“Halloween” Movie Review

Story posted October 27, 2018 in CommRadio, Arts & Entertainment by Emily Mungo

The original “Halloween” was quite a thriller back when it first debuted in 1978. Fifteen years after
Michael Myers murders his sister on Halloween night in 1963, he escapes from a mental hospital and
heads back to his hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois to finish what he started. Michael has his eye on
Laurie Strode, played by Jamie Lee Curtis, and her friends while they babysit. The film was extremely
successful around the world, grossing a total of $70 million. Fans of “Halloween” were thrilled to
find out that a remake was being filmed, and that Jamie Lee Curtis would still be a part of it.

Michael has been in prison for forty years and on Halloween night, he is being transferred to a different
facility to finish his sentence. As he is being transferred, he kills everyone on the bus, including the
driver, in order to make his escape. As Michael is out on the town again doing what he does best, his
killing spree wouldn’t have been complete without revisiting his past. Laurie is portrayed as the woman
who was traumatized from her experiences with Michael. She has been divorced twice because of her
paranoia. Her daughter was also taken away from her by child services because of her “unhealthy
obsession” with Michael. Laurie is now a grandmother, who is trying to repair her relationship with her
daughter and form a relationship with her granddaughter. Laurie’s life is consumed by Michael due to
her intuition that Michael isn’t gone for good; her instincts were right.

The movie does a good job of capturing Michael’s ongoing infatuation with Laurie, even after all the time
that has passed. This movie has the role of a sequel more than a remake of the original film because
Laurie was a 17-year-old girl in the first Halloween. Now, Laurie is a different woman because she is
older, wiser and prepared for what’s to come. The remake stayed true to what the original focused
on, which was the stubborn victim, who Michael couldn’t seem to get rid off. Although this movie
contained a few plot twists to keep viewers entertained, it was a bit repetitive, which is when the movie
got slow at times. The movie is a constant battle between Michael and the people he comes across,
whether it’s a person walking down the street or a person from his past.

David Gordon Green had the privilege to remake the movie the way he wanted. He also was the writer
on this movie, along with Danny McBride and Jeff Fradley. This movie is able to seen by anyone,
whether a viewer has watched the original “Halloween” movie or not. Rotten Tomatoes Critics
Consensus is that “Halloween largely wipes the slate clean after decades of disappointing sequels.” This
movie, although a predictable plot, comes off as extremely realistic. It is hard not be consumed by the
emotions and the action from the beginning.

Rating: 3/5 stars

 

 

Emily Mugno is a junior majoring in Broadcast Journalism. To contact her, email esm6@psu.edu.