Keepin’ It Reel: Halloween

Classic horror movie character Michael Myers and 21st century graphics combined to make the tenth sequel to one of the biggest franchises in the horror genre, “Halloween.” Once again, actors Jamie Lee Curtis and Nick Castle are pushed into a game of cat and mouse. Walking into the theater, I knew that this was the end; there would only be one main character left. The question was: who? Would it be Michael Myers or the girl he had terrorized for years, Laurie Strode?

This sequel begins patching together and resolving the events of the last forty years. Michael Myers, played by both Nick Castle and James Courtney, has been trapped in Smith’s Grove Sanitarium, a mental hospital. He has yet to speak a word since murdering his parents as a child. The movie doesn’t give away too many details about what exactly Michael has been doing while in the walls of the asylum.

Grandmother Laurie Strode, the gutsy babysitter from Illinois who became the sole survivor of Michael’s first killing spree, was played once again by actress Jamie Lee Curtis. Traumatized by her past experiences, Laurie has shut herself inside a fortress of her own creation, equipped with a concealed hiding spot in her kitchen and guns hidden in every corner. She’s convinced that Michael will one day escape from his imprisonment. She’s paranoid, but she isn’t stupid. When two crime podcasters come into her home looking for details into her and Michael’s “time together,” as they call it, Laurie sends them away with very little to say on the subject other than that she will be watching Michael’s transfer from one asylum to another, just to be sure that he cannot return to terrorize her anymore.

After being provoked by the same two reporters, Michael causes his transfer bus to wreck and he escapes. He then acquires his classic mask and kills several people at a gas station. He kills a couple more teenagers in town before he comes face to face with Laurie’s granddaughter, Allyson. Using Allyson and his now crazed therapist, Michael tracks down Laurie and her daughter to her home. Now that the villain and the heroine are reunited once again, it’s a match where only one will survive, but who?

This movie is certainly one that every horror movie buff should go see. It’s a real nail-biter all the way through. Unfortunately, for those looking for the same slasher type kills that were in the original, you are out of luck. The killings are truly gruesome, and honestly some made me sick to my stomach. The amazing graphics certainly made up for the massive amounts of gore, balancing this movie out perfectly. One of my favorite things about this sequel was how the directors cast the original killer and survivor, Nick Castle and Jamie Lee Curtis. Sure, Nick Castle was only in the movie for some short cameos as Michael Myers, but the idea that the originals were a part of the supposed last sequel seemed to make the movie even more enjoyable.

Considering the large amounts of gore and the incredible story line, I rate this movie a nine out of ten. “Halloween” is only missing that one last point because there were already nine movies made in between the original “Halloween” and the newest version. This made things a little more confusing for those, like me, who had only seen a few parts of the other sequels. The fact that the directors were able to carve out yet another sequel of the same storyline goes to show you how much people enjoyed the cat and mouse game of Michael and Laurie. For those who like, or even love, horror movies, this is a must see. But for those of you with a weaker stomach, “Halloween” probably won’t be as enjoyable for you.