Plot Summary: Laurie Strode must confront masked killer Michael Myers when he escapes from the asylum.
Lately, I've taken a liking to movies from the 70s and 80s and have watched many, trying to understand what makes them a cult classic.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, I absolutely love the Nightmare on Elm Street series.
Friday the 13th is good too.
For some reason, I just couldn't get into the original. Maybe because it was the music that always signalled Michael's arrival, therefore erasing any suspense generated for the thrilling moments.
Or maybe it seemed like it was dragging. Or perhaps it was because Michael's motives were mindless. Regardless of the reason, I found myself turning it off before I could finish it.
When the new one was announced, I was actually intrigued. I thought, maybe the old one didn't interest me because it was using a tired old formula of stalking and killing. I saw a lot of slasher movies before I saw the original Halloween. So maybe that was the reason?
The trailer did little to appeal to me and unfortunately, one of the scenes that could have been really scary in the movie was already shown. Had it not been in the trailer, the movie would have succeeded in frightening me.
Another issue with the movie is that the makers have assumed that literally, everyone has been following the franchise, so I couldn't understand at all why Michael was obsessed with Laurie. Or why Laurie was learning combat skills and passing on them to her daughter.
HALLOWEEN Movie Plot
The movie begins with two journalists provoking Michael at the Sanitorium. He doesn't respond and we see the doctor is a bit obsessed with his patient.
The journalists decide to go harass Laurie and ask her to go see him once. Laurie accepts their money and throws them out of the house.
Meanwhile, Laurie's granddaughter is excited about Halloween and the prospect of her parents meeting her boyfriend. She wants Laurie to come too but her mother, Karen, is reluctant. Karen thinks her mother isn't stable and is still pissed off that she had to be taken away by CPS when she was twelve.
Her daughter still invites her and Laurie creates a scene.
The next day is Halloween. Michael has escaped and is off on a killing spree. But first, he wants his mask. He somehow knows when the journalists are and when the woman will enter the bathroom. In a scene seen plenty of times in horror movies, we see Michael opening doors one by one, then throws broken teeth near her feet. She screams, her partner comes to her aid, but both are no match for Michael. He seems to be killing people like moths.
There is hardly any struggle, no retaliation or calls for help. After retrieving his mask, he begins to kill more women.
The scene in the trailer begins and we already know the closet door isn't closing properly because Michael is behind it. The babysitter is killed and the kid delivers his lines as if he's reading it from a banner.
HALLOWEEN Ending Explained with Spoilers!
Laurie's granddaughter has a terrible time at the party when she finds her boyfriend cheating on her who conveniently dumps her phone in the pudding. She is now without a phone and unable to receive calls from her family who wants to warn her of Michael's killing spree.
Laurie, who was at first thrown out of her daughter's house when she was trying to warn them (Yay! Family! Let's make fun of a traumatized victim!), convinces her daughter and husband to take refuge in her bunker below the kitchen counter.
For some reason, the secret entrance under the counter made me laugh.
Michael kills off Laurie's granddaughter's friend, chases her and she manages to find cops to help her.
The doctor too comes to help but instead of subduing Michael, inadvertently helps him escape because he's obsessed with hearing him speak. As thanks, Michael steps on his head.
Karen's husband is the next to be killed.
Karen reunites with her daughter and after a showdown with Michael, Laurie traps him in her house.
The house is set on fire and we are to assume Michael has perished.
Except this is a slasher horror movie. The villain never dies.
One of the main complaints I had of this movie was the lack of suspense and tension building before any kill. A slasher movie is effective if we genuinely care about the characters.
Not everyone may know why Laurie needs to be supported. Her character seems weird and arrogant. Her trauma is shown as something that needs to be ridiculed rather than sympathized.
And how is Michael that strong? Or are his victims too weak? He is shown only to stand in a square in the Sanitarium. Why was he allowed to train and build muscles to kill people?
He was a dangerous criminal after all.
For me, the movie was disappointing.
Scare scale: 1.5/5
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