Michael Myers is back for more slasher kills and thrills in the sequel to Halloween. Here’s my review for Halloween (2018) starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Judy Greer and directed by David Gordon Green.

The new film picks up 40 years after the Haddonfield Halloween massacre perpetrated by Myers which was eventually stopped after police intervened. The effects of the killings were massive for the only survivor Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) as she has grown up getting ready for the eventual meeting with Michael Myers. She’s had a daughter and got estranged with her granddaughter. Things go from bad to worse when Myers escapes from bus that was transporting him and other inmates from the asylum to a prison facility. The gory kills ensue and it eventually leads to a reunion between the victim and the victimizer. But this time, will the hunter become the hunted?

Throwbacks

Being a sequel and because its a trend for sequels these days; expect a lot of throwbacks and callbacks to past scenes and tropes from the first movie. Things like Myers’ face suddenly popping out from the dark and then returning to it. Or that scene from the classic slasher film where Myers goes on hiding amidst laundry ready to kill his next victim. Even that creepy ghost costume is back with a completely different twist.

Inverted Takes on Classic Tropes

That disappearing act with the killer’s body after he “dies”? Its here and its taken a whole new form. That whole Loomis was fascinated with Michael Myers? That’s also here. There are tons of tropes that you can discover for yourself but the point is that makes a good way of enjoying the movie.

Slasher Returning to Form

Let’s admit it, slasher films have become “dated”. But with Halloween, it may have some disappointing points but it definitely reinvigorates this sub-genre. It also opens up a fresh new world of ideas with new filmmakers and creatives. I can’t wait to see what they want to do with this franchise as a whole.

A (w)hole cut apart

Overall, the Halloween experience is one that’s more satisfying than the average slasher films we’ve seen in the last year or so. I so loved the thrills and spills that I found it “bitin”. I wanted more but that’s just a personal… taste. For casual moviegoers and horror fans, I think that this triumphant comeback of one Michael Myers, evil incarnate, is sufficient.

via GIPHY

Halloween (2018) Review Verdict

9/10

There were so many great moments in Halloween. A lot of good tension-filled moments with satisfying pay-offs in the end. The characters were anywhere between ok to “holy shit she’s got unchecked PTSD but she’s right”. There’s just enough levels of gore but not enough to make you feel nauseated.

More than that, Halloween (2018) gives us a sweet reprieve from all the other contemporaries. No crazy men with a death trap, no gory characters created by a rock icon and certainly no monsters. Just a semi-powerful man who can shrug off bullets making his way downtown, killing teens.

Special thanks to United International Pictures Philippines for the invites.