If anybody would ask me what my favorite film genre is, without batting an eyelash, I would say horror. I may have developed a taste in film and enjoyed the quality ones and endured the crappy ones, but at the end of the day, horror movies will always be my go-to! I exposed myself to various types in the genre- slasher, psychological, torture…name it! And of course, I picked my favorites. Among of which are the Saw franchise, Sinister, Friday the 13th, and of course, Halloween! Speaking of, 40 years since the movie premiered in 1978, Halloween returns to tie some loose ends. Hopefully.

The Return of a Cult Classic

Universal Pictures had us at the advanced screening of the film in Glorietta and it was apparent in the air that there was a level of excitement for Michael Myers’ and Laurie Strode’s bloody exciting reunion! Jamie Lee Curtis reprises her role which made things even more awesome! Now scarred by her encounter with the serial killer, she secluded herself in the woods in a home with a panic room stashed with ammunition. Meanwhile, Myers is locked up in a mental facility. Things were at peace until a pair of reporters reopened his story in relation to the killer’s transfer to another facility.

In true horror movie fashion, things rarely end well and that things will never be about rainbows and butterflies. That is one thing that Laurie (and I!) wished her daughter had believed in. Laurie’s preparation was shrugged away as nothing as pure cynicism by her daughter Karen (Judy Greer). Having her childhood spent practically preparing for a Doomsday-ish situation, Karen lived the opposite as a domesticated wife and mom to Allyson (Andi Matichak). With Myers locked up, it is just fair for her to live a different and normal life. But that is about to change.

Coincidentally, during the transfer to a new facility from the mental institution, the bus loaded with deranged patients including Myers got in an accident and set them loose! Color me surprised! Sure, Halloween packs all the elements of a campy horror  movie- tons of cliche and a series of bad decisions. And that worked perfectly with the film. After all, it’s the campiness that catapulted the franchise to becoming a cult classic.

The Long Overdue Reunion

Now that everything is set in place, the long overdue reunion of Strode and Myers is about to happen. But first, some unfortunate residents of Haddonfield experienced Myers’ murderous streak. The murders felt nothing as fillers for the highlight of the movie and that is acceptable. If anything else, they were created to remind the audiences of the killer’s thirst for blood. The scenes were brutal and playful yet still made my heart jumped on handful occasions.

And here comes the main attraction. Halloween promised to clash its two main characters in this sequel and that it did in a highly-anticipated setup. It is remarkable how the film created the perfect atmosphere for the event and enclosed the characters in some sort of a caged match setting, which in this case, is Laurie’s secluded property in the woods.

What came after was a series of greatly-executed chase with lots of slashing and blood. Jamie Lee Curtis retains Laurie’s strong woman persona which made her an iconic character throughout the years. She has been the victim but that made her stronger and now she is out to seek revenge from the man who caused her her trauma. But the true hero of the film is Judy Greer and her character’s major development at the film’s climax!

Halloween is a cult classic for a reason and this sequel was handled with so much love and care for the original material that the 40-year gap did not feel that long. In a basket full of psychological and torture porn horror movies from the recent years, Halloween brings back the fun and horror in slasher films! From what we saw in the closing parts of the movie, we are glad that things had gone full circle for a fitting conclusion. Halloween is easily the best, well, Halloween movie, this year! Behind the blood and the gore is an engaging narrative that will make you scream (wait, wrong reference! lol)

Director: David Gordon Green
Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis and Judy Greer
Binge-level: 4 out of 5 stars.

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