By Brennan Atkins & Noah Barnes
Entertainment Correspondents
“Halloween,” directed by David Gordon Green, is the long-awaited reboot of “Halloween II” and discards the rest of the franchise (Halloweens II-VII). Jamie Lee Curtis returns as Laurie Strofe, Judy Greer is Karen, Framingham native Andi Matichak plays Allyson, and James Jude Courtney dons the infamous Michael Myers mask.
In the new film, Myers is 40 years older but still just as deadly. He’s been locked up for the murders that he committed in the first film, but of course, the prison bus transporting him crashes. And of course, it’s on Halloween night.
Laurie Strofe, the sole survivor of the Michael Myers massacre of ’78, is mentally unwell in this film, and we get a full scope of how much Myers affected the rest of her life. She’s a gun-toting grandma, and her past involving the masked menace has made her paranoid. Her traumatic past has resulted in two divorces, and the loss of custody of her daughter, Karen.
The visuals of the film are what make it stand out from the typical Halloween releases, which seem to get dumped on us every year. It captures the aesthetic of the original, but strays far enough in certain areas to maintain its own identity.
The use of displaying information through background imagery creates suspense, and it’s something unique to the horror genre – it shows that sometimes, the basics are better than extravagance.
The movie uses John Carpenter’s original theme from the first film and it fits right in.
Fans of Myers won’t be disappointed in this film’s approach to his hack-and-slash tendencies, as the action in the film is what keeps it alive. When the movie’s perspective is shifted to Myers it’s certain to entertain.
It feels as though the murders were just enough, because they weren’t too diverse to the point where it felt gimmicky, but had enough variation so they didn’t get boring.
All of that is great, but this pumpkin’s got some mold in it – it’s all jack and no lantern.
The humor is the weakest link in the film – not because it didn’t have room for it, as there was one scene that had the theater in shambles, but rather that most of the jokes just didn’t land.
There are a couple of writing oversights in the film, such as the disappearance of characters and the coincidental yet necessary plot moments.
“Halloween” may not be as memorable as its predecessor of the same name, but don’t let that blind you from what is there. There’s some great slasher fun to be had in the new release – maybe just don’t look at it too closely.