Wednesday, October 24, 2018

'Halloween' Arranges a Suspenseful Laurie - Michael Myers Reunion

Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode | Photo Credit: United International Pictures
Forty years since the original Halloween, director David Gordon Green brings back Jamie Lee Curtis to her breakout role as Laurie Strode, who has dedicated decades of her life planning her retaliation against the iconic killer, Michael Myers.

Judy Greer joins the fun as Laurie's daughter Karen, who was taken away by child services after Laurie's post-traumatic stress took its toll in their family. Now that Karen has her own daughter Allyson (Andi Matichak), they struggle to bridge the rift as the two also clash with their differences.

Sequels tend to force additional storylines resulting to over-expanding their origins, but Green's Halloween did not fall into that. The additional familial conflict, in fact, brings new layers to the classic slasher film and it felt appropriate and sensible. It even gave Jamie Lee Curtis a good material, not only to revive her scream queen persona, but to showcase her acting chops as well. Here, she's bitingly old and white-haired, but her thirst to confront Michael Myers remains strong. And now with a family to protect, she must juggle that along with her thirst to put the masked killer to an end.

Certainly, there is no Halloween without Jamie Lee Curtis. But Halloween wouldn't also be Halloween without Michael Myers. They both are the true stars of this classic and writers Danny McBride and Jeff Fradley made sure that no one will be ignored. They crafted a plot that paves way from the original story and it's commendable how they blurred the line on who's the predator and who's the prey.

Michael Myers | Photo Credit: United International Pictures
Michael Myers introduction in this sequel is quite powerful. From the get go, we learn that he still reeks of evil, in an enigmatic kind of way. And as the movie goes on, we find out that he's still as unbelievably strong as before, ruthless and hungry despite his old age.

This sequel overall is entertaining. It brings back classic slasher film feels and builds it up from there. It's not a slasher film just for the sake of slash, or a slasher sequel just for the sake of sequel. It actually links this new Halloween from its true essence. It's also not devoid of family values.

Most of the time though, we watch slasher films for its exciting horror. And this might not be the best at that. For an R-16 film, the killing spree is a bit gentle in its gore, and the jump scares are mild in its scare factor. The additional laughs from the writers make it fun for sure.

The climax on the other hand, which happened in Laurie's trapped-filled house, was delightful to watch. While short, it never failed to surprise and excite. And it's not only Jamie Curtis Smith and Michael Myers that shined. Judy Greer also added her fair share in her Emily Bluntesque in A Quiet Place gun skills right in the center of the climax.

The ending was satisfying, until a turn of event made it clear that it's still not final. The ending makes the whole thing a bit futile, and the end a bit anti-climactic. The additional layers made this film worthwhile, but at the end of it all, this might just be another sequel for the cold cash. Still, this is a suspenseful Laurie-Michael reunion that original fans might like. One thing's for sure, the hunt for Michael Myers (or Laurie) continues.

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