‘Halloween’ horror turns into a cliche bore

Gavan Townsend, Camera Editor

Photo by Gavan Townsend
Junior Adam Green chomps down on a Klondike bar late at night while enjoying the original ‘Halloween’.

The original story of Michael Myers took place 40 years ago when he went on a killing spree in his hometown of Haddonfield, IL. Now, Myers is on the hunt again after he has broken out of prison in the new iteration of the Halloween series directed by David Gordon Green. The new sequel to the series is a slasher-thriller set 40 years after the original Halloween. Laurie Strode, a survivor of Myers’ first attacks, hears of Myers’ escape from prison and vows to hunt him down and kill him.

Reviewers around the country are mixed about how the movie will be received. Some say that Green’s Halloween 2018 is a foul-mouthed, soulless, low-rent slasher flick while others are saying it is “another great addition.”

It is just not scary. And that is one thing you could never say about the original.

— Brian Tallerico

Horror movies are not always the best when it comes to following authenticity, and this one does not either. It has its cliches like turned on teenagers, incoherent cops, and oblivious bystanders. This is usually adequate for viewing, but when many people have seen the same thing in so many movies prior to this modern sequel, they might as well just watch the older ones.

“I would probably just watch the first one,” sophomore Sam Levine said about whether or not he would see the new Halloween 2018.

From the aspect of the horror side, it is not anything contemporary. Taking an estranged character, and turning them into someone out for blood is nothing new. It has been around ever since horror movies were invented. Myers is known to be a chilling figure, but in this iteration he does not seem intimidating.

 “It is just not scary. And that is one thing you could never say about the original,” journalist Brian Tallerico said in his review on Halloween 2018.

Myers is played by his original actor Nick Castle, and Strode is being played by Jamie Lee Curtis. This seems to be the only feature of the film that is noteworthy. Castle played an amazing Myers in the first Halloween film, and Curtis is playing the character that launched her acting career.

“It looks a lot more high quality than say a Jason versus Freddy or just a Nightmare on Elm Street. I think it looks a little more in depth and I think they might have thought it out a little bit better,” junior Patrick Roisum said.

Despite Halloween 2018 possessing the same name as its legendary predecessor, it does not feel the same as the original. It feels like a movie, not Halloween night. The atmosphere is not there like the series’ pioneer.

Although the original Halloween earned a whopping $70 million while it premiered in theaters, horror fanatics will have to see if Halloween 2018 will come even close to that. People should go and see Halloween 2018 if they want to indulge in a disappointing, poorly directed and non-atmospheric twist on a phenomenal masterpiece.