By Lauren Young
Staff writer
Are you afraid of The Boogeyman? Not if you’re Laurie Strode — you’re ready for him.
As a massive horror fan, this is the film “Halloween” franchise fans have been dying for since John Carpenter’s original 1978 slasher — survivor Laurie Strode finally faces psychotic serial killer Michael Myers, for what may or may not be the last time.
The film, released Oct. 19, was directed by David Gordon Green (“Pineapple Express,” “Eastbound & Down”) and co-written by Jeff Fradley and Danny McBride. Green’s “Halloween” sequel is based on the premise the last nine films in the franchise did not exist, instead, picking up 40 years after Myers survives a fall of nearly 30 feet from the top floor of a house and escapes.
In resuming from the original, this film ditches one of its biggest reveals — that Laurie Strode is Michael Myers’ sister — and instead, builds upon perhaps a more sinister anxiety — the unsettling fear of random violence.
Jamie Lee Curtis reprises her role as Strode — babysitter-turned-badass who has prayed for Myers’ escape from Smith’s Grove Sanitarium, a mental hospital, so she could kill him herself. Before Strode, arguably one of the best heroines in horror history, is Nick Castle, the original Michael Myers, behind the mask again, as they meet once again on Halloween night. A bulk of the job is actually done by actor/stuntman James Jude Courtney, who took advice on realistic killing from an old roommate — a former Mafia hitman. This efficiency is noticeable, giving Myers more of a realistically chilling edge.
After Myers escapes his two-story fall in what must have felt like parkour on a Tuesday, he lands himself at Smith’s Grove Sanitarium, less than 200 miles from Haddonfield, Illinois, setting of the original film (taking the whole ‘keep your enemies closer’ mantra a little too seriously). As Myers prepares for his transfer to a state penitentiary, he is visited by two true crime podcasters (Jefferson Hall and Rhian Rees) and his psychiatrist Dr. Sartain (Haluk Bilginer), a disciple of the late Dr. Loomis, and is shown his mask to see if it provokes a response.
Fast-forward to the catatonically silent Michael Myers escaping in his usual extravagant fashion, returning to Haddonfield to finish what he started four decades ago, apparently unbothered by burning quads. Green amps up the blood and gore for this revival, resulting in some creative kills and scenes that mimic past “Halloween” adaptations, which fans will enjoy.
Though in preparing for Myers’ return, Strode loses touch with both reality and daughter Karen (Judy Green), who thinks her mom needs to see a therapist for her Boogeyman paranoia. Granddaughter Allyson, (Andi Matichak) however, shares a bond with her self-described basket case grandmother, and is a refreshing female lead for the “Halloween” revival.
Instead of resting on her laurels (or moving out of state), Strode builds a fortress of defense against Myers if he escapes (good foresight). Strode is one of few self-aware horror characters in a lineage of baby-faced “Final Girls” — but she confronts this trope with a collection of firearms and a house constructed as a lock-down dungeon to protect both herself and the ones she loves when no one else can (she’s seen the work of Haddonfield Police, and she’s not impressed).
The film’s score modernizes the original’s theme with a heavier tone, adding synthesizers to Myers’ stalking expeditions to elicit a dream-like dread that lingers after waking from a nightmare. The story, meanwhile, offers a shift in empowerment that the original’s first sequel so desperately deserved — revenge. Picking up from the original to build upon the impact of Strode’s PTSD and paranoia was a smart move, because it’s her fearfulness that makes her such a fearless character.
Out of 10, I rate this movie an eight — Green’s revitalization of “Halloween” is innovatively chilling and engaging, giving Laurie Strode the backbone to face the man (half-breed demon?) who has made her life a living hell 40 years ago, and intends to make him burn in his own flames for it all.
As one of the best horror film sequels in the genre, the film’s witty dialogue and self-referential humor is entertaining rather than annoying and provides an amusing barrier between jump scares and Myers’ episodic bludgeonings.
While the ending, like other “Halloween” endings, leaves much to the imagination, it sets the scene for another sequel, begging the question: Will Michael Myers ever die?
Maybe, maybe not. But it’s Halloween, and everyone is entitled to one good scare.
Throughout October, Lauren Young will be reviewing new movies hitting the silver screen at the Oneida Movieplex, located at 2152 Glenwood Shopping Plaza in Oneida. For information and showtimes, visit movieplex.zurichcinemas.com.
