Review Tuesday: HALLOWEEN [1978 & 2018]

When we saw commercials for the latest installment for HALLOWEEN, Mrs. Bax0jayz and I knew we needed to catch it on the big screen. Word was that this new movie is a direct sequel to the FIRST film, ignoring everything in between. While I believe this is the eleventh film in the series, it's as if it is only the second. 

 

HALLOWEEN

1978

After being locked up in an asylum for 15 years for the murder of his sister when he was only six years old, Michael Myers returns to his home town to kill.

Before I get to the new movie, I wanted to revisit the film that started it all. In 1978 John Carpenter gave us this iconic horror movie. He even wrote the music for it. For the day it might've been suspenseful and scary but by today's standards it would be best described as "meh." Due to the low budget of the time, the filming is crummy, weak special effects and the cast isn't great with Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode being the shining beacon against her adversary, the serial killer Michael Myers. 

It's not a great film, but a fairly provocative film. What drove Myers back to Haddonfield, Il? Why was Myers stalking Laurie? There were more elements to this than just a typical slasher movie but the reasoning was never discussed. Rob Zombie floated some ideas when he did his reboot of the series, but those notions were quickly shot down in the latest film. But I digress. The original HALLOWEEN isn't very scary by today's standards yet has some iconic scenes and builds suspense very well, not to mention the fine ass of a young Jamie Lee Curtis. It's worth going back to revisit this horror classic especially if you plan on watching the new flick. 

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HALLOWEEN

2018

40 years after the events of HALLOWEEN, Michael Myers escapes to continue his killing spree and pursue a final stand off against Laurie Strode. 

After decades of being abused by the studios in  attempts to drag in money, apparently the studios allowed the sequel that John Carpenter always wanted for the original. 

It's been FORTY YEARS since that night. During that time Michael has sat silently in the asylum. Dr Loomis died and the case was passed along to a new doctor. During a transfer to another facility everything goes wrong and Myers escapes to resume his murderous search for Laurie Strode. 

During the years Laurie has lived a damaged life. Multiple broken marriages and estranged from her daughter, Laurie lives life as a recluse preparing for the return of the serial killer who ruined her life. 

I would say the bulk of the film is from the perspective of Laurie's teenage granddaughter, Allyson, who was played Andi Matichak. The whole family dynamic. That entire aspect was very real. 

In fact, everything about this movie seemed far more real than previous HALLOWEEN movies. They offer a reason what motivates Myers and keeps him ALIVE. The brutality was almost too realistic. The randomness of the violence felt appropriate. The "rules of horror" were broken time and again. This movie is anything but what you'd expect. The levels of suspense developed with the accompaniment of appropriate music makes you feel the terror in your own gut as actions unfold on the screen. The cast was PERFECT. The special effects were dead-on, forgive the pun. The filming and editing were perfect. The ending wasn't cliche. 

As we walked out of the theater with our jaws slacked in disbelief of what we had just seen the wife and I agreed that this might've been the best horror film we have EVER seen. It was dark, smart, suspenseful and terrifying while not participating in the modern victim pr0n that you find more often these days. If they never produce another HALLOWEEN movie, this would be the perfect finale for the series. I HIGHLY recommend this movie!

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