8 Reasons Why 2018’s Halloween Is The Best One Since The Original

There was a serious amount of hype surrounding Blumhouse's new Halloween. With Jamie Lee Curtis and John Carpenter back on board 40 years after the release of the first movie, could it manage to bypass the endless acceptable-to-awful entries in the franchise and give us something on a level with the masterful original? Having smashed box office records and earned a mostly strong critical response, it's safe to say that it's certainly succeeded in that. So, just how did director David Gordon Green and screenwriters Danny McBride and Jeff Fradley achieve what we thought was impossible and deliver a second strong Halloween movie? Well, the solid script and direction is a big part of it, but let's not forget the terrific performances and chilling score. Overall, there just seems to be a great deal more care and affection for the franchise on show here than we've seen in the past. Of course, there are flaws - it takes a while to get going and many of the new characters fall flat - but let's focus on the positives for a while and look at why 2018's Halloween is easily the best one since the first film. Back To Basics The thing that makes 1978's Halloween such a masterwork of suspense and horror is its beautifully simple premise: for no known motivation, a crazed masked serial killer comes after the babysitters of a sleepy Illinois town. Naturally, just to keep furthering the story, each subsequent installment muddied the waters by adding in new twists, new characters, new situations, etc., including the vilified decision to reveal that Michael was under a supernatural curse in Halloween 6. The big idea that necessitated this new Halloween was what if we just pretend that the past 40 years of the franchise had never happened and make a belated sequel to the first movie? Doing away with virtually everything - including the long-held explanation that Michael and Laurie are siblings - initially surprised and upset some fans, but after watching it, it's hard to argue that this was anything but the right move. What we get is the same basic set-up as the first movie - with Michael once again going on a rampage in Haddonfield on Halloween night - though naturally, the plot takes some different turns to tell its own story. Returning to the narrative structure of the original, though, is the first thing that instantly puts it above the reams of sequels. It Feels Like A Celebration Of The Franchise Given that it only directly follows on from 1978's Halloween, the 2018 version is naturally mostly a love letter to the first movie, paying homage to many of its most memorable moments. However, what's perhaps surprising is that it also feels like a celebration of the whole franchise in the way that there are so many callbacks and easter eggs to the events of past sequels. As we noticed from the trailers, one scene's practically lifted wholesale - only with a smattering more gore - from Halloween II, while other bits and pieces feel like tips of the hat to the likes of H20 and Resurrection. Even the Michael Myers-less Halloween III: Season of the Witch is referenced via the masks that some trick'r'treating kids are wearing. No previous entry in the franchise has made such an effort to honor the series' past in this way. Sure, average moviegoers won't spot stuff like this, but it means a lot to longtime fans that those making the film are just as invested in the franchise. Strong Direction Blumhouse hiring David Gordon Green to direct their Halloween reboot was a surprising choice, as the Pineapple Express helmer has had no previous experience with the horror genre, serving up indie dramas and comedy movies with the likes of Seth Rogen and James Franco instead. As such, people were primed for something that felt visually very different from past entries in the franchise. And honestly, that's not totally what we got, as Green mostly handed in his more arthouse sensibilities at the door. That was definitely a good thing, though, as the filmmaker perhaps comes the closest to aping Carpenter's original direction of any of the sequel's helmers. There are a couple of times where things are a little too workmanlike, but mostly he has a great eye for when to maximize suspense and how to handle jump scares. The directorial highlight of the movie is easily the long cut that accompanies Michael Myers' return to Haddonfield as in just two extended cuts we follow the killer as he blends into the crowds of trick'r'treaters and begins to murder his way through the town's residents. It puts us in the mind of the murderer and recalls the lingering, sweeping shots from the 1978 version. It's simply one of the best sequences in the whole franchise. John Carpenter's Score Speaking of Carpenter, Green might have directed the new movie but he did manage to convince original creator John Carpenter to jump back on board the franchise to deliver the score for the film. In many ways, his superbly sinister musical cues from the first movie are just as important to its overall success as his direction and the iconic look of its villain, so the fact that he was back really helped lift 2018's Halloween. Most of the success of the soundtrack comes from the sense of nostalgia we get from hearing familiar themes reheated but actually, there's a lot of invention and terrific fresh material on display here, too, which is what really makes it soar. Carpenter worked with his son Cody and musician Daniel Davies to compose the music for the film and together, they delivered some excellent reconstructions of his original tunes as well as creating new ones. Overall, the score is both a wonderful callback, full of 80s-style synths (something that's really come back in style in recent years), and a very modern piece of work, with a much bigger emotional range than even Carpenter's music on the first movie. Just check out the track titled "The Shape Burns," which manages to be chilling, triumphant and mournful at the same time. It's a stellar achievement from the Carpenters and Davies and hopefully, they'll be back for the sequel. It's Actually About Something None of us went to see Halloween for something with layered storytelling and interesting themes, but surprisingly, while the film is mostly just the skillfully-made slasher we all want it to be, it works a lot better by feeling like it's actually about something more than just scares and gore. Essentially, its core aim is to explore the long-term effects of trauma. The franchise has touched on this before in both H20 and Rob Zombie's Halloween 2, but 2018's Halloween handles it with more attention and care. The film examines how Laurie's untreated and unreformed trauma from Michael's attack 40 years ago has damaged her relationships with others her whole life and has turned her into a recluse. For perhaps the first time in a genre, we see the cost of living the life of "the final girl." However, as things develop, we're shown how Laurie has also gotten a lot tougher due to what she suffered, with the movie painting what she went through as a strength, too, as she's promised herself she'll never be the victim again. In a time when many women are finding the courage to step up and stand against their abusers, the message of the film is surprisingly powerful and cogent. The Emphasis On The Strode Women We're used to women heading up the horror genre, but honestly, the genre frequently reduces its female leads to "scream queens," giving them little else to do than flee from whatever slasher villain's pursuing them. Laurie's always been one of the strongest, though, and 2018's Halloween not only bolsters the character even more but makes it the story of three generations of women who came out on top. At first, it looks like Laurie's going to play the mentoring Dr. Loomis role while her granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak) fills in for her as Michael's main prey. Judy Greer's Karen, Laurie's daughter, seems to be out of the limelight as she's estranged from her mother and distant from her daughter. However, across the film, all three women come together and find the inner strength to face Michael. The final scene of the movie encapsulates the smart subversion of the tropes of the genre going on here. In a neat callback to the end of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Laurie, Karen and Allyson hitch a ride on the back of a truck, having defeated Myers. The very last shot lingers on Allyson holding his butcher knife and it shows us that the tables have been turned and the women have united to beat their family's curse. Jamie Lee Curtis' Best Performance As just discussed, all three female leads of the movie are terrific. Matichak proves herself a name to watch while it's great to see the brilliant Judy Greer given more to do than her usual "background mom" role (Ant-Man, Jurassic World). However, there's only one person than the movie belongs to and that's Jamie Lee Curtis. This has to be her finest work in a Halloween film ever. The actress has always given the series a lift whenever she returned - that's why killing her off within five minutes of Resurrection was such a terrible move - but it finally feels like the franchise has given her a reward for her commitment by serving up the opportunity for her to deliver a full-bodied, multi-faceted performance. When she's this good, it's easy to see why she had to stay closed off on set - including not speaking to the actor playing Michael Myers. Like I said before, Laurie's ongoing trauma is a big part of the film and Curtis gets to run the gamut in terms of emotions. She gets to be incredibly fierce, yes, but like the actress has previously stated, she didn't just want Laurie to be "badass" and so we see also how fractured and vulnerable she is, as well as being slightly crazed due to her life-long obsession with facing Myers again. Curtis brings a lot of pathos to the movie, building on her work from 40 years ago to perhaps hand in a career-best performance. The Terrific - And Terrifying - Third Act As important as all these previous factors have been in explaining why Halloween ranks up there with the 1978 movie, the main thing it needed to be was a good horror flick. Even the best performances and easter eggs couldn't save it if it was lacking in the key ingredients of suspense and terror. Thankfully, then, that's not a problem, as the tone builds at a mostly consistent rate (though there are moments of humor and tangents that could have been trimmed), culminating in a thrilling third act. Eschewing a close remake of the final reel of the first film, 2018's Halloween decides to almost give us an R-Rated reboot of Home Alone as the Strode women have to protect themselves from Michael in Laurie's fortified, tricked-out house. Or at least, it starts that way. Once again playing with our expectations, the shoe's on the other foot when Laurie decides to go on the attack and hunt Michael instead. As said before, this results in all three women coming together to stop him. The whole sequence is mercilessly suspenseful. As well as being the product of some incredibly sharp and efficient filmmaking, it's also because, for once, we're really not sure what's going to happen. Is this going to be Laurie's swansong? Will either her daughter or granddaughter die? The best part is that none of this happens and we close with a victory for our heroines. Sure, Michael's almost certainly not dead, but Laurie faced her trauma and beat it, meaning it's a rare happy ending for the franchise. Though we wouldn't want to be around Haddonfield next Halloween...