By Zac Bos The movie Halloween came out on Thursday October 18. Halloween is a remake & continuation of the 1978 Halloween. In the original film, a serial killer named Michael Myers dons a horrific mask, and on the night of Halloween goes on a gory murder spree. He targets mostly babysitters and kills those who get in his way as well. A young woman named Laurie Strode, played by becomes his primary target and the object of his obsession. Myers is eventually taken into custody by local police and transferred to a high security mental hospital.
Roughly 40 years later, the story is picked up again in Halloween (2018). Laurie Strode has become a paranoid recluse who has turned a house in the woods near her home town into a high security compound. She lost custody of her daughter, due to her paranoia causing her parenting to consist of combat training, sharpshooting, and reclusion. Laurie Strode is now a grandmother estranged from the rest of her family due to her eccentric behavior. However, when Michael Myers escapes during a prisoner transport Laurie Strode’s preparation begins to pay off. The Strodes are evacuated to Laurie’s compound, but her granddaughter,Allyson, is nowhere to be found. Allyson, Laurie’s granddaughter, is remarkably underdeveloped throughout the story. The movies opens with a conflict between Allyson and her mother over the inclusion of Laurie in their family. This plotline is disappointing and ultimately unresolved. The best developed character of the main cast is actually Karen, Laurie’s daughter, who’s acceptance of her training and childhood during the climax is perfectly done. It serves as a wonderful reward to the audience for enduring such an annoying side protagonist throughout the film. The movie Halloween is less of a horror movie and more of a suspense slasher movie. There were few moments within the movie that were truly frightening, and most of them were gimmick jumpscares. Nevertheless, the atmosphere of suspense built by the movie was impeccable. Every moment after Myers’ escape was tense and charged with energy. The suspension of disbelief is certainly stretched in this movie. It is hard to believe Myers could just walk down a suburban street committing murder after murder and evading capture or even detection. Another way in which it feels exaggerated is the extent of injuries Myers suffers. Despite being severely wounded several times over he keeps getting up without medical attention. This takes away from the realism of the movie, and that part for me is what makes horror movies scary. Horror movies about demons or ghosts seem just unrealistic and silly, whereas horror movies with more realistic villains and situations that could actually happen terrify me. This is one of the reasons Halloween began as a great horror movie but ended as just a satisfying suspense/slasher film. A highly underrated portion of the movie was the humor. There were many points within the movie where the audience audibly laughed. It was a superb offset to the constant suspense throughout the movie. A particularly foul mouthed kid, who’s babysitter was killed had the audience laughing in every scene he appeared in. Overall the movie Halloween was an acceptable and fun part of the fall season. Halloween is worth a watch perhaps next October. Currently I would say it is not quite worth the total cost you will end up spending to see the movie in theaters. However, if you want a holiday themed movie for the season and you’re tired of The Nightmare Before Christmas (which, let's be honest, who would be) Halloween is available in theaters now. I would recommend watching the original first, but it’s unnecessary. Comments are closed.
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