MICHAEL Myers is back!
Yes, that’s right folks, the menacing, murdering “shape” is back once again to terrorize everyone in Haddonfield, Illinois, USA.
Ah, wait just one darn minute.
Which “Michael Myers” are we speaking of?
Is it: Michael Myers from the original 1978 “Halloween” by the legendary director John Carpenter, or “Halloween II” “Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers” “Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers” “Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers” “Halloween H20: 20 Years Later” … or
“Halloween Resurrection”?
Then, of course you have the two rebooted films by director Rob Zombie: “Halloween” and Halloween II.”
Is this confusing or what?
This latest outing from director David Gordon Green (“Pineapple Express”) and taken from a new script from Jeff Fradley, Danny McBride and Green strips away every single Halloween film in the franchise, as well as the reboots.
As official film cannon, we are to ignore all of them, except for the 1978 original, (as if they never EVER happened).
In other words, fergetaboutit!
Fair enough.
Except for the direct sequel, “Halloween II” in 1981, none of them were any good anyway.
And if you were keeping count “Halloween III: Season of the Witch” doesn’t count as Michael Myers was never in it, and we are better for it, as it was total ka-ka.
So since none of the six sequels (and two reboots) ever happened, here is where we are: In 1978, Michael Myers went on a rampage in the small mid-West town of Haddonfield, Illinois, killing about a dozen innocents and was about to stab babysitter Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) before
being shot—point blank range—six times by his psychiatrist Dr. Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasence).
In the original, Myers disappears only to come back again and again and again in each of the official “cannon” sequels.
Instead, the severely wounded Michael Myers (in 1978) is captured by the police, is patched up in a hospital and sentenced for a lifetime internment at Smith’s Grove Sanitarium, located not too far from Haddonfield.
Dr. Loomis has long since passed away and four decades have now passed.
But not so for Laurie Strode (again played by Jamie Lee Curtis), the soul survivor of Michael Myers’ killing spree in 1978 as time had stood still for her and she is wracked with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Through the decades, the former babysitter has been preparing for the return of Michael Myers—again on Halloween evening.
And she is spot on as this time as dopey “true crime” British podcasters Aaron Korey (Jefferson Hall) and partner Dana Haines (Rhian Rees) kick the proverbial hornets’ nest when they try interviewing Myers at the local hospital ward.
All this does is to awaken this monstrosity from his decades slumber and hours, later when a bus filled with prisoners just “happens” to overturn, scattering these nut jobs to the four winds, Michael Myers is once again free.
He tracks down and murders the reporting duo—Korey and Haines—in the most gruesome manner, just to recover the mask that he originally wore some 40 years ago.
Myers then returns to Haddonfield and starts rampaging through the town.
Setting it awash on in blood.
Strode, already on “red alert,” immediately hears the screams of the terrorized and sets herself in motion.
Jamie Lee Curtis steals this movie and is the film’s “heart and soul,” setting one trap after another that the single minded Myers stupidly falls into.
Nick Castle returns as the “shape” as Michael Myers is known–reprising the role he did in the 1978 original as innocents are quickly dispatched by Myers.
Just as you or I would step on an ant.
The victims of Michael Myers mean nothing to him, only fodder until he can confront Laurie Strode once again.
I can’t say enough about the energy and passion that Jamie Lee Curtis brings to this one, fresh and singular sequel to the 1978 original.
She is tenacious and will have Myers head on a pike, if she can, to end his reign of terror.
Also enjoyable is journeyman action Will Patton (“The Rapture) who plays Frank Hawkins, a do-gooder police officer who is about the only person in
Haddonfield who believes in the ranting screams of Strode as she tries, in vain, to warn the townsfolk of the return of Michael Myers.
The time venerable city of Charleston, South Carolina doubles as Haddonfield.
I know this city well as my better half and life partner, Cris Evert and I spent an entire day wandering its streets during a five-city cruise of the US Eastern seaboard and Caribbean islands.
The residential area is small and during pitch black, one could easily forget you are walking through a small seaside town.
I cannot stress enough to every parent to keep their children away from “Halloween.”
It is uber violent and certainly not a kid-friendly movie as the body, gore and blood count is extreme.
Happy Halloween!
Questions, comments or travel suggestions, write me at theruffolos@readingruffolos.com.