#36 - Halloween (2018)
(dir. David Gordon Green)
40 years after the events of the first film (and blessedly dismissing the events of all films in between), Michael Myers is still in a high-security psychiatric facility. He hasn't spoken a word in all those years, and doctors have found him impenetrable. Laurie Strode was traumatized by the killings, and they have affected the course of her entire life. She has become obsessed with defending herself, securing her home, and teaching her children to prepare for the worst, to the point where it has ruined her relationship with her family. As you can probably guess, though, those skills end up being very useful.
Describing a film as a "love letter" is a cliché, but I can't think of a better way to describe this movie. It is clear that the filmmakers not only love the original film, but understand exactly what it is that makes it so special. They get what makes Michael scary - not just that he is an unstoppable killing machine, but because there is no logic behind what he does. If he has a motivation, it is inscrutable. It's not even clear if he gets any enjoyment out of it. He just kills.
The material is treated with reverence, as is basically every other aspect of the film, right down to the font used in the opening credits. John Carpenter returns to write the score, and as expected it is fantastic. It is filled with references to the previous films - mostly the first one, but there are some nods to the sequel (in a long tracking shot where he moves between houses) and even Halloween III as well (Silver Shamrock masks!). I don't think knowledge of the original is necessarily required to enjoy this, but it certainly enhanced the experience for me.
This absolutely lived up to my expectations. It took 40 years, but Halloween has finally gotten a worthy sequel. I highly recommend going to see it (but be warned it is quite gorier than the original, if that isn't your thing).
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