Halloween 2018 

Released in the year’s most feared month, we saw Michael Myers stalk Laurie Strode through the streets of Haddonfield, Illinois on Halloween night once more. Starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, Andi Matichak, and the infamous Michael Myers, Halloween (2018) provides a much-needed new breath into the now-40-year-old franchise. Written by Danny McBride, Jeff Fradley, and writer/director David Gordon Green, we finally get the best sequel to John Carpenter’s iconic 1978 Halloween.  

Throughout the film the music kept things interesting. The music changed throughout the film which influenced the feeling of the scenes. When Michael Myers was near or at least known, the infamous Halloween theme played. However, when he remained unknown the music kept with the creepy mysterious feel.  

A film is nothing without its actors, and the return of Jamie Lee Curtis brings a familiar face back to the spot light. The rest of the cast does a good enough job, but nothing will ever be better than the family dynamic in Laurie Strode’s family. Judy Greer and Andi Matichak create more depth for Laurie’s story, and it creates more tension as the scenes progress. In slasher movies, we typically see caricatures of teenagers as incompetent, self-entitled, and ridiculously over-the-top. Many scenes excel because the teenagers are legitimately interesting and likeable. The sheer terror in their shrieks is warranted because they are normal teens trying to have fun on Halloween. While some things might be stupid teen parties, or dating drama, what should we expect from these hormone-driven teenagers? They are kids after all. 

Another trope of modern horror movies is to have a child actor run around and captivate the audience. The moviegoers laugh at the silly little children and adore every moment. It’s cute the first time, but it begins to become bland and uninspired. However, the child characters in this film and the actors playing them do an excellent job at making the children lively and interesting. Never before have I seen a young actor have amazing timing in a film. But Jibrail Nantambu was an incredible force of comedy. Our audience erupted in laughter and applause after each joke he made. He is a very promising upcoming actor. 

But the film also raised some interesting questions. The biggest question is how the police caught Michael Myers after the first film, seeing that he was shot out of a building and disappeared before anyone saw him again. Another question is what happened to the young child Julian, after Michael killed Vicky, the baby sitter.  

picture from looper.com