Forty years after the events of the original Halloween film, murderer Michael Myers escapes from captivity and returns to Haddonfield, Illinois on Halloween night to pick up where he left off. Survivor Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), who has spent the preceding decades a paranoid recluse and survivalist, determines to kill Michael once and for all, and to protect her estranged daughter (Judy Greer) and teenage granddaughter (Andi Matichak). Also featuring Nick Castle as The Shape.
Director Green (working from a script by comic actor Danny McBride, Jeff Fradley, and himself) ignores the events of all of the myriad sequels and reboots, including the superior 1981 Halloween II. That was probably a good idea, as the film series' storyline had become hopelessly confused. Parts of this latest iteration work, others don't, but I felt that it was probably the best in the series after the first two. I enjoyed a lengthy scene of Michael killing his way through adjacent houses as busy Halloween activities take place all around him. The film does an excellent job of stripping the almost supernatural qualities of the character away, showing how he methodically goes about his business in a disturbing yet all too real way.
The film takes a left turn late in the proceedings which I won't go into here to avoid spoilers, but I'll say that the last act is heavily contrived, yet still not without some payoff. The cast is good, though not great, and newcomer Matichak does well as the youngest "damsel in distress". There are frequent nods and callbacks to the first film, as well as a few reworkings of moments from the sequel. In fact, that aforementioned last act seems to revel in taking the finale of the original and subverting it. The score, by John Carpenter and his son Cody, is good, but again not up to the original. As far as slasher sequels go, this is top shelf, but it's still a slasher sequel, so don't expect high art.
Director Green (working from a script by comic actor Danny McBride, Jeff Fradley, and himself) ignores the events of all of the myriad sequels and reboots, including the superior 1981 Halloween II. That was probably a good idea, as the film series' storyline had become hopelessly confused. Parts of this latest iteration work, others don't, but I felt that it was probably the best in the series after the first two. I enjoyed a lengthy scene of Michael killing his way through adjacent houses as busy Halloween activities take place all around him. The film does an excellent job of stripping the almost supernatural qualities of the character away, showing how he methodically goes about his business in a disturbing yet all too real way.
The film takes a left turn late in the proceedings which I won't go into here to avoid spoilers, but I'll say that the last act is heavily contrived, yet still not without some payoff. The cast is good, though not great, and newcomer Matichak does well as the youngest "damsel in distress". There are frequent nods and callbacks to the first film, as well as a few reworkings of moments from the sequel. In fact, that aforementioned last act seems to revel in taking the finale of the original and subverting it. The score, by John Carpenter and his son Cody, is good, but again not up to the original. As far as slasher sequels go, this is top shelf, but it's still a slasher sequel, so don't expect high art.