A R T S . & C U L TU R E
6
Slashing the silver screen
ICONIC ‘HALLOWEEN’ SERIES RETURNS AND KILLS IT
B Y IA N V A N O R D E N
.
ARTS & CULTURE- EDITOR'
Universal Pictures
One of the most iconic slasher movies
has been reimagined once more.
O r ig in a lly ? re le a se d in 1978,
¿“ Halloween” chronicled the exploits of
Serial killer Michael Myers as he stalked
and killfed the people of Haddonfield,
Illinois.
Focusing specifically on the character
of Laurie Strode, portrayed by Jamie Lee
Curtis, the movie showcases the murders
of a number of C u rtis’ characters’
friends as she attempts to escape the
psychopath’s wrath.
Though a number of sequels followed,
this year’ s continuation retcbns all but
the first movie. Focusing once again
on Curtis’ character, along with her
daughter and granddaughter, it once
again sets up Myers to kill in Haddonfield
in a crazed attempt to reach Curtis. '
The movie is true to its roots in many
ways, w ith a number of nods to its
origins (such as a murdered character
posed under a sheet as a ghost) for the
nostalgic. Along with these nods, the
movie does a decent job distinguishing
itself, doing something different with
a franchise that had seemingly run out
of ideas.
Praise should be given to Curtis in
particular, who portrays an older,;
scarred Laurie with a surprising amount
o f depth. The events of their initial
confrontation have molded her into a
very different person than the teenage
girl Myers had intimidated years before,
and her role in this film has evolved just
as much.
Curtis is not the only returning actor
from the original movie, Nick Castle, the
original Michael Myers, returns as well,
'though in a limited capacity, stuntman
James Jude Courtney taking his place for
much of the movie. The intimidating
visage Castle portrayed in the original
movie has not diminished with time
as Myers exudes, the same terrifying
présence found in the ’ 78 film .
P. J. Soles, the actress who portrayed
Myers’ finalvictim in the original, also
appears in a bit part.
Interestingly, much of this movie
involves the flipping of rôles. Many
o f the characters are designated
nearly opposite roles compared to the
stereotypical slasher roles they likely
would have been given in the original.
This allows for a fresh take on à franchise
that had, in the past, struggled to come
up with something new and interesting.
This film was, after all, not even the
second reim aging o f the series. The
first, “ Halloween H20: 20 Years Later,”
was the first attempt at reintroducing
Curtis’ character, and was met with
mixed success. The second, helmed by
Rob Zombie, fared better, though the
second film still puttered out, failing to
introduce anything new or interesting
to a franchise of ten movies.
Luckily, this version does not suffer
from that same issue. It is faithful in
all the right ways to the original movie,
while changing the structure of the
movie into something new, something
more interesting.
For those h o p in g for the return
o f the gruesom e b n -screen deaths
depicted in the original, you will not be
disappointed. Throughout the movie,
Myers finds a number of creative ways to
butcher his victims, allowing the movie
to stay faithful to its slasher roots.
Perhaps the only criticism that can be
fairly aimed at the movie is the acting of
some of the side characters. From time
to time a scream will sound less than
genuine. These moments, though, are
far and few between, the most notable
m om ent involving Vicky, a friend of
C u rtis’ character’ s granddaughter,
portrayed by Virginia Gardner.
In typical slasher movie fashion ,
“ H allow een” does set itse lf up for
a sequel, a movie intentionally done
according to Danny McBride, one of
the m ovie’ s writers, who stated that
depending on the film ’s success, there
would likely be another entry.
If this entry is any indication, the
sequel can’t come soon enough.
TRICK OR TEASE:
TOP FIVE HORROR MOVIES
T ra n s w o r ld P ic tu re s
Outer Space
(1988)
N e w L in e C in e m a s
W a rn e r B ro s.
L io n s g a te
The Cabin in the Woods
(2011)
(1981)
U n i v e rsa I P i c t u re s
(1982)
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October 24, 2018