Halloween Remake (2018): Scary or Scornful?

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It’s October again, and time to get back into horror movies. If you grew up in or just after the 1980s, there’s a good chance you love slashers. There was a significant peak for the horror genre and people still love getting scared. I had a childhood obsession with horror and I haven’t stopped watching scary movies.

Even if you don’t like the movies, you’ve heard of Freddy Kreuger, Chucky, Jason Voorhees, and scariest of all, Michael Myers. Killing you in your dreams is one thing, but killing you while you’re awake knowing you can’t stop him? That’s the real horror. The Halloween series has been a cult classic for decades, though it has suffered its share of mistakes. 

We won’t go into Halloween 3… or a couple of others that I’m not even going to mention. But the core of this character, Michael Myers, is at the core of what scares us all. I don’t like to talk about some of the sequels, but Michael Myers scares me to death. The greatest fear is that of the unknown and even though there is nothing supernatural about him, Michael Myers IS fear. Quite literally, he’s just a human. Skin and bones, technically he could be killed with some effort. But his indomitable will and unflinching dedication keep him going after suffering countless fatal wounds. 

Halloween… again…?

There have been too many sequels and one set of remake films already. So, many people are wondering why even attempt to tell this story once more. But this time around, the film is being taken seriously and the director’s chair is occupied by a superfan. Indeed, David Gordon Green has been a fan of the series for decades and it shows. You can compare differences between the Rob Zombie remakes, but this Halloween takes it back to basics.

None of the psychological trauma of Michael’s early life, and no weird connections to Celtic magic. So the movie itself can focus on the real monster, the darkness of humanity. Michael Myers has always been a sort of form or shape that represents darkness in all of us. That is why he’s a favorite of many horror buffs even without dream magic or a cursed doll body.

But the new Halloween remake is far from just a retelling of the tale we’ve seen before. In fact, all of the Halloween sequels have been retconned out of existence. This remake is to be treated as the pivotal (and now only) sequel to John Carpenter’s classic. This time, an aging but definitely not weakened Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) is pitted against her attacker once more. Curtis reprises her role and absolutely outperforms herself in this movie. It’s clear from the opening credits that feature a Carpenter-Esque soundtrack that this is supposed to be a partner to the original. 

An Intense Rematch

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Now Laurie, fully prepared and unwavering, protects her family from what they all believe to be the boogeyman. But there is very little myth to the danger that Michael Myers poses as revealed once he escapes custody… again. With her guard up and the Boogeyman on the prowl, Laurie has her chance at a rematch. Check out her “second” chance this October, it’s definitely a good way to celebrate.

Jon "Flash" Schmitt

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