Halloween review by Ali Plumb – Radio 1's Screen Time

Synopsis:

It's been 40 years since Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) survived a vicious attack from crazed killer Michael Myers on Halloween night, as seen in the first Halloween film back in 1978. Locked up in a mental institution, Myers manages to escape when his bus transfer goes horribly, bloodily wrong. Laurie now faces a terrifying showdown when the masked madman returns to her hometown – but this time, she's ready for him.

Pros:

• This is the first good Halloween film we’ve had in a long, long while. Wiping the slate clean, this reboot-cum-follow-up ignores many of the sequels over the years, such as Halloween III: Season of the Witch and the Return, Revenge and Curse of Michael Myers. This is all about the Strode family and how that auspicious 31st of October ripped Laurie and her daughter apart: a story of grief, anger, anxiety and, yes, bloody murder. There’s plenty of fan service to look forward to – some that works, some that doesn’t – but the fact is: this is an enjoyable, solid, efficient slasher that lives up to the legacy of the original horror classic. If you were worried, don’t be.
  
  
• While Jamie Lee Curtis attacks the role that made her career way back when with pleasing gusto: she’s an anxious whirlwind of frizzed-out grey hair and barely hidden neuroses, shouting warnings at anyone who’ll listen as she dances around her booby-trapped backyard. She’s not in the film as much as I’d like, but when she’s on screen, she’s confidently reminding you she’s still got it. This is her film, her franchise, whenever that Myers bloke is off screen.
  
  
• And there really is quite a lot of Michael screen time in this film. His workmanlike, methodical approach to mass murder remains a darkly humorous affair, whilst at the same time scaring the ever-living pants off you (sometimes, anyway). There are several punch-the-air moments of pleasing catharsis in this film, but there are also some enjoyably messed up dispatchings from Mister Myers too. The film really does enjoy spending time with him, and bizarrely, you might do too.

Cons:

• Some of the writing is a little too on the nose, as much as you’re willing the film to do well and rooting for all of the supporting cast – Judy Greer deserves a tip of the hat, as does newcomer Andi Matichak as Laurie’s granddaughter – but there’s no avoiding some unfortunately awkward moments. Early on, the story revolves around two British journalists trying to make a podcast about the legacy of the 1978 Michael Myers killing spree, and they both clunk around the screen, offending key interviewees and spouting exposition in a bizarre and blunt way.
  
  
• If you’re feeling cruel, there are elements of this movie that feel a little bit… fan fiction. A little like a story someone dashed out on a blog and tried to smush together into a script. I personally enjoyed it for its sheer efficiency, but I’ve read some in-depth discussions online and some parts are hard to argue with. If you’re a casual fan, none of this will really matter, but if you’re a die-hard horror buff, you may walk out with a few questions.
  
  
• As good as she is, as I mentioned before, there really actually isn’t that much Jamie Lee Curtis in this movie. With that in mind, the film operates mostly as a satisfactory slasher that delivers the goods but doesn’t really stretch the possibilities of the series. It’s as if there were some concerns that if they strayed too far from the formula, die-hard fans would be unhappy, but it’s the same old story: it can’t be too different, it can’t be too similar. You can’t win, really.

Three word review: A satisfactory slasher.