Review: Halloween (2018)

Director: David Gordon Green

Screenplay: Jeff Fradley

Year: 2018

There are many horror movies we horror fans love but that are followed by embarrassing sequels. We usually ignore the existence of these sequels in order to continue enjoying these films without much of a guilty conscience. However, it is a much more powerful statement when you make a movie that is a sequel to a movie that already has multiple sequels, but you decide to ignore the existence of each one.

Well, this is precisely what director David Gordon Green ("Pineapple Express") did, backed by John Carpenter himself and Jamie Lee Curtis ("Knives Out"), creator and star of the original film, respectively. Considered by some as disrespectful and by others as necessary, the truth is that this sequel, which further complicates the timeline of the "Halloween" movie series, is a line much more suitable for a classic horror movie.

"Halloween" (2018) is a direct sequel that takes place 40 years later to the events of the original 1978 version. The plot follows Laurie Strode, who survived an attack by Michael Myers, but who came out psychologically battered from the event. Not only does she suffer from post-traumatic stress syndrome, but she is sure that Michael Myers will return for her and dedicates a good part of his life to get ready for the inevitable encounter, which has affected her family relationships.

Well, forty years later, Michael escapes from the psychiatric institution in which he was confined and unleashes and chaos in the quiet town of Haddonfield. As you might expect, the film follows a very slasher-like formula, a genre that its predecessor helped popularize and where it became one of the benchmarks. 

One of the strengths of "Halloween" (2018) is how it bases its entire story on the fact that 40 years have passed since the last meeting between Laurie and Michael. Laurie is now a grandmother and Michael looks clearly aged, although his supernatural strength and killer instinct remain intact. And speaking of killer instinct, the film features several memorable deaths and special effects that will satisfy fans of gore and blood.

"Halloween" (2018) is a daring move, ignoring all the sequels of the series, although making several nods to "Halloween III: Season of the Witch", the only one in the series that does not have the villain Michael Myers in its plot. However, it shows that he does have a better sequel to offer and do justice to such a mythical villain. This sequel puts a lot of focus on the relationship between Michael and Laurie and the fact that 40 years have passed since their last meeting but doesn’t forget what made this villain an icon of terror: his superhuman strength and his vicious thirst to kill.