This week ECHG writer Adam Holtzapfel had a chance to check out an advance screening of Halloween, he shares his thoughts with us in this spoiler free review.
To start off I’m not a huge fan of the Halloween franchise (blasphemy, I know). I went into this with very low expectations and came away very surprised.
The plot of the film is kind of given away in the trailers, but we’re not talking Citizen Kane or anything of that nature so it’s not a big deal.
While this film erases everything that came after the 1978 Halloween, I see that as a strong point going into it. This sets up a strong story, while some of it can be seen as unnecessary or corny, it still works well and keeps viewers interested the hour and 45 minutes.
Jamie Lee Curtis reprises her role as Laurie Strode, yet this time around she’s agoraphobic and paranoid. We see how the last 40 years have treated her character and relationships.
Michael has been locked away the last 40 years in an asylum under the care of Dr. Sartain (Haluk Bilginer), who studied under Dr. Loomis. The mood of the film shifts when two podcasters (Rhian Rees & Jefferson Hall) attempt to interview Michael.
I’ll leave it at that not to spoil anything. What worked for the film was the cast. Having Curtis and Nick Castle back in the fold along with Judy Greer, Toby Huss, & Will Patton helped make this story work. The FX were great and added a much needed edge to the film. While the bits of comedy were overdone at times it still eased up on the tension when needed. Also, for those of you die hard fans of the franchise keep an eye out for some nods to past installments, unfortunately there’s no dangertainment.
What didn’t work for me was the pacing at times and some of the dialogue.
This is a must for fans of the franchise and for people looking for a thrill this fall.
If you don’t mind a loud audience go see this when it hits theaters on 10/19. If you prefer to keep it low key with a quieter audience, try hitting it on a week night anytime before Halloween.
Using the Dead On Movie Reviews grading system, this gets a strong B. While I enjoyed it, there were some things that didn’t hit me the way I thought they would.
