Jamie Lee Curtis (“Scream Queens”) starred in the original “Halloween” in 1978. Her character, Laurie Strode, is the only survivor of the relentless serial killer Michael Myers. Donning a painted William Shatner mask, viewers all over the world feared him. The film itself was able to define a genre. Therefore, in May 2016, when the “official” sequel was announced, fans of the genre, the movie and strong female leads were excited. Finally, after several mediocre sequels and remakes, John Carpenter, the writer and director of the original “Halloween,” and Curtis worked together as executive producers to provide an equally campy and frightening experience as they did previously.
In the first film, Laurie Strode comes off as an intellectual high-schooler who has no real skills that would allow her to survive. Because of this, Laurie, in the years following the “Halloween” massacre, trained intensively in combat and firearms. Additionally, she “Michael-proofed” her home to keep those she cared about safe. The viewer understands just how horrifying Michael Myers is. This paranoia that Laurie displays, both on and off screen, provides a really interesting tension between Laurie and her daughter, Karen (Judy Greer, “Room 104.”) Laurie’s granddaughter, Allyson (Andi Matichak, “Blue Bloods”), despite by being raised by Karen, who is hyper-critical of Laurie, feels some level of empathy for both of them. In modern film, if there is an argument, screenwriters make it so that the line between right and wrong is clearly drawn.
“Halloween” (1978) is arguably the most defining film for the horror genre. It jump-started the slasher subgenre, raking in over $70 million worldwide. It used chilling point-of-view shots to make the audience feel like Michael Myers. It did not rely on heavy gore, but rather the fear of a man being pure evil strong and enough to withstand bullets.
From these criteria alone, the most recent “Halloween” provides the sequel that fans were craving. The film did not rely on gore or jump-scares to frighten the audience. In fact, it uses hardly any true jump-scares. All the fear comes from the empathy that viewers hold for the female-dominated cast. The women in the film were enough to make viewers care. They were all relatable, justified and morally sound. Each of the characters had their flaws, making them more believable and likeable.
The “Halloween” (1978) film is categorized as horror, and, for the time, it lived up to the genre. In the case of “Halloween” (2018), however, if viewers who frequent the genre are anticipating a film with major scares, they will leave disappointed. The R rating is really only due to a few moments of gore. The categorization as horror by IMDB is incorrect. If viewers enter this movie under the assumption that it is a thriller, they will leave substantially more content.
Lately, film critics are claiming that female leads are either there for only diversity or are poorly written, existing only as props to the men. To the excitement of many, Laurie Strode and the females in her family are not only the main focus of the movie, but are also the ones who are smart and coordinated enough to perhaps stop Michael Myers, which is made clear from the beginning. All the women have their own diverse personalities, and at no point was the tension between them reduced to cattiness, something too common in modern movies.
The horror movie often wants to pander to an audience, as well. This is why “A Quiet Place” was overrated. That movie killed off a single person in the beginning rather abruptly, setting the tone as a ruthless movie where they would not be scared to kill again. The problem, however, is that they were, and virtually no one else died from the seemingly impenetrable monsters. “Halloween” (2018) set up the beginning as brutal and followed through appropriately. It kept a similar pace with amount of violence and brutality throughout the film, which kept viewers captivated.
The new “Halloween” was extremely enjoyable to watch for a lover of the slasher and thriller genres. If viewers enter this movie eagerly waiting to leave the theater screaming or vomiting, they will be disappointed. The movie was well written, acted, directed and shot, all while maintaining the elements of the original that gave it the notoriety and praise that it deserved.
Image from Universal Pictures via YouTube
