geek'd
Not going to lie. After this new ‘Halloween’ was announced, and Danny Freakin’ McBride was listed as one of the writers, I had some serious concerns. Was this going to be some kind of comedy? Would it be another deviation from Carpenter’s original? The slow release of media and PR over the 
last 4 months have answered a lot of questions, and of course this was their strategic decision. The majority of interviews focused on how the filmmakers were going back to the original, and picking up that story and continuing it. They were eliminating all the sequels from the timeline, even Zombie’s remakes, and going back to what worked, including camera work, original characters as well as original casting. Even the ORIGINAL Michael Myers was being brought back for his iconic walk. That’s some serious attention to detail. And it was to be deadly serious.
Fast forward to Saturday, Sept. 8 and Halloween has premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Early reviews are creeping out, and here are a couple of highlights. WARNING: I don’t want to spoil anything, so I’m avoiding all details regarding plot. But if you want to experience the movie without any input whatsoever, stop reading now!
“David Gordon Green does horror fans a favor, bringing Michael Myers’ slasher-movie saga back to its roots.”
“Carpenter should be pleased, and so should genre buffs…”
“‘Halloween’ Delivers a Satisfying Laurie vs Michael Showdown 40 Years in the Making.”
“Everything really clicks at the finale, which makes sense considering the film exists to pit Laurie against Michael. And in this capacity, Halloween doesn’t disappoint.”
“This Halloween movie is a near perfect blend of craft, character growth and nostalgia.”
Grade: A-
Do I believe every word issued by the Hollywood hype machine? No. But overall, I want this to be true. Halloween as a franchise has always lacked a real sense of vision for its characters, rambling from one shoddy sequel to a much more shoddy sequel. Myers is THE original man in the mask, kicking off the 80’s slasher flicks we’ve come to know and love. To see the filmmakers take it back to the start and truly appreciate the original’s vision is why I’ll be buying a ticket. Until then, sing it with me, 40 days to Halloween, Halloween, Halloween…
It’s going to be a long wait.
Halloween opens in theaters on October 19th.
