After the mixed reception Rob Zombie's Halloween II received, it was back to the drawing board for Malek Akkad, who tried unsuccessfully to get several Halloween films off the ground, to no avail. In 2015, Dimension Films, who had taken over the franchise in the mid-90's with varying levels of success, lost the rights to the series and it reverted back to parent company Miramax after one too many years of inactivity.
Enter Blumhouse Productions, who had enjoyed quite a bit of success with the Paranormal Activity, Purge and Insidious franchises, as well as horror hits like Sinister, Happy Death Day, Split and Get Out. Malek's brother Tarik helped broker the deal with Miramax, with Malek remaining on-board as a producer.
Even better, they somehow managed to get original director John Carpenter involved as well, as both executive producer and composer, alongside his son Cody and godson Daniel Davies, with whom he collaborated on the Lost Themes albums.
Taking an "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" sort of attitude to the project after grumbling from the sidelines for years about various other installments in the franchise, Carpenter even offered to monitor the project, advising the writers and filmmakers on how to make the best movie possible.
Initially, filmmaker Adam Wingard (You're Next, The Guest - which featured a nod to Halloween III) was attached to direct, but eventually dropped out of the project after not quite being able to come up with a solid enough idea to warrant moving forward, with Carpenter's blessing for his efforts.
Enter writer/director David Gordon Green (Pineapple Express, Stronger), along with, of all people, frequent collaborator actor Danny McBride (Eastbound and Down), pitched their idea for the next installment to Carpenter. He dug it and the two signed on, with Green to direct and co-write the script with McBride.
Many fans weren't sure what to think of this development, given Green's complete lack of horror films on his resume, to say nothing of the oft-goofy McBride's involvement. But advance word was positive, and fans perked up when it was revealed that the film would be a direct follow-up to the original, completely ignoring all the other entries in the franchise, even the first sequel.
Though the pair went back and forth on the latter, they ultimately decided that, as with the first film, it was scarier when Michael didn't have a reason for who he was stalking, as he did in H2, when it was revealed that Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) was, in fact, his sister. Carpenter had long since admitted he regretted the twist, but felt the initial sequel needed something to keep it from being a complete retread of the original.
With that decided, the two began to flesh out their script in earnest, paying homage to not only the original film in places, but even featuring nods to the other films in the franchise in a tongue-in-cheek sort of way. That said, Green and McBride went out of their way to reassure fans that they weren't going to be making a comedy or satire here, but rather doing their best to make Michael scary again, albeit not without some degree of levity along the way.
To be fair, it's not as if the original film is without a sense of humor, as well. For instance, there's the bit with Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasence) frightening the kids fooling around the Myers house or some of the scenes with Laurie and the kids she's babysitting, which are amusing without taking away from the film in any way, in terms of being scary.
The resulting film does indeed bear this approach out- it is funny at times, but never at the expense of the scares. So, those worrying about some sort of Halloween Express-type of hybrid need not worry. It's not a funny film at all for the most part, and what laughs there are are of the nervous sort, not the silly kind. Keep in mind Carpenter okay-ed everything, so if there ever was silliness involved, it isn't anymore.
But the new production's biggest coup beyond Carpenter was to actually convince original star Jamie Lee Curtis to return, in spite of being presumably "killed off" in a previous installment. Fans like myself weren't too thrilled with this particular development in the first place, so this was one ret-con most of us could certainly get behind.
The story wisely keeps things simple, as per Carpenter's advice. When Michael is set to be transferred to another facility, he manages to escape and promptly sets out to pick up where he left off, killing his way across Haddonfield and the surrounding areas. After a certain point, his path inevitably crosses with Laurie's and a sort of showdown ensues- only this time, Laurie is ready for him. Or as ready as one can be, I suppose.
The end result sort of splits the difference between the original and Zombie's efforts. There are undeniable echoes of certain scenes in the original in key scenes of the new film, but the new film is much more brutal and violent than Carpenter's film. It's basically the original 1981 Halloween II, if it took place 40 years later and wasn't set in a hospital at all, but with Michael continuing his rampage all over town instead, as with the opening section of that movie.
To that end, Michael's attacks on people are truly random, which is way scarier to me, personally. He's basically just killing with complete impunity, slaughtering anyone who gets in his way, no matter who it is or what their age is- no one is safe from this killing machine. (Almost- there are a couple of scenes where he lets a few slide, more or less. But not many.)
While certain elements of the film are admittedly contrived, which I'll get more into in the spoiler section, overall, it's a fun ride, if you can get past some dubious plot machinations. In a way, though, those things are necessary to give the people what they really want: Michael, clad in his familiar outfit and mask, eventually making his way to his old foe Laurie- the one that got away- and having a rematch for the ages.
I'll leave it to you to see who is left standing, but I suppose it goes without saying that the film does leave the door open for a potential sequel just a crack. Given how successful the film has already been at the box office, a sequel seems a given. It's already grossed over $100 million to date, and is on track to make millions more over the weekend, thanks to limited competition, combined with the Halloween season itself. What better to go and see for Halloween than a Halloween movie, after all?
Another thing that helps the film to succeed beyond giving the fans what they want, as described above, is that it actually features characters you like and care about. One of the biggest debits of the Dimension era, particularly circa the Zombie films, is that you don't really care about most of the characters. Not so here.
Front and center, we get three generations of Strode women: Laurie; her estranged daughter Karen (Judy Greer) and Karen's own daughter, the teenage Allyson (Andi Matichak), with whom she herself is struggling, given her wariness of allowing Laurie to be part of Allyson's life. The reason being that Laurie, not unlike her character in H2O, is a bit of a mess.
However, unlike that film, here she's nothing if not completely focused. Living in a heavily-fortified house, armed-to-the-teeth and loaded for bear, this is Laurie in survivalist mode, ready for anything and anyone, even the notorious Myers, to try and get the best of her. Of course, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions, so things don't always go according to her plans, to say the least.
Naturally, no one believes her at first, particularly her daughter, who she raised in a similar fashion, causing custody to be taken away from her when Karen was only twelve. As one might expect, that has left some scars on the now-adult woman, ones that haven't quite healed, ensuring that the road back to a "normal" relationship won't be forthcoming anytime soon.
Meanwhile, poor Allyson is left to constantly referee the two, all the while trying to have a "normal" life her own damn self- not the easiest thing to achieve when your grandmother is the survivor of the area's most notorious serial killer. In another amusing scene, a friend of hers downplays the "body count" of Myers, pointing out that it isn't really that high by today's standards! That is no longer the case by the end of this film, I can tell you.
All three ladies are endearing in their own unique ways, and each of them is allowed room to breathe as characters. You get to know all three- or reacquaint oneself, in the case of Laurie- before Michael even comes close to crossing their paths.
As such, when they inevitably come together to combat the seemingly unstoppable force that is Michael Myers, it feels like the ultimate #metoo moment- three women doing battle against their would-be oppressor. I don't know it if was entirely intentional- my guess is that the film was already well on its way by the time that movement was- but sometimes, timing is everything, and boy, did they nail it in this case.
Happy coincidence or not, it works like gangbusters, and should work even more so if you're a woman whose dealt with an evil man at some point in your life. We may not have stopped the dastardly Brett Kavanaugh from getting away with it, but the ladies here aim to make Myers pay for making their lives miserable, and then some. It's the very definition of a cathartic experience, after a nation of women felt slighted by that unfortunate development.
You can't help but cheer these ladies on, given the current climate- unless, of course, you're a predator yourself, in which case, I suppose, not unlike Rob Zombie's take on the series, you're more on Team Michael than his potential victims. My guess is that the people who like this movie will not be, while those who prefer Zombie's brutal take will be somewhat let down by the return to comparative subtlety.
I mean, don't get me wrong- there are some pretty brutal deaths here (one of which feels like an intentional shout-out/call-back to Zombie's H2 in particular), as well as a few ridiculous ones, albeit stylistically imaginative, I suppose. But the emphasis here is back on character, as it should be. If you don't care about the characters, how can you be expected to care about their respective fates? Here, you do, and it makes all the difference.
Granted, there are some ringers, in terms of being kind of just this side of annoying. The Serial-type podcasters (Jefferson Hall and Rhian Rees) are self-serving and practically screaming to get Michael to kill them- that's one of them holding up the mask goading Michael at the sanitarium in the trailer, as seen above.
Also, some of Allyson's friends leave something to be desired - mostly the guys, which seems in keeping with the whole "time's up" thing I mentioned. But after Zombie's monotonous take, where everyone seems villainous, foul-mouthed and terrible, this is definitely a step up, trust me.
The new Halloween isn't perfect. Some of the twists- particularly a late-in-the-game one involving Michael's post-Loomis doctor, Sartain (Haluk Bilginer) - are kind of silly and heavily reliant on the absolute worst kind of plot contrivances. (You'll know them when you see them.)
And at around an hour-and-forty-five minutes, it's a tad long, which causes it to drag a bit, but it's an undeniable improvement over the Zombie installments, both of which approached the two-hour mark, especially in their uncut forms, and were exceptionally self-indulgent at times. This one leaves the one-note tone at the door, in favor of a layered, more complex take, but, at the same time, never forgets to deliver the scary goods.
And with Carpenter's patented music front and center and Nick Castle back behind the mask in some key scenes- James Jude Courtney also plays The Shape in the scenes that require a bit more heavy lifting (lest we forget, Castle is in his 70's!) - this is just a fun time for fans of the original, even if some might lament some of the more modern touches, like the sometimes graphic gore, which was notably absent from the original.
As such, I can't recommend it enough for longtime fans, even if it never quite feels like a Carpenter film, per se. How could it, set 40 years later? Hell, even the section of Zombie's film set in the 70's didn't particularly feel like Carpenter's film, either. Film techniques have just plain advanced since then, and you better believe this one cost a damn sight more than $325,000, like the original.
So, even though it may not have the same vibe as Carpenter's original, it at least re-captures some of the scariness that Michael lost over the years, and firmly recaptures the Halloween vibe that has been somewhat lacking over most of the last few installments. Halloween, the holiday, is readily apparent all over this film, at least when its set in the more suburban areas.
I don't think fans will be disappointed, and I thought Green and McBride acquitted themselves nicely with this one, which bodes well for any sequel that might happen on down the line. Maybe. So long as they keep their eye on the jack-o'-lantern, and keep it simple, just like the Master said.
This marks the end of the non-spoiler section! Stop reading if you don't want to have key moments ruined! You have been warned! 💀💀💀
Now, let's get into spoiler territory, so that I can address both some of the cooler moments for long-time fans and some of the more unfortunate moments as well, in more elaborate detail.
First and foremost, this thing is jam-packed with in-jokes for fans, visual and verbal allusions to the original movie, as well as nods to some of the sequels. For instance, the title sequence is straight-up like the original, with one crucial difference: it shows a smashed pumpkin that sort of puts itself back together to form that familiar jack-'o-lantern we all know and love, as the even more familiar music and orange-yellow font credits roll alongside it. It's as if the filmmakers are saying: we know this franchise has been messed up and beaten down over the years, but rest assured, we're here to make things right again.
To that end, they do, with pretty clear echoes throughout the film to the original Carpenter classic. There's the escape sequence, with all the mental patients wandering around in the dark, milling about, just like in the original. Then Michael heads to a local gas station in a stolen car, where he liberates an employee of his uniform, leaving his body laid out and partially obscured, just like in the original.
Meanwhile, back in Haddonfield, Allyson is sitting in class when she spots someone watching her from across the street... but it's not The Shape this time, it's her grandmother, Laurie, watching over her in a more loving fashion. It's nonetheless a sign of things to come for poor Allyson, as later on, she finds herself in the same predicament as Laurie did in the original, running around the darkened streets, screaming for help, knocking on doors for assistance. (Note also her outfit.) Lucky for her, they open up this time.
In another key sequence, a friend of Allyson's, Vicky (Virginia Gardner) is baby-sitting, and Michael comes to call, just after her boyfriend, Dave (Miles Robbins) arrives and the two commence to fooling around. And you know where that gets you in a Halloween movie.
In Dave's case, it gets him pinned up on the wall with a butcher knife, just like Bob in the original, save the exact location. In a slight twist, when the local sheriff, Hawkins (Will Patton), comes to investigate, he finds a dead Vicky under a ghost-like sheet, instead of Michael, as in the original. Note also the similarity between Vicky's shirt and Tommy's in the original. (Tommy being Tommy Doyle, one of the kids being baby-sat by Laurie in the original.)
Closets like the one Laurie cowers in, in the original, crop up, and Karen's husband, Ray (Toby Huss) is placed inside one after Michael kills him, just like he did with Lynda in the original. Also, when Laurie searches her house for a lurking Michael, she checks the closet- which is where Michael was hiding when he attacked Vicky earlier- but it's empty here, save for a solitary coat hanger, which is what saved Laurie in the original, of course.
In my favorite of the bait-and-switch echoes of the original, Michael attacks Laurie and she ends up going over her own balcony and into the grass, just like Michael did. (Shades also of Laurie's fate in Halloween: Resurrection, as seen above.)
Only this time, it's Michael who checks the grass to look for her- only to find Laurie gone, just as Dr. Loomis did when he checked for Michael after he went over the balcony at the Doyle's. Game set match! Watch your back, Myers! (Indeed, Laurie creeps on Michael from the shadows just like he did her in the original.)
Finally, in the epic showdown between Michael and the Strode women, at one point they retreat into the basement area, which is cleverly hidden underneath an "island" in the kitchen. Once he gets inside, he hovers at the top of the stairs, just like he did in the original, after Laurie went over the railing at the Wallace house and he went to pursue her.
Only this time, the ladies are ready for him, with each helping to contribute to his "demise." That seems as good a place to start for the other allusions in the film, as Michael's ultimate fate involves his being burned alive, as Laurie sets off a trap she put together which fires up some burners and allows her time to trap Michael in the basement, where he presumably dies in the ensuing fire. Yeah, right. (To be fair, Laurie did shoot a hole in the ceiling of the basement earlier in the film, so Michael could indeed have shimmied up through it and to freedom before dying in the fire.)
In addition to that H2-esque fate, the film also alludes to Carpenter's infamous "sister" twist earlier in the film, amusingly dismissing it as "something people made up." Other nods to the franchise include: the gas station is modeled after the one in H4; the bully Lonnie from the original is alluded to as still being one, as well as the parent of one of the characters, Cameron (Dylan Arnold); there's a lamp featuring a clown holding knife- a nod to Michael's original costume as a child; and the address of '707 Meridian' mentioned on the police radio is the IRL address of the Myers house before it was relocated (in the movie, I believe it was where Vicky was babysitting, so I guess they finally sold the Myers house!).
There are also mentions of Mr. Elrod (the next-door neighbor that Annie joked was watching Laurie from the backyard), the "Babysitter Murders" (which was the original title of the first Halloween), and that semi-familiar speech the teacher gives Allyson in class is delivered by none other than OG Halloween actress PJ Soles.
When Michael is on the prowl, he bumps into a kid with a boom box, just like he did in H2, and the scene where he claims a butcher knife from a woman's kitchen also echoes that film. BTW, that impressive sequence was shot in one long take, which could be construed as a homage to the opening scene of the original Halloween, which, while technically two takes, was intended to also seem like one long shot. This one really is, so kudos to Green for that impressive sequence.
Also worth noting: a group of kids trick-or-treating are wearing the infamous H3 masks: a witch, skeleton and pumpkin-head, respectively. The bathroom attack of Dana, the podcaster, is similar to one in H20. The death of the doctor, whose head is stomped on by Michael, is seemingly a direct allusion to the one in Zombie's H2. I'm sure there's plenty more stuff where all that came from.
All of this is a lot of fun, especially for hard-core Halloween franchise fans, but where's there's good, there's also some bad. For instance, what is the likelihood that the podcasters, who just so happen to have Michael's original mask in their trunk, would show up at the very gas station that Michael was at killing folks? I get that we all want Michael to reclaim his mask, but that was all a little dubious.
In addition, the "twist" with Michael's doctor, Sartain, going rogue and killing the Sheriff and kidnapping Allyson- with her and Michael locked in the back together, no less! - was a little ridiculous. I mean, he wants to study Michael "in the wild," as it were? WTF??!!
Well, I guess he got his chance, as Michael promptly curb-stomped his ass into a pulp. Talk about a dubious plan doomed to fail from the start. But, once again, they had to get Michael from Point A (Haddonfield) to Point B (Laurie's house in the sticks), so what are you gonna do? Still, it's a stretch, to be sure.
That said, in the moment, I was able to forgive the movie, as I was having a lot of fun with it. But it's stuff like that that will make future re-viewings problematic, to say the least. Maybe Green and McBride will be able to justify these dubious plot machinations in the inevitable DVD/Blu-Ray commentary, but for now, it's an issue with what was otherwise a pretty enjoyable movie.
Still, overall, I dug it, and commend Green and McBride for going back to basics and ignoring all the even-nuttier twists along the way in the franchise, which made what was formerly a relatively straight-forward, simple story completely ludicrous. (Looking at you, Thorn cult!)
Granted, some of the violence was a bit over-the-top, to say the least- hi there, cop jack-o'-lantern! Yes, it was a cool effect, but a little goofy. I don't even want to get into the mechanics of what it would have taken Michael to pull this off, and in such a limited amount of time. Stuff like that is more in keeping with Zombie than Carpenter, to be sure.
There's something to be said for following Carpenter's lead as well, even though he doesn't do a lot of film-making these days, so kudos to them for letting him be directly involved as well. Granted, he did say they should quit while they're ahead, which seems unlikely- hence their leaving the door open for yet another sequel. But these two get what makes the series works, at least to a certain extent, which is more than I can say for some of those who have tackled the franchise over the years, to be sure.
Only time will tell how the inevitable sequel turns out, but if they do half the job they did here, it should be at the very least watchable, and to their credit, unlike, say Carpenter himself or Rob Zombie, they actually seem keen on doing another one rather than dreading it. McBride and Green also said they already have some idea as to where things go next as well, though it remains to be seen if Curtis will be back- in which case, it just wouldn't be the same, really.
For now, though, the pair have acquitted themselves nicely with this one, and I genuinely look forward to what comes next, which is more than I can say for the last few installments. By all means, if you're a fan, you should check this one out, even if you long ago lost faith in the franchise!
For my next review, I'll be ducking back once again into the original time-line for a look at director Rick Rosenthal's follow-up to the original, Halloween II. After that, we'll be dipping into yet another alternate time-line with H20 and Resurrection, before hopefully bring it all home for the holiday with Halloween III, the most oddball entry of the franchise. Join me then, and thanks, as always, for reading! 🎃
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