Why would I say Michael is not my favourite? Well, it’s simply because I have never found him to be a believable character. When all is said and done, he is human, and yet he has come back from the dead so many times. Yes, these resurrections have been conveniently written to state that it wasn’t him who died, but still.
So, why have I been eagerly awaiting this movie? Because this is not the next in the franchise, it is actually a direct sequel to the original movie. Yes, I know there was a sequel, but, being Hollywood, this has been brushed aside and this version is set 40 years after Michael was captured for the babysitter murders and incarcerated in Smith Grove Hospital. Given it is set on Halloween 2018, it is also futuristic! He is also no longer the brother of Laurie Strode, and yet he is still inexplicably obsessed with her.
The movie opens with two ‘British’ reporters visiting Michael in Smith Grove and trying to get a reaction out of him by showing him his mask. It doesn’t work and they instead go to visit Laurie, who is equally closed lipped about the past.
Due to the age of the case and the fact that Michael won’t talk, he is being moved to a more prison like hospital. It is during this transfer that he escapes, by somehow overpowering the bus and running it off the road.
He then begins his somewhat indiscriminate killing spree, starting with those pesky journalists.
The movie is very much in keeping with the original, from the credits to the Boogeyman references, the three teens walking through Haddonfield to the babysitting link, the ghostly shape under the sheet to the falling off the roof and then disappearing. They are all skillful homages to the original.
What I really loved about the movie, and which I don’t think comes across as much in the original, is the cold, calm and dispassionate way in which Michael commits his murders. This in itself is chilling and shows clearly how a true psychopath views human life.
John Carpenter has described Michael Myers as “almost a supernatural force – a force of nature. An evil force that’s loose, a force that is unkillable”. This is certainly true in this movie, when we see several attempts on his life which would have spelled the end for us mere mortals.
I did thoroughly enjoy this movie. The filmmakers have created a believable world for us and, in some sense, a believable bad guy. I just can’t let go of the fact that he is human and not supernatural, but this in no way spoiled the movie for me.
Look out for the ending, and let’s see what conclusion you come to for the future of the Halloween movies!
As to why the Halloween movies remain so enduring, Director and Producer, Steve Miner, sums it up perfectly: “Michael Myers is enduring because he’s pure evil.”
Enjoy and be brave; he doesn’t bite!