Before the festivities kick in and we are flooded with wholesome family fun, it’s nice to know that 40 years after the original 1978 film of the same name an audience is still keen to know the fate of the predator and prey that is Michael Myers and Lori Strode.
Pioneering the original slasher film genre, the original 1978 spawned some 10 films later, but it’s a relief to know that even with minimal or no engagement with the films that came before it, the eleventh film forms an almost seamless connection with its maiden counterpart. Directed by David Gordon Green and frequent collaborator Danny McBride (both of Pineapple Express fame), it is an incision into the very real trauma of a cat and mouse game that weaves its way into the wider community.
Jamie Lee Curtis’ Strode is stoic yet fragile as she desperately warns of Michael Myer’s release from prison and the implications it has on her estranged family, with daughter Karen (Judy Greer) and granddaughter Andi Matichak growing increasingly wary of their mother and grandmother’s antics. It’s the perfect combination of hysteria balanced against scepticism, with the latter feeding into the classic adage of the boogieman and whether his existence is real or projected.
There’s plenty of nods to the original franchise, with the credits and score placing it in the territory of the original babysitter murders, but not the point of nostalgia for nostalgia sake. Andi Matichak mirrors her grandmother in a very memorable high school classroom scene, but her own energy shines as she struggles to reconcile the cautionary advice to not stray from the path while celebrating her youth the ol’ American way. Frightful and cunning, it leaves enough room to tie together the original but never fully closes the case.
Regardless of whether this film is canon or not, it has enough intrigue and suspense to breathe life into a well oiled machine.
This Halloween, it’s worth examining the mask for yet another look.
Verdict: 8/0
Universal Pictures Australia
About The Author
