‘Halloween’ Review

Oh. Em. Gee. It's been 40 years since John Carpenter's original Halloween found Michael Myers and his Shatner mask (look it up, nerds) terrorizing Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her pals, and now he's back in sequel-but-maybe-also-kind-of-a-reboot form, and he's up to his old tricks again.

The new Halloween comes to us courtesy of Carpenter and Curtis, who produce here, but also screenwriter/producer Danny McBride (yes, from Eastbound & Down and Vice Principals) and director David Gordon Green (an executive producer on Vice Principals). And whereas no one can say this entry is particularly great or anything, it does do itself a favor by cherry-picking elements from other films in the series, putting the kibosh on others and picking up in the wake of Michael's escape from a mental institution—always an exciting premise.

Over the years, Laurie Strode has been preparing herself in case her arch enemy should ever return. She's been firing guns and building traps and dabbling in the art of hand-to-hand combat. That's all well and good, and Curtis can definitely pull off tough, but it turns out that by also trying to prepare her daughter for the serial killer, she's caused rifts in her family that are tough to heal. Enter her granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak, who has mostly done TV before now) and her ultra-attractive high school contemporaries (who you just know are cruising for a bruising), a couple of podcast producers for some reason and a face or two from the original film, and you've really got something—namely, a horror flick that knows what it is, pays homage in all the right ways and understands when it's time to not take itself too seriously.

Yes, there are jump-scares and a few moments of borderline hysterical gore, and these bits are fun, but Halloween truly excels in the sound design department. From nerve-wracking foot steps just outside the door or the squish of a knife, to the subtle buzz of fluorescent lights or rhythmic breathing, whoever did Foley on this thing deserves an Oscar.

But we still don't get our questions answered, and one always wonders why teenagers find themselves unable to resist the call of going to check out what that sound was upstairs. It's just as well, though, and Halloween certainly proves a highlight in the series from both the nostalgic and throwback horror standpoints. This one's for you, Carpenter fans, and everyone else who rents the original after they see this one first.

7
+Self-aware; fun; killer sound design
-Some forced red herrings; a few too-dumb plot twists

Halloween
Directed by Green
With Curtis and Matichak
Violet Crown, Regal, R, 106 min.