'Halloween' (2018) Is a Masterpiece (Spoilers)

***WARNING***

This article has MAJOR spoilers to the recent film Halloween.

David Gordon Green and Danny McBride took a giant leap and decided to take over the Halloween franchise and they did not disappoint. Michael Myers is back on the big screen and he is as terrifying as ever. Halloween (2018) is a direct sequel from the first Halloween (1978), wiping out Halloween2-8 and the Rob Zombie installments. Green and McBride decided to erase them and bring Michael Myers back to his original routes. After seeing it two times within the last 24 hours, this is the movie true Halloween fans have been waiting for.

What made this movie so good? It was not all the references made from the original, or the easter eggs of the original series throughout the film. It was the uncomfortable feeling that he was behind you.

The first Halloween was the only movie at that time to have a masked serial killer. Nobody had ever seen anything like it. The eagerness he had to kill. He was emotionless and showed no remorse after the kill, he kicked off the slasher genre. The problem with a lot of the sequels wasn't the story, it was the character's story.

When you watch the first Halloween, you have questions. Why did he kill? What was his motive? That's just it, he had none. Yes eventually it was revealed in Halloween II Laurie Strode was his younger sister and his goal throughout the series was to wipe out the family bloodline. However, that first film was unheard of. He kicked off the slasher genre. Serial killers almost always have a motive. Most are set in four different categories: visionary, which is a killer who might have a split personality they will kill as someone else, or they will kill in the name of God or the devil. Mission-oriented is a killer who will target a certain type of person in an attempt to change society, in the killers mind, for the better. Hedonistic killings are people who seek pleasure in it. It makes them feel good. Last, is power oriented. They try to seek power over their victims.

The problem after Halloween (1978) and Halloween II (1981) was they tried to put him in a category. They tried to explain why he was who he was, they took away the part that made him terrifying and they tried hiding it with fancy kills and jump scares. He was terrifying because you never knew where he was and you knew he was waiting for the right moment to strike. Michael Myers isn't a human being, he is evil in human form. You knew who he was but didn't know what he was. They brought that psychological fear back in 2018. What makes it psychological?

The Kills

Michael's kills were perfect. They weren't fancy and you didn't see the moment the victim died. I know this may seem dark, but it is supposed to make you uncomfortable. As human beings we always want closure. That is what makes his kills great in this film, you never saw the moment the victim died. You heard sound effects, saw other body parts go limp, or a character was killed off-screen. One part of the film, Dana Haines was in the bathroom stall and Michael was harassing her. Once he broke down the door with Aaron Korey's skull, Michael grabbed Dana by the neck, lifted her up, choked her, and snapped her neck. All you heard was a crunch and saw her feet go from shaking to limp, with a somewhat sad melody playing in the background. You felt horrible that she suffered the way she did and you really felt the brutality even though you did not see the moment of her death. It is the not knowing that kills us mentally. Another is when he kills Vicky. He drags her to the room as she screams, Michael lifts the knife, stabs her, then silence. You never see her get stabbed, but you feel the pain. The kills were fantastic.

Background Shots of "The Shape."

In the original Halloween you would see Michael staring at Annie Brackett in the background, or see him driving behind Dr. Loomis when he went to meet Sheriff Brackett. In the new movie, the background shots are incredible. When Aaron Korey fills his car up with gas, you see the truck he stole pull into the parking lot. You see Michael walk around in his white inmate uniform. Then it cuts to Dana Haines asking where the restrooms are, once she leaves you see Michael him beating a garage worker to death. It is the idea that chaos is happening around all these innocent people and nobody knows about it. Another example, Oscar is laying in a yard after Allyson rejected his advances. Michael's decrepit white mask, pops out from behind the tree and stares at Oscar. Michael's sneakiness, his patience is what makes us scared and almost frustrated because you want to yell at the screen and tell the victim to turn around.

Diversion and Stealth

If Michael Myers has any skill it's being sly. He can sneak around you at anytime and get away with it. After Michael's hand was blown off in the new film, he was bleeding profusely. He left a blood trail and Laurie followed it as she hunted him down. He left a blood trail going up the stairs to multiple locations in the last room like the closet and all the manikins. Laurie was fooled every time, as soon as she was vulnerable, Michael revealed his location and struck. He was behind a manikin the entire time. Another example is Laurie. She was thrown out a window and fell to the ground, similar to Michael falling out the window at the end in the first film. Naturally he went to check and she was gone.

The Music

This movie's music was terrifying. John Carpenter's Halloween (2018) soundtrack came out on Spotify today. I listened to a couple songs and I remember every scene from the film because of the songs. It gave me goosebumps, the high pitched noises, the slow soothing songs for sad moments and the iconic Halloween theme. Every moment was perfect.

This movie was iconic and truly a masterpiece. All the callbacks to the original, like the Judith Myers headstone in the same cemetery, Mr. Elrod's yard, Allyson sitting in the same spot in the same type of classroom as Laurie Strode when she was in high school, etc. I truly never wanted the movie to end. It had my undivided attention and I wanted more. I was left with so many questions and the thrill I felt growing up watching these films was back.

This movie received an 8 out of 10 stars. This psycho Halloween fan gives it a 13 out of 10. I personally want to say thank you to David Gordon Green and Danny McBride and the cast. They gave Halloween fans a sequel they have been waiting for, for over 30 years. It is fantastic and a must see. Will there be a sequel? I say who cares right now, let us soak this great film in and enjoy what was given to us. Michael Myers is back, long live the king.