He's Back!!

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By Tom Pacak

Michael Myers has gone through a lot. In fact, I didn’t know how much he’s gone through because I simply haven’t seen all of the Halloween sequels and I bet most of my readers haven’t either. So I decided to goggle exactly how much crap this sociopath has gone through. He’s been thrown off a house (Halloween), burned (Halloween II), shot (Halloween 4), head chopped off but not really (Halloween: H20), and electrocuted (Halloween: Resurrection). Since he’s killed countless people, I guess his injuries are karma.  

Guess what? All of that stuff that happened is erased in the new and second first sequel titled “Halloween.” It was a smart move for screenwriter Danny McBride and director David Gordon Green to do this, due to the sequels not being much better. “Halloween” is probably the best sequel in the franchise (which isn’t saying much) and the only one to give audience the campy vibe we’ve wanted in a “Halloween” sequel. It’s got scares, laughs, and even has a 80s retro vibe that made so many slasher films fun.

The film picks up with Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), the film’s sole survivor and sister of Michael Myers. Still traumatized from the events from the first film, she lives in the woods by herself where she has a secure bunker full of guns, other weapons, and traps for when Myers returns. She has gone through two divorces and even lost custody of her daughter Karen (Judy Greer). Laurie is closer to her granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak); due to the fact Karen hates how her mother passed down her overprotective personality traits.

Then, the worst happens; Michael Myers escapes!! As Michael walks around killing whatever comes in his way, Laurie is preparing for the worst. She’s trying to save her family and track down where Michael is hiding next. The film has many of the typical horror clichés that the original invented and passed down to other horror films (the victim tripping as he/she runs, the killer having supernational powers) but this sequel is the only one to capture the scariness and fun of the original. Plus, not all of the deaths are shown onscreen like Rob Zombie’s awful effort to remake the “Halloween” films. It follows in John Carpenter’s footsteps and letting the audience imagine what is happening to its victim. One of the deaths, in particular, is pretty funny because the boyfriend tries to be the knight in shining armor saving the princess (his girlfriend) from the murderous monster (Michael Myers) but ultimately fails to hilarious results.

The real reason we’re in it for the long haul is the confrontation between Michael and Laurie. The way they end up meeting is an example of a pretty lame plot twist that proves Michael doesn’t want any fans. Laurie has been waiting for this moment for 40 years and so have we. We definitely get the real confrontation between these two that doesn’t disappoint.

I’ll conclude on this; towards the end of the film Laurie finally traps Michael and burns him to death. If you actually think Michael Myers burns to death, then you have another thing coming.

Note: Now Playing in Theaters


Rating: 2.5 stars out of 4 starts  

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