A Film Review: ‘Halloween’

Rating: 7/10

I love anything and everything scary, including horror movies. I especially like the original Halloween movies with Michael Myers. When it was announced that the new version of Halloween was being made with Jamie Lee Curtis from the original movie, I knew I had to see it! The original Halloween was released in 1978, and it brought a new kind of horror to the screen: a slasher horror film.

The 1978 film tells a story of a mute mental patient named Michael Myers who escaped the asylum he was held in for 15 years after he murdered his teenage sister. Out to kill again on Halloween night, he sets his sights on a teenage babysitter, Laurie Strode (played by Jamie Lee Curtis). This is the beginning of a massacre no one will ever forget.

This new edition was released on October 19 and is similar to the original plot with some of the original characters. In this film, Michael Myers is back after 40 years only this time Laurie is ready for him. She has been praying for this night since she was able escape him all those years ago. Can she do it again?

Here is my review of Halloween, enjoy! SPOILERS AHEAD.

The film is focused on the Strode family. Laurie Strode, the only surviving victim of a massacre 40 years earlier, prays for his escape so she can finally kill him. She prepared for four decades in all forms of self-defense and designs her home into the perfect safe house, or trap. Sadly, because of her trauma, she has lost her daughter and her life to fear and paranoia. The night before Halloween her prayers were answered. Michael Myers escapes while being transported and starts his reign of terror on a bus full of inmates. On Halloween morning, he continues his killing spree on innocent victims. For those who can’t handle gruesome scenes, you might want to look away for this one. When the police inform Laurie of his escape, she vows to protect her family. Michael Myers’s doctor works with the police to capture him and hopes to end this night before more innocent lives are taken. Or so you think… Your given a twist that both shocks and confuses you. Our seemingly helpful doctor is as bad as Myers himself!

As great as the trailer makes it out to be, every movie has flaws. First, the reporters trying to provoke a reaction out of Michael, as if that’s somehow a good idea. The seemingly easy kills, the lack of action from the victims, and the “scary” scenes being over too quickly definitely lowers the rating of this film. Furthermore, Michael Myers being able to appear all over the place (as if by magic) is a little too farfetched. Nonetheless, the end was one of my favorite scenes. It ends with Laurie making her house a trap for Michael and it left the audience cheering. Despite the few flaws, seeing the three generations of Strode together leaves me with no regrets.

With a cast of talented actors and thrilling plot twists, this film will have you on the edge of your seat. While more gruesome and less scary, it provides the thrill factor that we as viewers all love. Writers John Carpenter and Debra Hill take the story back to its roots. Although it doesn’t capture the magic of the original, it does bring some much needed closure. Is this the end of Michael Myers, or will there be more to come? We’ll have to wait and find out.