31 Days of Halloween 2021 Day 16: 'Halloween Kills' Brings Back Michael Myers, but

[Once again I'm going to attempt to do a horror(ish) movie review a day for the entire month of October. Might throw in the odd horror related book, comic, or music review as well. I've done this the last few years here and on The Cleveland Movie Blog. Most of the time I succeeded. Other times I didn't. Last year I completely failed and didn't do it at all. I'm optimistic about this year.]

 

John Carpenter’s 1978 HALLOWEEN remains a classic, a film that despite its vintage (over 40 years old!) still, for the most part, holds up. There are a few cosmetic issues – since the film was shot in California instead of Illinois where it was set, the trees are still green, and the teenage protagonists are all just a bit too old to convincingly play high schoolers. But the script, the performances, the music, Dean Cundey’s cinematography, and most importantly, Carpenter’s direction, are so strong that any flaws the film might have barely matter. It’s damn close to being a perfect movie. The many sequels and remakes the film has spawned… not so much.

 

Still, when acclaimed indie director David Gordon Green rebooted the franchise with 2018’s HALLOWEEN, I was intrigued. First of all, I really like most of Green’s non-HALLOWEEN movies. And though many fans would disagree, I was happy that his sequel jettisoned all of the franchise baggage to serve as a direct sequel to Carpenter’s original. The results, while not perfect, were at least worthwhile.

31 Days of Halloween 2018: Michael Meyers Is Back Yet Again In 'Halloween' (2018)

[Once again I'm going to attempt to do a horror(ish) movie review a day for the entire month of October. I've done this the last few years on The Cleveland Movie Blog. Most of the time I succeeded (usually with the help of a few other writers). Other times I didn't. We'll see if I can pull it off this year.] 

This is a longer review than usual because this is a film that warrants it.

I have no doubt that writer/director David Gordon Green is a fan of the horror genre in general and John Carpenter’s 1978  HALLOWEEN in particular. The director of both notable indie films like GEORGE WASHINGTON, and stupid but fun stoner comedies like PINEAPPLE EXPRESS, Green has expressed interest in making a horror film for a while. In fact, he had been attached to direct a remake of SUSPIRIA and had evidently spent some time developing it. However, that fell through. Instead Green, along with his writing partners Danny McBride and Jeff Fradley, wound up making HALLOWEEN, a higher profile project that comes with both greater risks and greater potential rewards.

Off the bat, it’s fair to say that HALLOWEEN is not some half-assed quickie cash-in. Whatever criticisms one might level against it (and I will be leveling some shortly), it treats John Carpenter’s original and its fans with respect. It also treats the film’s sequels, which range in quality from mediocre to downright awful, with no respect, acting as if none of them ever happened. So if nothing else, I appreciate HALLOWEEN for that.