"A worthy successor" 40 years after the events in ‘Halloween’ (1978) Laurie Strode faces off once again with Michael Myers. Strode has been preparing for 4 decades for an eventual showdown with Myers. Of course Michael escapes and it’s only a matter of time before the 2 meet. Strode’s doomsday prepper storyline is a bit far-fetched but that doesn’t make it less entertaining. Jamie Lee Curtis makes a triumphant return as Laurie Strode. It also marks the return of Nick Castle as Michael Myers. And Myers lives up to his reputation. His killings are more brutal than ever. Director David Gordon Green executes it almost perfectly. A lot of killings happen offscreen but you get to see the horror afterwards. And there’s of course the delicious tracking shot where Myers returns to Haddonfield. The camera follows him through a suburban home where he slaughters someone. The camera follows him back onto the street and into the next house to kill again. Michael’s introduction in the psych ward is also pretty memorable when all the psychos start to go… psycho. After that sequence we get the opening credits with the iconic theme. Brilliant. Credit has to go to writer Danny McBride. He respects the original, as is obvious in the countless references (Laurie standing in front of the window, Michael missing an eye) but isn’t afraid to give it a spin. Who’s hunting who? There’s also the humor he brings to the story. And it works (the babysitting scene). Of course it’s not all great. At times ‘Halloween’ falls victim to several genre tropes (girl falling when chased, questionable decisions). And although Strode’s been preparing for 40 years she doesn’t do a top notch job. The biggest letdown was the character of Dr. Sartain (Haluk Bilginer). He’s a poor man’s Dr. Loomis whose role is too expanded. All in all David Gordon Green and Danny McBride finally make up for 40 years of mediocrity and less (Halloween: Resurrection says boo). Although the 2018 version will not achieve the same cult status as the original it’s a solid entry in a disappointing franchise.

"Halloween" basically ignores all but the first movie. Think of the way that various Godzilla reboots worked. It's an interesting approach and does wipe out the atrocious "Halloween: Resurrection" from continuity, at the very least. I really wanted to like this movie a lot more, being a big fan of John Carpenter's original, but I can only say it's okay or fair. It starts out pretty strong, with an unsettling opening scene and elements like the title sequence being a direct homage to the original film ("Halloween III" playing on a TV is great call back to the first "Halloween" playing on a TV in "Halloween III") but some questionable choices get made and it seems to lose its way as the movie progresses. The characterizations of several characters are inconsistent, switching back and forth between badass and panicky. The lead teenage character who we think the torch is going to be passed to just doesn't cut it. And the end is quicker than I would have expected, feeling a little unsatisfying and reminiscent of "H20". See it if you're a fan of the series. Other may be left feeling a little letdown.

The best sequel/reboot of the Halloween series. John Carpenter returns as executive producer and sound director leaving the directing to David Gordon Green of "Pineapple Express" and "Joe." The movie does a great job of connecting to and playing homage to the original (there are many easter eggs to find) while injecting an original story around the distraught Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis). Unfortunately, an unbelievable plot twist late distracts from the stronger main plot line. If you can forgive that one sin, you'll enjoy the Halloween reboot tremendously.