Halloween movie resuscitates what seemed like a dead franchise with some extraordinary direction. There are plenty of creepy chills and watch out moments strewn across the movie to keep the thrill going. The slasher horror film breathes on its brilliant direction at times picking you up and dropping you inside the big screen, amongst all the terror being perpetrated on the victims.
Halloween movie has gore written all over it but it isn’t still contemptuous which is one of its strength. It is remarkably subtle. The Shape still marvels you and the mask looks more terrifying so as to elicit more horror. You are forever biting at trepidation. At the same time, your anxiety meter is at the highest level. It doesn’t stop you from watching and you are constantly wondering what might happen next. The creation of this very powerful antagonist just forces you to think of ways you could be trying to overpower him if you were trapped with him in a room or a place.
The movie thrives on its direction, this time under the radar of David Gordon Green. It does ample justice to the monster who is out on loose yet again. Somebody kill him already! Like seriously, why does nobody learn?
Jamie Lee Curtis – Born for the Role
Even after so many years, Jamie Lee Curtis hasn’t lost it. She reprises her role of Laurie Strode once again like she was meant for it. Still playing it to perfection as if she were indeed lost in the story somewhere for so long. Waiting for Mike to be released or to escape so that she could kill him herself. A card well played!
Some people are born for a certain part. Seems like Jamie’s is that of Laurie. Her fame shot with it and still flies hand to hand with it. She comes back to it, and you can’t help but wonder how Michael is such an integral part of her in his very own monster verse that trying to separate these two would be like totally unjust and unfair to its fans. If one wishes to learn how to keep a franchise going, there’s so much Halloween has to offer.
An evil like his never stops, it just grows older. Darker. More determined.
Gordon along with Jeff Fradley and Danny McBride, the writers of Halloween movie, together swing a granddaughter angle to keep that teen magic alive. The spirit of Halloween too is kept intact as Mike the monster unleashes himself on a bunch of nobodies to get to Laurie. So every Halloween you are constantly dreading the idea of The Shape showing up to slash you to death.
Theatrics Galore (Spoilers)
What Gordon does is leverage the theatrics to the maximum. Honoring the franchise truly, Mike’s real face is still kept behind the mask at all times. Hinting at his eyes and the age sometimes but his true face is never revealed.
It is so easy to paint a monstrous picture when you have never seen the face of the villain. More importantly, it keeps you speculating all the time thus driving that fear factor further in. If you were to show the face of him, he wouldn’t be dreaded as much. Kind of like Kane in WWE. Now that people know how he looks, he is no longer dangerous.
There’s a reason we are supposed to be afraid of this night.
The brutality continues as Michael Myers goes on his killing spree once again starting with an escape killing everybody in the vicinity. It is all brutal death from that point onwards as the movie tries to revive all its lost characters. Yes! Halloween movie primarily feels like picking Easter Eggs from a shopping mall as you keep bumping into its characters from the past. It helps you connect the dots from the past that are lost somewhere. It sticks to its origins nevertheless.
The very first scene where you see Michael standing in broad daylight as a reporter tries to obtain answers from him is written in sheer pizzazz. Such stunning cinematography. Takes your breath away! The entire scene is shot in subtle psychology. You could see every minuscule reaction of the people on the screen and create your own case study out of it.
You don’t believe in the Boogeyman?
Catering Two Generations
Made for a generation that hasn’t come across the monster yet, and a generation that grew up watching it, Halloween movie literally tries to cater to both kinds of audiences. It survives owing to its thrill and horror and does it so wonderfully well that you don’t hear anybody complaining about time.
The character of Allyson (Andi Matichak) is squeezed into the story as a quintessential teenager to a slasher movie to get the entertainment going. So they had plenty of friends for slashing.
Karen (Judy Greer) is the kid who grew up with a messed up childhood owing to Laurie’s obsession with the boogeyman. Karen constantly thinks that her mom is just crazy that she is having a hard time letting things go. But Allyson, the grandkid understands her grandmother Laurie. But The Shape does show, ergo, we have yet another angle of “told you” so. It all boils down to Laurie’s retribution in the end.
Halloween movie does ample justice to both its protagonist and antagonist. Together they are the heart and soul of the movie who literally drive the story forward justifying it like a cat and mouse chase like they always have.
I would suspect the notion of being a predator or the fear of becoming prey keeps both of them alive.
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Obvious Issues
If you remove all that part that thrills you, there are certain obvious issues lingering that literally try to push the events to meet a certain end. It is something that is hard not to overlook. Like Laurie trying to be the inevitable tough girl and still failing to cash checks her mouth was writing all this time.
He has waited for this night. He has waited for me. I have waited for him.
There are instances where you could literally feel David Gordon Green dropping his guard when it came to direction. When that happens you would know and try to erase it overlooking the minor inconvenience. Since he is the most attentive during the beginning and ending part of the Halloween movie. Some moments are there in the movie that might compel you to shake your head.
The ending is converged deliberately so that everyone ends up together so that it becomes easier for The Shape to attack them. In doing so the creators end up overdoing some implausible things. I guess, it’s fine since you have a film to make, right?
Also, some parts remain cliched and you know what’s coming beforehand. Even towards the end, you are sure that since they are trying to revive The Shape he couldn’t be shown dying, leaving threads open eventually that he might have actually survived.
The Final Verdict of Halloween Movie
Whatever the case may be, the presentation of the movie remains top-notch which is one of those great things that constantly do wonders for it. Halloween movie is a perfect feast if you have an appetite for horror especially during that time of the year when you are secretly wishing to be terrorized.
A definite must watch for the fans and for those who wish to know what it used to be all about.
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Halloween
Pros
- Direction of David Gordon Green
- Outstanding Gore
- Lets you connects dots
- Thrilling Throughout
- Spectacular Theatrics
Cons
- Cliched a Bit
- Converged Ending Feels a Bit Forced
