John Carpenter‘s 1978 classic ‘Halloween‘ was one of the gory horror blockbusters of the ’70s and launched Jamie Lee Curtis‘ career. The slasher genre went mainstream and the film had an abundance of ‘sequels’ that took the characters of Laurie Strode and Michael Myers in every possible direction. However, none of the successors have been able to recreate the magic and terror of the horror night in the original film. 40 years later, the screenwriters of the 2018 edition of ‘Halloween‘ tried a change of direction. Leaving aside everything that fans of the series learned in the various ‘sequels’, they created a straight sequel, which takes place exactly 40 years after the events of the original film and which directly continues its narrative line. It was going to be the first in a trilogy of sequels, but perhaps its makers didn’t know that in 2018. Even if it doesn’t quite manage to recapture the emotional intensity of the original (lacking the element of surprise also having its role), this ‘Halloween‘, directed by David Gordon Green offers enough reasons to watch even those who are not necessarily die-hard fans of the series or the genre.
40 years after the events of the original film, Laurie Strode is a mother and grandmother. But her life was spent in the trauma of what happened that night. She became a survivalist, raised her daughter and tried to influence her granddaughter’s education in the belief that Evil with a capital E exists and that the best thing she can do is learn to defend herself against it. The world around her considers her obsessed, perhaps rightly so, and the extremes of this behavior lead to the loss of maternal rights, ironies at best and ostracism at worst. But when Michael Myers – the serial killer who has become a case study for dozens of psychologists and a movie hero for TV reporters with a low life expectancy – escapes, Laurie is the best prepared – perhaps the only one prepared – to face him.
The script of this film abandons any claim to find the psychological roots of Michael’s behavior. He is just a mask of Evil, and when Evil kills one must defend herself, not call psychologists for help. ‘Halloween‘ – the 2018 edition is well executed as an action movie, and Jamie Lee Curtis creates an(other) excellent role. None of the other characters around her, however, are interesting enough to draw attention to the time they spend on screen between their first appearance and their disappearance (usually by violent death). The film also has a girl enpowerment message (women are the most effective in fighting Evil). But what’s missing is the surprise (and that’s kind of inevitable) and that realism that amplified the horror in John Carpenter‘s film. On Halloween night, the creatures hidden behind costumes or grotesque or scary masks are part of the ‘normal’. When one of them starts behaving like the character he embodies and kills under the shelter of the mask, the horror effect is created. When I first experienced a Halloween night in America, I felt the lack of comfort and fears that ‘Halloween‘ – 1978 had induced in me. I doubt that ‘Halloween‘ – 2018 induces similar sensations in the souls and minds of many viewers. In the end, with all the praise for the quality of the film-making, that’s what matters. For a horror movie the biggest flaw is not being scary enough.