Horror 2023 Countdown: Halloween (2018)

Halloween (2018) dir. David Gordon Green, Miramax/Blumhouse Productions/Trancas International Films/Rough House Pictures 

Moving into the slasher section, why not start off with a reboot? This takes a bold stance, removing everything, and I do mean everything, save the 1978 original.

1978

Michael Myers (Nick Castle and James Jude Courtney) escaped the Smith's Grove Sanitarium and murdered a few people, failing to kill plucky teenager Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis). After being shot by his doctor he was promptly recaptured by the police and locked up again.

2018

Since then, Michael has been safely locked up. Dr. Loomis has passed away since then, but Dr. Sartain (Haluk Bilginer) has taken over the duties as Michael's keeper and thus far he's been doing a good job. Sure, Michael hasn't said a word in decades but he hasn't broken out either. 

True crime podcasters Dana Haines (Rhian Rees) and Aaron Korey (Jefferson Hall) are scrapping the bottom of the barrel when they decide to revisit the Babysitter Murders, just in time for the 40th Anniversary. Chatting with Myers proves useless, even when Korey waves Michael's old mask around. Tracking down Laurie proves a bit better although not by much. 

Laurie has turned her house into a compound and has spent the last 40 years training to kill Michael. Her own daughter Karen (Judy Greer) thinks she's nuts, although Karen's husband Ray (Toby Huss) and her granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak) seems to humor Laurie more than anything.

Back to Michael. Since he's barely done a thing since 1978, it is deemed he's not quite a threat and is to be transferred to a lower security facility. Michaeal then promptly escapes from the transport and starts making up for lost time. First things first though, so no self-respecting slasher would dare go on a killing spree without his proper attire...

As far as Halloween sequels go, pretty good. Ignoring everything after the first one was the right call I think as we start with a very simple premise. Trauma is the main theme of the film, and it handles Laurie's rather well. This is a woman who went through hell one night and never really recovered. The podcasters were a bit silly, but they bring up a good point. The initial killings were forty years ago and only five people died. We get more gruesome stories on the local news. Michael Myers had become a footnote at best, and that's the real horror.