Halloween resurrects a classic
November 1, 2018
Laurie Strode survived a harrowing Halloween night 40 years ago, and has prepared for the next one ever since.
The music is classic. The mask is iconic. The story is timeless. The 2018 incarnation of “Halloween” is more than an homage, it is a reinvention.
“Halloween”, directed by David Gordon Green, who is most known for comedies like “Pineapple Express,” makes its first bold move before the film even starts.
The film is written as if the previous films, following the first, never happened rather than leaning into the history and stories of Michael Myers that have been told through countless sequels.
“There is no ‘Halloween’ bible that those however many sequel filmmakers followed. Each one came up with their own wacky idea for the next movie and so there was no continuity,” said the film’s star Jamie Lee Curtis, who plays Laurie Strode, in an interview with Cinemablend.
The classic series consisted of eight movies prior to this year’s release and every new film brought a different aspect to the story of Michael Myers.
The film makes changes to the slasher theme beyond altering the timeline. It reworks the concept of a slasher movie in its entirety. The film does not follow a ruthless killer hunting a victim, it instead tells the story of two killers hunting each other.
“The film dows not follow a ruthless killer hunting a victim, it instead tells the story of two killers hunting each other.”
Laurie Strode is no longer a frightened victim, but has matured into a trained fighter who has waited for a second chance to face off against Michael Myers for 40 years. Unfortunately, she has alienated her loved ones in the process.
The dynamic of killer hunting killer is on full display throughout the film. On multiple occasions, the classic slasher scenes are turned on their heads as Strode is actively engaged in them.
Dr. Sartain, Michael Myers’ psychologist who is played by Haluk Bilginer, discusses how his research on serial killers has transitioned from studying the relationship between killer and victim to understanding what it feels like to be a victimizer.
The slasher film propels beyond killer and a victim; “Halloween” reinvents the expected narrative into a study about the way victims become victimizers and how those victimizers become the victims.
