.  

US Amazon

Halloween: The Official Movie Novelization $5.83

Aussie Amazon

- Full disclosure, Ronon's Reviews is an Amazon Associate and we earn a small commission on every purchase through these links. - 

UK Amazon

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