Michael's Back - Halloween Movie Review
Kennedy Dunning
Kennedy Dunning
It has been almost 40 years since psychopathic Michael Myers first terrorized audiences. On October 19th, 2018, the newest part of the franchise was released.
Fifteen years prior to the first massacre, a young Michael Myers murdered his older sister in cold blood on Halloween night. After that, he was transported to a mental asylum where he was supposed to wait out his last days. However, he escapes and steals a car. His first victim, a local mechanic, is brutally stabbed to death. Myers then grabs his uniform and a nearby mask making his iconic assemble . The next day he murders two babysitters and their boyfriends. Also, he attempts to kill Laurie Strode, played by a young Jamie Lee Curtis, who was actually his younger sister. Her name changed because her parents decided it would be best to not associate with the Myers’ name.
The newest movie takes place in the present several decades after the first murders. Laurie Strode is still tortured by the events of that night back in 1978. She has flashbacks and huge anxiety episodes that completely stopped her from functioning. Additionally, she has a daughter Karen, played by Judy Greer, and granddaughter Allyson, played by Andi Matichak, who she feels she needs to protect from Myers. In order to grab some sort of safety, she decks out her house with a long gates, security lights, several metal locks, and a wooden board across the door. The most interesting feature inside the house would be the hidden room underneath the middle counter in the kitchen. The room is filled with extensive weaponry and is a safe haven for the women. In Halloween tradition, Myers, played by Nick Castle, escapes the asylum he was imprisoned in, first targeting innocent babysitters and then the ‘victim that got away’, a now 57 year old, Laurie Strode.
This Halloween movie lived up to the expectations. Fans new and old from all ages came to the opening night on Friday, October 19th. The movie made 77.5 million dollars in the first weekend. What was unexpected about this movie would be the intriguing side characters, specifically Julian, played by Jibrail Nantambu. He was one of the kids being babysat during Halloween night. Without spoiling too much, it is easy to say that his response and then flee from Myers was nothing but comedic. Abby Richards, who saw Halloween on opening night, said the little boy was her favorite character and “ the only smart one” in the movie. Another unexpected element was Laurie Strode‘s daughter and granddaughter. The daughter had skillful shooting range that Laurie taught her when she was younger. The granddaughter inherited Laurie’s intelligence and logical reasoning that helped her stay alive during the movie. Fans, like Anslea Langford, felt connected to these characters, deeming them “strong female leads.” The Strode women definitely showed guts.
I would give Halloween five out of five stars. It remained true to the original, with Myers frightening murderous strikes and iconic theme music. However, it did include courageous, intelligent women, which goes against the traditional damsel in distress narrative seen in countless horror movies before. The girls in the audience had a chance to identify with someone who would fight in times of danger.
Fifteen years prior to the first massacre, a young Michael Myers murdered his older sister in cold blood on Halloween night. After that, he was transported to a mental asylum where he was supposed to wait out his last days. However, he escapes and steals a car. His first victim, a local mechanic, is brutally stabbed to death. Myers then grabs his uniform and a nearby mask making his iconic assemble . The next day he murders two babysitters and their boyfriends. Also, he attempts to kill Laurie Strode, played by a young Jamie Lee Curtis, who was actually his younger sister. Her name changed because her parents decided it would be best to not associate with the Myers’ name.
The newest movie takes place in the present several decades after the first murders. Laurie Strode is still tortured by the events of that night back in 1978. She has flashbacks and huge anxiety episodes that completely stopped her from functioning. Additionally, she has a daughter Karen, played by Judy Greer, and granddaughter Allyson, played by Andi Matichak, who she feels she needs to protect from Myers. In order to grab some sort of safety, she decks out her house with a long gates, security lights, several metal locks, and a wooden board across the door. The most interesting feature inside the house would be the hidden room underneath the middle counter in the kitchen. The room is filled with extensive weaponry and is a safe haven for the women. In Halloween tradition, Myers, played by Nick Castle, escapes the asylum he was imprisoned in, first targeting innocent babysitters and then the ‘victim that got away’, a now 57 year old, Laurie Strode.
This Halloween movie lived up to the expectations. Fans new and old from all ages came to the opening night on Friday, October 19th. The movie made 77.5 million dollars in the first weekend. What was unexpected about this movie would be the intriguing side characters, specifically Julian, played by Jibrail Nantambu. He was one of the kids being babysat during Halloween night. Without spoiling too much, it is easy to say that his response and then flee from Myers was nothing but comedic. Abby Richards, who saw Halloween on opening night, said the little boy was her favorite character and “ the only smart one” in the movie. Another unexpected element was Laurie Strode‘s daughter and granddaughter. The daughter had skillful shooting range that Laurie taught her when she was younger. The granddaughter inherited Laurie’s intelligence and logical reasoning that helped her stay alive during the movie. Fans, like Anslea Langford, felt connected to these characters, deeming them “strong female leads.” The Strode women definitely showed guts.
I would give Halloween five out of five stars. It remained true to the original, with Myers frightening murderous strikes and iconic theme music. However, it did include courageous, intelligent women, which goes against the traditional damsel in distress narrative seen in countless horror movies before. The girls in the audience had a chance to identify with someone who would fight in times of danger.