Halloween (2018) #443

Halloween Movie Trailer

In 1978, John Carpenter introduced us to masked killer Michael Meyers and Laurie Strode, one of the most famous final girls in any horror movie. Forty years later both Michael and Laurie in 2018’s film simply titled "Halloween". At first glance, it feels like a path that’s already been on. To celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the original film, we saw the return of Laurie Strode as Michael's primary focus in "Halloween H20: Twenty Years Later". The movie itself does a fine job of ignoring the previous installments of the "Halloween" franchise, taking place twenty years later after "Halloween 2", and wrapping up the the series in a more than adequate fashion. So why do we need this new chapter? Because it's finally been done right.

The original “Halloween” was written, scored, and directed by the incredible John Carpenter who has returned as a producer, offering his spiritual guidance and wisdom regarding the script. Mr Carpenter also helped score this movie as well, presenting a haunting rendition of his original score. The music in this movie is absolutely perfect as ambient tones and sounds as well as the general theme enhance the mood and fill in the quiet moments.

  

While it’s great to see Michael Meyers on the big screen again, the real star of “Halloween” is Laurie Strode, played by the outstanding Jamie Lee Curtis. She is dominant, she is fierce, and she owns every second of screen time that she is given. From the first moment you see her, you feel her pain and her sorrow, having spent everyday for the past forty years waiting and preparing for Michael to return. Her character is reminiscent of Lynda Hamilton’s portrayal of Sarah Connor in “Terminator 2”; both women tried to lead normal lives but their paranoia and other symptoms of ptsd ultimately ruined their relationships with their children. Through Jamie’s gut punching performance, you are given more reason to care about her daughter Karen (played by Judy Greer) and granddaughter Allyson (played by Andi Matichak). Each character is fully developed and gives the audience the rare opportunity to actually care about the characters in a horror movie.

                              

“Halloween” is full of nostalgic moments, drawing ample inspiration from the original with a unique twist, subtle references and setting certain rumors to rest, and little details in staging; they even use the same font for the opening credits! But this film provides its own special moments, including the best dialogue during a babysitting scene I have ever seen. The most important choice that the film makers made was ignoring the sequels and reboots and choosing to set the movie directly after the original “Halloween”. This is the film that we wanted and the film that is worthy enough to properly celebrate the fortieth anniversary of this franchise.

Prom Night (1980)

The original "Prom Night" is one of those stalker/slasher style films that felt like a cheap carbon copy of all of the other similar movies that came out around this time. It has the unknown killer, an escaped convict that "must" be the one responsible for the current series of killings, teenagers having sex and smoking pot, and the needed surprising twist ending. This film also includes a disco dance scene involving Jamie Lee Curtis that is just painful to watch. Like many others, I was not impressed with this film and only begrudgingly watched it again just so I could review it for this project. It has not aged well over time and I can only wonder if the remake made any improvements when it was produced in 2008.


Four young kids are responsible for the accidental death of a younger neighbor and make a vow to never tell anyone, unknown to them that someone witnessed the accident and failure to admit it. A local rapist is convicted of the "murder" and the kids grow up without a care in the world. Flash forward to six years later when the four teens are getting ready to go to their high school prom, as well as the brother and sister of the young girl. The night of the prom falls on the anniversary of the accident, and the conspirators  begin to receive spooky phone calls from a stranger. During the day and throughout the dance, they are slowly killed off one by one until the "dramatic" climax finally reveals who the real killer is. (yawn)

Halloween 2 (1981)

Three years after his extremely successful hit, John Carpenter tried to recreate the magic but falls short with "Halloween 2". It was either a brilliant move or just a lazy one to have the movie begin exactly where it left off with the original is a point for debate. One thing that feels certain is that it is more like your typical slasher flick than a suspenseful thriller. Michael kills people just to kill them in this one rather than killing people who might be his sister Laurie and the people that get in his way. Speaking of Laurie being his sister, that reveal is the only reason why this film is validated in the first place; it helps create more of a mythos around Michael Meyers and explains why Laurie is his target.

The film begins immediately after Dr. Loomis shoots Michael before he can kill Laurie and falls out the window. When they look out the window, Michael is gone. While Laurie is taken to the local hospital, Dr. Loomis spends half of the movie trying to find Michael with the help of local authorities. In one moment of bad judgement, a kid dressed similar as Michael is shot and then hit by a car. Meanwhile at the hospital, nurses, doctors, and orderlies are killed by Michael as he continues his hunt for his sister. Eventually everyone meets up at the hospital and Dr. Loomis has his personal showdown with Michael, saving Laurie once again.

Favorite death scene - I saw the tv version of this movie when I was really young and the death scene that has always stuck with me was the nurse that was drowned in the boiling bath/spa. 

The Fog (1980)

How many movies begin with a creepy ghost story being told around a campfire on a dark beach? Not enough! But John Carpenter’s “The Fog” is such a movie and I know people who think that this is the best part of the film; I disagree with that but it’s still pretty damn awesome. I love ghost stories and this is one of my favorites. It’s eerie, fog is an awesome weather element in its own right, the story takes place on the West Coast, and the ghosts are barely seen. It’s a wonderful tale of revenge that is justified and the conclusion is pretty powerful. I suggest watching the DVD with John’s commentary because he reveals plenty of interesting tidbits about the film itself.

Simple synopsis

One hundred years ago, the founder of the town of Antonio Bay made a deal to allow a colony of lepers to settle near-by. Six conspirators decided that they didn’t want the lepers there so they purposely sank the ship that the lepers were sailing on. They then took the payment they had received and built the town and a church. Now the ghost of the Captain and his crew has returned to Antonio Bay to extract their revenge on the descendants of the conspirators.

Favorite moment – As I already said, I love the beginning and how it sets the mood!

Halloween (1978)

“Halloween” is my all-time favorite horror movie. I love this movie so much that I’ve had the theme music as the ring tone for my phone for the past 7 years; or perhaps I just like the movie and really love the music…Anyway, the story is about Michael Myers, a homicidal maniac bent on killing his sister and her friends who happen to be near-by. Does this plot sound familiar? Will it should! This low budget movie from 1978 became the highest grossing independent film for years and, for better or for worse, encouraged a wave slasher flicks to be produced as well as a dismal franchise of its own. The success of “Halloween” proved that young director/writer John Carpenter and newcomer producer/writer Debra Hill were going to be well known and leave a lasting mark. “Halloween” also introduced the world to Jamie Lee Curtis, who would earn the title of Scream Queen just like her mother, Janet Leigh. “Halloween” has had such an impact that in 2006 it was included into the United States National Film Registry due to its significance.

I feel like I’ve known this film most of my life. I remember catching a glimpse of the first few minutes before being told to leave the room when I was little. Hearing that amazing and haunting melody and not being able to watch only increased my curiosity. When I finally was able to see it, while it was shown on broadcast television, I was blown away. It didn’t matter that it was edited for TV because the film really isn’t that violent or filled with nudity or drenched in profanity, it didn’t need those elements to tell the story. The other element that it didn’t need was the NEED to explain everything. When asked why Michael was so dangerous, Dr. Loomis replied that Michael was pure evil. That’s it and it was enough.

Favorite moment – When Dr. Loomis is hiding behind a hedge near the old Myers house and whispers creepy-like at the children who are daring each other to go up to the front door. His amused look after they run away terrified is priceless.