Halloween (2018)

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***Halloween*** is a 2018 American slasher film directed by David Gordon Green and written by Green, Jeff Fradley, and Danny McBride. It is the eleventh installment in the *Halloween* film series, and a direct sequel to  the 1978 film of the same name while retconning the continuity of the previous sequels. Set 40 years after the original film, the plot follows Laurie Strode as she prepares to face Michael Myers in a final confrontation when he returns to Haddonfield, Illinois to finish her off for escaping his killing spree on Halloween Night in 1978. Jamie Lee Curtis and Nick Castle reprise their roles as Strode and Myers, respectively, with stuntman James Jude Courtney also portraying Myers. The film also stars Judy Greer, Andi Matichak, Will Patton, and Virginia Gardner. It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2018, and was theatrically released in the United States on October 19, 2018, by Universal Pictures, the distributor's first involvement with the series since Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982).

Two sequels, Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends, are scheduled to be released on October 15, 2021, and October 14, 2022, respectively.

## Plot

It's been 40 years since Laurie Strode survived a vicious attack from crazed killer Michael Myers on Halloween night. Locked up in an institution, Myers manages to escape when his bus transfer goes horribly wrong. Laurie now faces a terrifying showdown when the masked madman returns to Haddonfield, Ill. -- but this time, she's ready for him.

## Why It Rocks

1. It brings back Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode, Nick Castle as Michael Myers, and John Carpenter, who helped direct the movie.
2. The idea of making Laurie actually prepare for Michael on his next killing spree so she can kill him herself is pretty nice and proves that she is a brave woman just like Ellen Ripley from the *Alien* franchise.
3. Great acting, mainly from Jamie Lee Curtis who returns as the iconic Laurie Strode, and Andi Matichak who plays her granddaughter, Allyson.
4. Michael Myers himself is still the intimidating and scary figure that he was 40 years ago and Nick Castle and James Jude Courtney do an amazing job at playing him. But, he no longer has to be humanized at all from the previous *Halloween* films, and his connection with Laurie is removed to be mysterious.
5. There are a couple of clever easter eggs and throwbacks from the first film and the other sequels, which is pretty nice.
6. The soundtrack is top-notch and sounds much like the original while having a Synthwave feel.
7. Amazing character development, especially with Laurie Strode, who went from a smart high-school girl in the first film to a post-traumatic, Sarah Conner-esque gun carrier who's been preparing for Michael's next escape.
8. Many fans of the original have praised this film for living up to the original and capturing the terrifying tone it had.
9. The setting and cinematography are very chilling as it captures the suspenseful tone the film and its predecessor has.
10. It rescued the franchise as it ignores the events of the other sequels that began to water down the franchise.
11. Making Laurie and Michael no longer siblings is a nice touch as it only strengthens the horror and suspense on why Michael is hunting her down.
12. The characters are unforgettable and entertaining in their own ways, especially the post-traumatic Laurie Strode who's been arming herself ever since her first encounter with Michael in 1978.
13. Leaves no continuity errors behind or last-minute changes and actually brings up some of the events of the first film as it's a direct sequel to it.
14. David Gordon Green received very good direction.
15. Certain scenes are unpredictable and terrifying.
16. "**Otherwise I wouldn't be up, clipping my nasty-ass toenails!"**
17. After the credits, Michael Myers' iconic breathing can be heard and it reveals that he's still alive.

## Bad Qualities

1. The title can confuse newcomers with the original film.
2. The plot is quite unoriginal, with many plot points being reused from Halloween (1978), Halloween II (1981), and Halloween H20.
3. Dr. Sartain turning evil and killing Sheriff Hawkings was an awful idea executed even worse, even though he intends to study Michael Myers.
4. Characters like Cameron and Ray were unnecessary and contributed very little to the film.

## Reception

### Critical response

*Halloween* (2018) received generally positive reviews, with many considering it to be both the best *Halloween* sequel and a return to form for the series, and particularly praising Curtis' performance. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 79% based on 371 reviews, with an average rating of 6.78/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "*Halloween* largely wipes the slate clean after decades of disappointing sequels, ignoring increasingly elaborate mythology in favor of basic – yet still effective – ingredients." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 68 out of 100, based on 45 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

### Box office

In September 2018, early tracking projections had Halloween grossing $40–50 million in its opening weekend. On October 5, two weeks before its release, weekend estimates had increased to $60 million. By the week of its release, debut estimates were as high as $70 million from 3,928 theaters. The film made $7.7 million from Thursday night previews, the third-highest ever for an R-rated horror film after *It* and *Paranormal Activity 3*.

Worldwide, it is expected to debut to around $100 million, including $12–30 million from 21 markets internationally.

## Trivia

* The movie was originally going to be titled *Halloween Returns* and would have featured new characters and assumed to feature Laurie Strode.

## External Links

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* Brian Tallerico's review of *Halloween* (2018)
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