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Halloween (2018) is almost a perfect sequel to its 1978 predecessor. With David Gordon Green at the helm, Halloween retcons all the previous films, leaving John Carpenter’s original. This film is mostly brilliant with Jamie Lee Curtis reprising her role as Laurie Strode being one of the biggest positives of the film.
Laurie Strode in this film, set 40 years after the original is still dealing with the trauma that Michael inflicted on her. However, she’s gone full T2 Sarah Connor gun-toting mode, since then, convinced that Michael is going to escape again and this time, she is going to put an end to him. However, beneath this strong exterior, one can see how damaged and vulnerable she still is. Her character is very well fleshed out through the film, making one care for her, irrespective of whether one has seen the original or not with enough exposition for the audience to catch up on and care.
The film belongs to Laurie as much as it belongs to Michael and that’s something, the film does excellently. Now coming to Michael Myers, I would like to describe him in one word- brutal. Michael randomly slashes his way through people irrespective of who they are. The deep raspy breathing beneath the mask, the horrifying slow neck turns after a kill with Carpenter’s brilliant score in the background- it’s all there, giving us a Michael who’s more bloodthirsty than ever. I was also pleasantly surprised by how the film introduced Judy Greer’s Karen Strode, Laurie’s daughter whose childhood was ruined due to Laurie’s paranoia.
However, some of the tonal inconsistencies in the film was something which kept it from the greatness of the original. Coming from David Gordon Green, who has made comedies previously, the film’s comedic relief feels like a huge miss. The lack of atmosphere in the film before a kill is a huge drawback. However, some moments in the film feels like Carpenter’s direction, which was amazing in my opinion.
Thus, the film is a worthy successor to the original but sometimes misses greatness due to some minor flaws.
Credits:
Rohitendra Chatterjee
Student – BBA (Media & Communication)
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