I Was Wrong (Halloween 2018)
I think I was wrong.
Okay, okay. I was definitely wrong.
Last month I put out two pieces on the Halloween franchise. Halloween (1978) has been in my Top Five Favorite Movies for a long time. I grew up loving the world created by the franchise.
Last month, I said David Gorden Green’s Halloween (2018) is unnecessary.
Personally, I don’t want to ignore the sequels I grew up watching.
But Halloween (2018) hit Netflix on October 1 and I rewatched it. And you know what?
I’m glad I did.
Heads up:
This is not a full-fledged review. I’m not a movie critic — I’m a fan. While this piece is stingy with the compliments (at first), I have more to say on this in an upcoming piece.
It’s Better than I Remembered
I saw the 2018 installment when it first came out, and quickly wrote it off. But I shouldn’t have.
All the sequels fall short of the original.
But Halloween (2018) isn’t bad.
It’s not perfect. But it’s better than Zombie’s 2007 interpretation. And it’s better than I remembered.
Mystery
The element of mystery is restored.
While I still hold onto the original franchise as my favorite (I include H20 as part of the original franchise), when I rewatched David Gorden Green’s version, I put down my bias as much as I could. I settled in and went, Okay, maybe I can get behind this.
The Opening Sequence Still Sucks
The opening sequence still sucks, for the most part.
What’s up with the red-and-white chessboard at Smith’s Grove? It’s cheeky symbolism –a callback to Zombie’s interpretation, and a potential allusion to the Cult of Thorn plot* — at best.
*It is a potential allusion to this plotline because the red-and-white chessboard suggestions Michael is a pawn. The Cult of Thorn plot, beginning in Halloween 5 and continuing into The Curse of Michael Myers, asserts that Michael was chosen to kill members of his family as sacrifices to Thorn. It asserts that Michael is controlled by evil — potentially even a victim himself — with Dr. Wynn and others pulling his strings.
And the mask?
When true-crime podcaster Aaron Korey pulls out the infamous mask, why the hell isn’t it in an evidence bag?
I know this REQUIRES a suspension of disbelief. And I know this sets things up for later in the movie, when Michael takes the mask back.
But even supposing Aaron the true-crime podcaster somehow got the mask out of evidence, Ay Ay Ron should have the damn thing protected, instead of being loose inside his bag. Because, you know, it’s all valuable and shit.
A positive that sticks out in the opening sequence? The side profiles of Michael’s face.
We don’t full see his face, of course. But we are teased with it.
Something Else That Sucks
The mask is not overall bad.
But it’s not great.
The worst visual of the mask is when he first puts it on, after taking it back from the Ay Ay Ron and his partner Dana.
It looks like the filmmakers used an overdramatic filter. It’s a major turn-off.
BUT!
While I don’t think they nailed the mask, I do think it looks better in the rest of the movie after Michael puts it on … for the first time in 40 years.
The blood around the eyes? That was great.
The overall appearance isn’t perfect … but the thought and artistry put into the mask is obvious. I can see the history.
I can feel the history.
Laurie Strode is Great
I maintain this view: We should not ignore Halloween 2 (1981) — Halloween: H20 (1998).
Halloween: H20 was Jaimie Lee Curtis’s second-strongest performance as Laurie Strode, second only to the original. (But look, she was great in Halloween 2. And Trading Places. And Freaky Friday. And … the list is a long one. Jamie Lee Curtis is an amazing actor.)
But I have to say, her H20 performance is tied with her 2018 performance.
I still believe that 2018 could have held onto plot of the sequels — at least a bulk of it — and that would have enhanced Laurie Strode in David Gordon Green’s installment.
But I’ll tell you what.
Jaimie Lee Curtis is still a scream queen.
There’s no question she’s the star, and always has been the star. Even in Halloween 4, 5, and the Curse, Jaime Lee Curits was the star — albeit, off-screen.
I would say she’s also the star of Halloween: Resurrection, but no one is the star in that movie. It’s awful. I pretend it’s not there.
(Yes, I own a copy.)
Concession
It’s good.
It’s damn good.
I wrote off Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends after I saw Halloween (2018).
I was wrong to do that.
So for this spooky season, I’m watching the sequels.
I’m fired up for it.
In the meantime, be a friend and don’t give me any spoilers.
Sometimes I’m glad I’m wrong …
Swivels in, Swivels out.
