I hate horror movies. I fear the reality of them, but I suppress it with harsh criticism and insensitive and poorly timed jokes.
In spirit of doing “fun” fall things, I ventured to the theater to scare myself into a sleepless night.
I binged the first three Halloween movies over the “Halloweekend” and was disappointed to find out that the latest flick was going to be sequel to the original, completely disregarding its other predecessors.
Director David Gordon Green invites us 40 years after John Carpenter’s frightening classic, where Lauri Strode, played Jamie Lee Curtis, seems to have lost all of her sanity.
Even all these decades later, the trauma from that terrifying Halloween night still resides in Lauri as she battles against the threat of Michael Meyers.
The slasher is institutionalized and has captured the attention of over 50 psychiatrists and reporters.
Two foreign reporters hope to find clarity in the case from eons ago that still has everyone talking.
Unfortunately, their efforts end up taunting Myers into making what is considered, poor life choices.
In this spooktacular film, there are a plethora of comedic scenes that lighten the mood and let your guard down. Ultimately, it’s a great way to add more ‘scare’ to jump scares, because the viewer is so vulnerable with the humor used.
Throughout, we see situations where Myers is probably clueless as to how to react, such as when a ten-year-old boy named Julian offers to sacrifice hi s babysitter’s boyfriend to save her life.
Once Julian realizes that neither of them could be saved, he runs out of his house and calls the police, rather than sticking around to find out if either of them had survived.
We see something like this again when a teenage boy drunkenly converses with Meyers about a rough night he is having, because he thinks the man in a creepy white mask and jumpsuit is his neighbor and not a serial killer.
Meyers at first attempts to find a peaceful solution, but for a few moments we assume that because it is so out of the ordinary, the killer must be confused.
After a bus containing Meyers and other patients’ crashes, we run into a dancing teenager and his father who have absolutely no idea of the events that have transpired.
After this, the run-ins we have with Meyers escalates.
Meyers goes after the two reporters who have stolen his mask and taunted him with it.
Here, we are introduced to the gore that is unlike anything we saw in the original Halloween movies.
In the gas station bathroom where Meyers follows the reporters, heads are smashed against walls and victims are beaten to death.
We do not see the typical knife stabbings we’re accustomed to, but we do see chokeholds so intense that feet leave the floor.
The addition of the gore adds to the horror of the movie.
In the originals, we saw some blood, but with advanced technology and cosmetology, the blood and violence are amped up.
Even though the slasher consistently brings a knife to a gun fight, he manages to come out victorious after gruesomely attacking and murdering his opponents.
I was surprised by how rebellious Laurie was.
We always picture the protagonist of a horror movie to be quick thinking but ultimately slip up and endanger themselves and others.
On the other hand, Laurie did everything in her power to protect herself and the people she loved.
Laurie built an armory in her basement, safe from an apocalypse and unexposed to the naked eye, which was always ready for the day Michael would find her.
It was a constant fear of her being both predator and prey.
The motive behind Myers being so obsessed with her is because she challenged him unlike the rest of his victims.
After watching Halloween, it is safe to assume that I am still scared of horror movies and probably always will be.
The original Halloween was creepy and perhaps even a little scary, but the 2018 version is creepier, gorier, and has a scare factor I was not prepared for.
Being a college student, I will always sleep when I can, no matter how petrified I am of Myers.
However, I will admit that after seeing the film, I made sure I was always with someone, since odds are, they would be snatched before me.
Always remember, no matter how fast you run, Myers can walk faster.
PHOTO TAKEN from Debate
