Halloween (2018)

[El_Fez]

Originally Posted by jacobsever

In certain movies, at certain theaters, I'm all for a rowdy crowd that yells stuff. It's usually during horror movies, and usually the less "nice" theaters. Last night I almost felt tempted to yell something out in this movie, but A) I don't ever do that and B) I was at Alamo and probably would have been kicked out.

But as Myers put the mask back on for the first time, I wanted to shout "BIG MIKE IS BACK, BABY." Mainly because if I heard someone else yell that out, I would have found it super funny.

My crowd last night was disappointingly subdued, except for - well, I'll get to that in a second. In a horror movie, when the crowd is really into it, something like "Big Mike" I'd have no issue with that. Screaming when it's scary, laughing when it's funny, going nuts when it's awesome - that's all fine. Not full on Rocky Horror, but reacting to the movie is okay.

But the two jackasses three seats over who were chatting - loudly chatting - non-stop the whole movie long, they need to shut the **** up. And they had the audacity to give me the death glare when I told them such. Sorry man, but if I can hear you over my seatmate, and then another three seats between us, you're too damn loud. Go home and watch netflix where you can blather all you want as much as you want.

And that is why I haven't seen a movie in the theater* since Black Panther. Hell is other people.

*Aside from my arthouse cinema that runs kung fu flicks and vintage 35mm. Oh, and I saw Preditor, but that was a free press screening so it doesnt count.

[bradnoyes]

Originally Posted by Steelmaker

Definitely a film made by committee. No vision or leadership whatsoever with this one. This movie may ignore all the sequels in the series. I'm going to quietly ignore this film and go back to enjoying 1, 2, and 4 (completely ignoring the stupid ending in 4). They are all better films IMO. This movie is going to be put into the recycle bin along with 5, 6, H20, Resurrection, and Zombie's Halloweens.

I feel the same. In a lot of ways the original is the only one I really care about, but I do still think 2 and 4 have a lot to offer. The rest are basically dead to me.

[MazeRunner]

My theatre doesn't have reserved seating so I got to the theatre at 6:20 for the 7:10pm Halloween showing last night and there were already a few people waiting in the theatre. Good thing I got there when I did. The little screen outside the theatre had the old 1978 Halloween poster on it though, which probably confused some people like me because my theatre is also playing the original Halloween.

[LegacyCosts]

A lot of mixed reviews here, a jumbled messy script criticism is surprising as this looked like a back to basics approach which excited me greatly. I hope I still love it, have to wait til sunday,

[Steelmaker]

Originally Posted by bradnoyes

I feel the same. In a lot of ways the original is the only one I really care about, but I do still think 2 and 4 have a lot to offer. The rest are basically dead to me.

I also enjoy 3, honestly. For all it's campiness there's just something about it that I find endearing. I'm actually glad that one exists outside the Myers universe.

[MazeRunner]

Originally Posted by LegacyCosts

A lot of mixed reviews here, a jumbled messy script criticism is surprising as this looked like a back to basics approach which excited me greatly. I hope I still love it, have to wait til sunday,

You haven't seen the movie and you're reading the thread still?

I'd fear spoilers if I were you.

[Predatorix38417]

Yeah this didn’t actually have Atmos/DV, Dolby’s site doesn’t mention it at all. I think it was just 5.1.

[ghostsofjoy]

Originally Posted by Steelmaker

Saw it last night. I won't dwell but I didn't care for it. It was a letdown to me. A big letdown. This article sums up my feelings on the movie perfectly...

https://www.pastemagazine.com/articl...n-review.html#

Originally Posted by bradnoyes

Great article. This line sums up my feelings: It’s a film with three credited screenwriters; after walking out of the theater, you’d swear the number was at least four or five.

In fact, I almost felt like there were several directors and editors as well. The film was a jumbled mess.

This sums up my feelings almost to a T. There is so much to love about the concept of this and while there are aspects of it that thrilled me, I left feeling horribly underwhelmed.

[Show spoiler]The boyfriend being left at the dance — and out of the rest of the film — irked me considerably. Why spend a number of scenes with him only to make him a dick that gets to avoid the carnage altogether?

I’m seeing this again with a couple of friends who couldn’t make it last night — thank you, A-List! — so I’m hoping my opinion will soften a bit now that my expectations have been grounded but I don’t think this will ever feel like the definitive end to the Michael-Laura saga I was hoping for.

[dcx4610]

Got back from first showing. I was hoping to avoid the crowds going on a Friday but even first showing, the theater was half full so I expect it to do really well at the box offices.

I'm a massive Halloween 1 fan and I really like 2 and 3. After the trailer and from what I've read, I had fairly high hopes that this would be a back to basics approach and for the most part it is.

I thought it was OK overall. They STILL don't understand the Michael Meyers character. No movie outside of Halloween 1 and 2 got what Michael was. He is a force of nature. Lurking in the shadows, rarely seen in broad daylight. Ever since part 4, he's just been a guy in a mask and this continues that tradition sadly.

Thankfully, it's bit closer to Halloween 2's tone than the rest but I still don't like how human Michael feels. The less you know about him the better and you got a ton of shots of him without his mask and feeling very much human.

I think my biggest disappointment was the lack of atmosphere and suspense. It just didn't *feel* like Halloween until towards the end. The music itself was good but it was shoved in the background. In Halloween 1, the music was almost as important as the characters themselves. It should have been front and center and blaring. Instead, you got a lot of dead silence where some good music would have added a ton of suspense.

For the things I did like....

[Show spoiler]

- I loved the opening credits being like Halloween 1 and 2.
- The music was also very good but as mentioned, it was way too quiet.
- I was worried about all of the past movie callbacks but there really weren't a lot. Only hardcores would notice
- Most of the cast was pretty well acted and fairly likable outside of a few minor characters
- The kid that one of the characters was babysitting was hilarious and felt real. The comedy didn't hurt the movie.
- Several good shots of Michael in the shadows how he should be
- Good kills and very little CG. A lot of kills are off camera which is preferred

Overall, I enjoyed it but it wasn't great. It was a bit frustrating to watch because you have several ideas in your head that you think would have worked better. Still, I give it credit because it doesn't feel like a modern horror movie. It doesn't really try to pander to the modern crowd. It feels like a movie for Halloween fans but non-Halloween fans will probably enjoy it as well.

If I had to score it, I would say it's about on par with Halloween 4. Not as good as 1, 2 or 3 but equal or better than 4. I was hoping it would be as good as part 2 but the lack of atmosphere, suspense and music mixing really hurts it. Still a perfectly decent Halloween movie that doesn't hurt the series and is definitely miles better than 5-6-7-8.

[LegacyCosts]

Originally Posted by dcx4610

Got back from first showing. I was hoping to avoid the crowds going on a Friday but even first showing, the theater was half full so I expect it to do really well at the box offices.

I'm a massive Halloween 1 fan and I really like 2 and 3. After the trailer and from what I've read, I had fairly high hopes that this would be a back to basics approach and for the most part it is.

I thought it was OK overall. They STILL don't understand the Michael Meyers character. No movie outside of Halloween 1 and 2 got what Michael was. He is a force of nature. Lurking in the shadows, rarely seen in broad daylight. Ever since part 4, he's just been a guy in a mask and this continues that tradition sadly.

Thankfully, it's bit closer to Halloween 2's tone than the rest but I still don't like how human Michael feels. The less you know about him the better and you got a ton of shots of him without his mask and feeling very much human.

I think my biggest disappointment was the lack of atmosphere and suspense. It just didn't *feel* like Halloween until towards the end. The music itself was good but it was shoved in the background. In Halloween 1, the music was almost as important as the characters themselves. It should have been front and center and blaring. Instead, you got a lot of dead silence where some good music would have added a ton of suspense.

For the things I did like....

[Show spoiler]

- I loved the opening credits being like Halloween 1 and 2.
- The music was also very good but as mentioned, it was way too quiet.
- I was worried about all of the past movie callbacks but there really weren't a lot. Only hardcores would notice
- Most of the cast was pretty well acted and fairly likable outside of a few minor characters
- The kid that one of the characters was babysitting was hilarious and felt feel. The comedy didn't hurt the movie.
- Several good shots of Michael in the shadows how he should be
- Good kills and very little CG. A lot of kills are off camera which is preferred

Overall, I enjoyed it but it wasn't great. It was a bit frustrating to watch because you have several ideas in your head that you think would have worked better. Still, I give it credit because it doesn't feel like a modern horror movie. It doesn't really try to pander to the modern crowd. It feels like a movie for Halloween fans but non-Halloween fans will probably enjoy it as well.

If I had to score it, I would say it's about on par with Halloween 4. Not as good as 1, 2 or 3 but equal or better than 4. I was hoping it would be as good as part 2 but the lack of atmosphere, suspense and music mixing really hurts it. Still a perfectly decent Halloween movie that doesn't hurt the series and is definitely miles better than 5-6-7-8.

Solid review, lot of good insight. It is amazing how all of the sequels other than part 2 get what makes Michael work wrong isn't it? Especially Zombie's 2 films. 4 is probably the last sequel that works for me due to the atmosphere, terrible mask aside.

[cheez avenger]

Originally Posted by dcx4610

Got back from first showing. I was hoping to avoid the crowds going on a Friday but even first showing, the theater was half full so I expect it to do really well at the box offices.

I'm a massive Halloween 1 fan and I really like 2 and 3. After the trailer and from what I've read, I had fairly high hopes that this would be a back to basics approach and for the most part it is.

I thought it was OK overall. They STILL don't understand the Michael Meyers character. No movie outside of Halloween 1 and 2 got what Michael was. He is a force of nature. Lurking in the shadows, rarely seen in broad daylight. Ever since part 4, he's just been a guy in a mask and this continues that tradition sadly.

Thankfully, it's bit closer to Halloween 2's tone than the rest but I still don't like how human Michael feels. The less you know about him the better and you got a ton of shots of him without his mask and feeling very much human.

I think my biggest disappointment was the lack of atmosphere and suspense. It just didn't *feel* like Halloween until towards the end. The music itself was good but it was shoved in the background. In Halloween 1, the music was almost as important as the characters themselves. It should have been front and center and blaring. Instead, you got a lot of dead silence where some good music would have added a ton of suspense.

For the things I did like....

[Show spoiler]

- I loved the opening credits being like Halloween 1 and 2.
- The music was also very good but as mentioned, it was way too quiet.
- I was worried about all of the past movie callbacks but there really weren't a lot. Only hardcores would notice
- Most of the cast was pretty well acted and fairly likable outside of a few minor characters
- The kid that one of the characters was babysitting was hilarious and felt real. The comedy didn't hurt the movie.
- Several good shots of Michael in the shadows how he should be
- Good kills and very little CG. A lot of kills are off camera which is preferred

Overall, I enjoyed it but it wasn't great. It was a bit frustrating to watch because you have several ideas in your head that you think would have worked better. Still, I give it credit because it doesn't feel like a modern horror movie. It doesn't really try to pander to the modern crowd. It feels like a movie for Halloween fans but non-Halloween fans will probably enjoy it as well.

If I had to score it, I would say it's about on par with Halloween 4. Not as good as 1, 2 or 3 but equal or better than 4. I was hoping it would be as good as part 2 but the lack of atmosphere, suspense and music mixing really hurts it. Still a perfectly decent Halloween movie that doesn't hurt the series and is definitely miles better than 5-6-7-8.

I agree with a lot of your points but disagree with the music being too low. It was loud and awesome at my screening, so maybe your theater screwed up somewhere.

[Captain Flint]

Originally Posted by dcx4610

Got back from first showing. I was hoping to avoid the crowds going on a Friday but even first showing, the theater was half full so I expect it to do really well at the box offices.

I went first thing this morning too hoping to beat the crowd and my showing was half full. There was a massive line at 11:30 this morning for some odd reason, never seen that before that early. Thankfully trailers last 20 minutes these days so I didn't miss any of the movie.

[msb1428]

Just got out from seeing this. The movie is a solid 4/5 for me! Here are my thought the I will put in spoilers.

PRO's

[Show spoiler]The atmosphere. It truly felt like fall and Halloween time. The brutality of Michael was stepped up in this one, so it felt like 40yrs of built up rage. And Jamie Lee Curtis delivered here in every possible way.

Cons

[Show spoiler]The opening title sequence irked the shit out of me! The CGI pumpkin was atrocious looking and dam near looked like an animated cartoon. It nearly made me laugh out loud. The fact that the score was barley used in this film at all and many scenes relied on silence. Felt it could have built more tension with better use of the score. And finally the granddaughters boyfriend the character was abandoned halfway through the movie, why was he not part of the carnage? that made no sense to me at all.

One last thing! Am I the only one who thinks that you could still possibly include the original Halloween 2 in this story line and it would still work and could be a new trilogy??

[bradnoyes]

^^^

For a few reasons I think this would make even more sense with Halloween 2 still in the chronology. I think it would go a long way towards supporting just how extremely affected Laurie was by her experiences and Michael’s obsession with her.

[MazeRunner]

First Insidious and now Halloween..

Elderly women are ruling horror!

[djgeneral]

I had no issues with the score or silence. Thought it was perfection and gave such an overwhelming sense of dread the whole time.

[dcx4610]

I got a bit of Last Jedi vibe from the movie in the sense that at this point, Halloween means different things to different people and you aren't going to make everyone happy.

For me, Michael is the Shape. You don't show him except from POV, in the background, in the dark, out of focus, etc. You treat him like an element and not just a guy in a mask. No one seems to get that right except for Carpenter. Even Halloween 2 still managed to get the feel of Michael right albeit less so.

There was just certain things throughout the movie where I would have went in another direction. Something as simple as the mask. While I loved how the mask looked....

[Show spoiler]How exactly did some random journalist get his hands on one of the most iconic pieces in serial killer history? And he just throws it into the back of his trunk at that?

I would have had the mask in an evidence locker and they show it to him in a bag. When he escapes, he gets the mask back.

I felt like the movie was a little too all over the place. I would have preferred the movie to be mostly about Laurie and Michael. It never quite had the focus that it needed.

I'm just nitpicking though. I liked it and it's a solid entry to the franchise but not perfect. My biggest complaint is still the atmosphere and lack of suspense which is what Halloween should be about. Michael was too much like Jason.

[eiknarf]

Originally Posted by MazeRunner

First Insidious and now Halloween..

Elderly women are ruling horror!

And this film must be getting the rest of “typical Hollywood” all bothered!

“Yeaahhh!! A female heroine! But wait! Maybe I shouldn’t celebrate just yet! I noticed that there’s two lessons to learn from this movie:
1. evil exists and 2. guns protect. Oh no! I can’t like this movie!”
- Typical Hollywood

[MazeRunner]

Originally Posted by dcx4610

How exactly did some random journalist get his hands on one of the most iconic pieces in serial killer history?

One man committing 5 murders 40 years ago is one of the most iconic serial killers in history?

[MazeRunner]

Originally Posted by eiknarf

And this film must be getting the rest of “typical Hollywood” all bothered!

“Yeaahhh!! A female heroine! But wait! Maybe I shouldn’t celebrate just yet! I noticed that there’s two lessons to learn from this movie:
1. evil exists and 2. guns protect. Oh no! I can’t like this movie!”
- Typical Hollywood

3. Laurie Strode is the new Jigsaw.