Halloween (2018)

Liam McPoyle · 17-09-2018 11:51am

weadick wrote: »

Anyone here actually remember seeing the original for the first time?

Yep. On tv about 26 or 27 years ago. It terrified me and for me personally, it is the greatest horror movie ever made. Its perfect in every way. From the get go it drips with tension, the music is stunning, JLC makes a really likeable heroine, the victims are suitably annoying that we are happy to see them get offed, no jump scares neccessary, virtually no visible on screen blood and very little on screen violence, it just has everything.

The below 7 minutes crams more dread into it than any other movie could hope to muster in its entire run time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wo3Fusg7zc

fin12 · 17-09-2018 8:53pm

Business Cat wrote: »

Yep. On tv about 26 or 27 years ago. It terrified me and for me personally, it is the greatest horror movie ever made. Its perfect in every way. From the get go it drips with tension, the music is stunning, JLC makes a really likeable heroine, the victims are suitably annoying that we are happy to see them get offed, no jump scares neccessary, virtually no visible on screen blood and very little on screen violence, it just has everything.

The below 7 minutes crams more dread into it than any other movie could hope to muster in its entire run time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wo3Fusg7zc

The music really is so stunning and so unique. Every time that tune comes on and Michael just standing there, brilliant.

Liam McPoyle · 17-09-2018 9:21pm

fin12 wrote: »

The music really is so stunning and so unique. Every time that tune comes on and Michael just standing there, brilliant.

My favourite composition is The Shape Stalks, its superb.

Tony EH · 18-09-2018 2:04am

weadick wrote: »

Anyone here actually remember seeing the original for the first time?

Saw in the 80's as a kid on VHS in a terrible panned and scanned print. Thought it was boring, apart from a few bits. I actually preferred the sequel. Then I saw it in it's proper 2.35:1 ratio in a great print and it was a whole different film. While I certainly think it's a bit overrated by some, it's still a horror classic, in every sense of the word, with a brilliant turn by Donald Pleasence, who I just love.

I still like 'Halloween II', which is why this "eraser" movie is going to jar with me a lot. That, plus old Micky Myers is going to be in his 60's in this film? That sounds kinda wrong. But, I hope it'll be good regardless.

Special mention should go to 'Halloween III' which I saw in college and has a little place in my heart too. But it's largely a bad film. But, it's just so damned entertaining. I think I put it on every Halloween.

The rest are crap.

esposito · 18-09-2018 1:26pm

Tony EH wrote: »

Saw in the 80's as a kid on VHS in a terrible panned and scanned print. Thought it was boring, apart from a few bits. I actually preferred the sequel. Then I saw it in it's proper 2.35:1 ratio in a great print and it was a whole different film. While I certainly think it's a bit overrated by some, it's still a horror classic, in every sense of the word, with a brilliant turn by Donald Pleasence, who I just love.

I still like 'Halloween II', which is why this "eraser" movie is going to jar with me a lot. That, plus old Micky Myers is going to be in his 60's in this film? That sounds kinda wrong. But, I hope it'll be good regardless.

Special mention should go to 'Halloween III' which I saw in college and has a little place in my heart too. But it's largely a bad film. But, it's just so damned entertaining. I think I put it on every Halloween.

The rest are crap.

Ah Halloween 4 is decent with another great performance from Pleasence but after that yes, the rest are crap.

Liam McPoyle · 18-09-2018 1:32pm

Tony EH wrote: »

Saw in the 80's as a kid on VHS in a terrible panned and scanned print. Thought it was boring, apart from a few bits. I actually preferred the sequel. Then I saw it in it's proper 2.35:1 ratio in a great print and it was a whole different film. While I certainly think it's a bit overrated by some, it's still a horror classic, in every sense of the word, with a brilliant turn by Donald Pleasence, who I just love.

I still like 'Halloween II', which is why this "eraser" movie is going to jar with me a lot. That, plus old Micky Myers is going to be in his 60's in this film? That sounds kinda wrong. But, I hope it'll be good regardless.

Special mention should go to 'Halloween III' which I saw in college and has a little place in my heart too. But it's largely a bad film. But, it's just so damned entertaining. I think I put it on every Halloween.

The rest are crap.

Ahh Halloween 3 is great fun. I still cannot get my head around how it was tied into the franchise at all, who the hell signed off on that.

Goodshape · 18-09-2018 2:53pm

Tony EH wrote: »

Saw in the 80's as a kid on VHS in a terrible panned and scanned print. Thought it was boring, apart from a few bits. I actually preferred the sequel. Then I saw it in it's proper 2.35:1 ratio in a great print and it was a whole different film. While I certainly think it's a bit overrated by some, it's still a horror classic, in every sense of the word, with a brilliant turn by Donald Pleasence, who I just love.

I still like 'Halloween II', which is why this "eraser" movie is going to jar with me a lot. That, plus old Micky Myers is going to be in his 60's in this film? That sounds kinda wrong. But, I hope it'll be good regardless.

Special mention should go to 'Halloween III' which I saw in college and has a little place in my heart too. But it's largely a bad film. But, it's just so damned entertaining. I think I put it on every Halloween.

The rest are crap.

Ahhh Halloween H20 wasn't that bad. Had a bit of that 90s "Scream"-inspired cheesiness to it but I remember enjoying it at the time.

Tony EH · 18-09-2018 3:47pm

Business Cat wrote: »

Ahh Halloween 3 is great fun. I still cannot get my head around how it was tied into the franchise at all, who the hell signed off on that.

It wasn't supposed to be. The original was a one shot movie, but it's ridiculous success in 1978 meant that there was push for an inevitable sequel. Carpenter had the idea to do a series of unconnected film's set during Halloween, but he was persuaded to do one more Michael Myers film.

He then tried to go back to the idea of separate stories. Unfortunately, nobody liked 'Halloween III', so Myers got resurrected for IV.

Tony EH · 18-09-2018 3:51pm

Goodshape wrote: »

Ahhh Halloween H20 wasn't that bad. Had a bit of that 90s "Scream"-inspired cheesiness to it but I remember enjoying it at the time.

Never got into H20. Saw it once, thought meh. I hate 'Scream' too

I really dislike 90's Horror lite. The absolute worst decade for horror movies, because the MPAA were cutting the heart and soul out of everything. Even straight forward thrillers like 'Silence of the Lambs' had more balls than most, so called "horror" films.

esposito · 18-09-2018 8:40pm

Tony EH wrote: »

Never got into H20. Saw it once, thought meh. I hate 'Scream' too

I really dislike 90's Horror lite. The absolute worst decade for horror movies, because the MPAA were cutting the heart and soul out of everything. Even straight forward thrillers like 'Silence of the Lambs' had more balls than most, so called "horror" films.

Totally agree. Didn’t like the scream vibe at all. And Michael’s mask wasn’t scary imo.

CastorTroy · 18-09-2018 10:31pm

Tony EH wrote: »

Special mention should go to 'Halloween III' which I saw in college and has a little place in my heart too. But it's largely a bad film. But, it's just so damned entertaining. I think I put it on every Halloween.

Wasn't a fan when I first saw it but liked it on the rewatch. I think I read that they looked at Halloween as an anthology series going forward.

And with the new one out next month, I guess we can sing
"31 more days to Halloween Halloween Halloween. 31 more days to Halloween. Silver Shamrock"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIHUv2ooG38

Might save the new one to Halloween night

northgirl · 23-09-2018 8:12pm

fin12 wrote: »

The music really is so stunning and so unique. Every time that tune comes on and Michael just standing there, brilliant.

Love it and can't wait for the new one.

johnny_ultimate · 05-10-2018 10:42pm

Rather enjoyed this I have to say. This isn't a groundbreaking sequel by any stretch - it is in many ways 'more of the same', with a little bit of extra polish and a higher body count than the original film. But there's a certain enthusiasm to it that elevates beyond being a mere cashgrab or redundant sequel.

The David Gordon Green / Danny McBride guiding hands are obvious - while the film doesn't lack in tense setpieces, there are moments of banter and comedy scattered throughout. This often works (applause for the kid being babysat in the middle of the film, who's hilarious) and sometimes doesn't (there's a small number of random 'banter' scenes throughout which are pure McBride). While there's a playful streak, it doesn't overwhelm - as a slasher film, this is confident and well-engineered, without ever going into the more masochistic excesses of the worst examples of the genre (there's a few pleasingly gruesome moments, but they don't linger). There's plenty of cool details scattered throughout - a menacing figure casually strolling past out of focus in the background; ominously pressure-sensitive lights (a highlight... literally); a shot that lingers at a window as Michael slowly makes his entrance; a mannequin-filled room that just might contain a psychopath as well. Also: of course irritating British podcast producers would be interested in the Michael Myers case :cool:

What it absolutely achieves is a sense of catharsis -

the final extended sequence, featuring three generations of Strode women, facing down a trauma that has haunted the family directly & indirectly for decades. It's a fun, satisfying extension of the old-school final girl approach - and taking the approach of a house that's prepared for an invasion makes for some cool twists like those slamming shutters

.

Listen: it's a largely derivative piece of work, and inevitably exists in the shadow of its inspiration. There's the odd unnecessary jump scare, but not too many... and I did like its often tactical use of silence instead of a score. It has plenty of stylish and clever moments, but lacks perhaps an overall stylistic identity beyond that. I don't know much about the series beyond the first two films and the remakes a few years back so I'm no series expert. But it worked for me, and honestly I thought it was more confident in its own skin than the more obviously respectable A Star Is Born which I watched right beforehand. That's a success of sorts, I guess?

Also: Jamie Lee Curtis is a delight to listen to, but no surprise there.

Decuc500 · 06-10-2018 12:43am

I thought it was a very accomplished film, stylish and quite skilfully made. All involved approached it with a real respect to Carpenter's original. This was certainly no cheap, derivative sequel. That said there is only so much you can do with a slasher film that hasn't been done a thousand times before.

I loved the opening sequence and the build up to the credits had me grinning to myself. Very cool stuff. The score from John Carpenter and his son was of course great. The ending was very satisfying.

Of course the real bonus tonight was seeing Jamie Lee Curtis and hearing her speak passionately about the film and the times we live in.

Outlaw Pete · 06-10-2018 12:52am

Decent enough film. No masterpiece but more to like than dislike.

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

Jamie Lee Curtis is a delight to listen to, but no surprise there.

Decuc500 wrote: »

Of course the real bonus tonight was seeing Jamie Lee Curtis and hearing her speak passionately about the film and the times we live in.

Couldn't disagree more......

Breaking down in fake tears, multiple times, whining on and on about the metoo movement and how this Halloween parallels with much of what is going on.

Sweet baby Jesus, people go to films like this as a form of escapism, not to listen to a privileged liberal pontificating to us about how progressive making public allegations of sexual assault are.

If that wasn't bad enough she arrogantly assumes everyone there would be in alignment with her politics, even going as far as asking the audience to do a 'blue' Mexican wave, which most did.

Michael Myers is one of the greatest fictional characters in cinema history and Jamie Lee should not be politicizing him ffs. Is nothing sacred anymore.

Fysh · 06-10-2018 7:42am

Outlaw Pete wrote: »

Michael Myers is one of the greatest fictional characters in cinema history and Jamie Lee should not be politicizing him ffs. Is nothing sacred anymore.

Ah here, pull the other one, it'll feel better. He's one of slasher film history's many personality-free unstoppable immortal killing machines; the only difference from most is that he happened to be introduced in what is still one of the best slasher films ever made and thus became culturally significant - there's still too little to him to describe as a character. But "widely recognisable in popular culture" doesn't mean "good character", much less "one of the greatest in history".

Also - given how many comprehensively turd-like sequels Halloween has spawned, it's entertaining to see someone suggest that a single talk/Q&A with someone who starred in the franchise's best (only good?) film is somehow desecrating it...

Decuc500 · 06-10-2018 10:35am

Breaking down in fake tears? Regardless of what you think about her bringing up politics and metoo (and I'd be a bit cynical of that too) I think JLC was genuine in her own beliefs.

Anyway, horror films have always had strong female characters. Nothing new there.

This new Halloween will make a lot of fans happy and that's really all that matters as far as I'm concerned.

artvanderlay · 06-10-2018 8:31pm

This is a slasher movie, and we know who the killer is, so there is no surprise with that, therefore, I didn't think there was much they could do with this, but.........I loved it! It was one of the best cinema experiences I have had in a long time. I'd give it 9/10, would nearly go 10/10. I went in with low expectations, but from the intense opening scene, jumping quickly to the title sequence/music, I was gripped throughout.

The music sounded better than ever, and I thought that reanimating pumpkin in the title sequence was very cool and clever

. It looks fantastic too.

There were some nice unexpected twists and surpises, and Michael has never been so brutal. A total killing machine; you can feel that 40 year pent up rage in him!

I think it was a good choice to show us Michael without the mask, just to remind us that this is a man, but he is a total homicidal maniac

.

It does make sense why they called it Halloween (not Halloween 2), because it feels like both a remake and a sequel, a 2 in 1. It captures the atmosphere and feel of the original, but updates it for a modern audience. I have to admit that even though I think the first Halloween is great, I preferred this. It feels like a remastered version of the original, but with enough new stuff to keep it fresh and interesting.

I have a lot more to write about this, but I'll wait until more people have seen it.

Also, I though Jamie Lee came across very well. The questions she was asked were very lame, I cringed when I heard some of them. Yes, she got emotional, but I think she is very sincere. She has struggled with addiction and she is probably a lot more open and unapologetic after coming through that. She was good fun, but she is just an actress, there is only so much she can say about the movie. Ideally I would have preferred to have had David Gordon Green/Danny McBride/John Carpenter there, and have a real movie fan pick their brains.

One last thing: try to avoid the trailer if you haven't seen it already. It gives away quite a few kills, which reduces the shock factor.

Osmosis Jones · 06-10-2018 9:08pm

Politics? In my Halloween??? Never!

The original movie was just a fun slasher flick, there were no statements being made, no moral, no commentary! It's those damn liberals taking over Hollywood!

artvanderlay · 06-10-2018 9:09pm

Continuing on: I never really bought that Michael was out for revenge on Laurie. His attachment was to Haddonfield and his family home.

That's why I'm glad the movie didn't show Michael pursuing Laurie; he didn't care about her at all and in the end, he was brought to her home by his deranged doctor. Michael would even have been dead earlier in the movie if the Will Patton character had been allowed to finish him off after hitting him with his car.

Another thing: the movie was 105 mins long. It absolutely flew. I could have done with another hour at least. I was thinking afterwards how well this story would work as a TV show, even a real time style show like 24, with all events occuring around Halloween.

I was a bit disappointed that we didn't see more of Judy Greer's character, Laurie's daughter, and we didn't even see much of Laurie, but the other characters more than made up for this. The granddaughter storyline was probably just there to give Michael more teenage victims like the original, but the young cast were good, not annoying where you want them all to die!

I noticed as well that the toilet scene was probably an homage to a similar scene in Halloween H20; even though it was erased from this Halloween timeline, the makers probably wanted to pay tribute to it as the best sequel of the franchise.

One thing that did make me laugh: I'm a huge Eastbound and Down fan (except Season 4: muck!), which was written/directed by Danny McBride and David Gordon Green, and I did notice Dontel from that show playing the sheriff in this movie, and also, hilariously if you know the show, Mammy was the woman showing the podcasters Judith Myers grave! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGo6BZiTquk

batgoat · 06-10-2018 9:38pm

Decuc500 wrote: »

Breaking down in fake tears? Regardless of what you think about her bringing up politics and metoo (and I'd be a bit cynical of that too) I think JLC was genuine in her own beliefs.

Anyway, horror films have always had strong female characters. Nothing new there.

This new Halloween will make a lot of fans happy and that's really all that matters as far as I'm concerned.

I would suspect the 'fake tears' remark is more to do with the user's personal views on the metoo movement etc than anything else.

pixelburp · 07-10-2018 1:27pm

There is absolutely nothing new about Feminist readings of the Slasher genre; they pretty much sprung up the moment Halloween came out and spawned the countless knock offs. A genre that arguably, eventually morphed into the 'home invasion' series, one that itself speaks to topical subjects via features like the original Purge. Nor is it that hard a stretch to see why there are social interpretations to glean: Slashers constitute a bevy of films whose linking conceit are young women, occasionally scantily clad, being chased by a dangerous man with a great big knife / meat hook. Said women often turning the tables and conquering their aggressors. At the height of feminism in the 70s, 80s it was a ripe genre for deconstruction.

Maybe those readings don't matter, or aren't important for some of the audience, but they exist, are perfectly valid and shouldn't be ignored or ridiculed. Many great horror films are explicitly born from preying on distinctly human anxieties or insecurities: where some films have those fears centre in the Text, and pretty literal - such as Jaws, Arachophobia etc - others take the route through the Subtext; reading fears of parenthood (The Babadook); grief (Don't Look Now); ethnic / racial fears (The Purge); fear of rape / sexual assault (Alien & the face-huggers) etc. etc.

Horror is a bedfellow to Science Fiction, whose best stories often take simple tales of humanity, progress and tells them through the lens of the fantastic or extraordinary

And Michael Myers a great character? Plllllease. He's a classic MONSTER yes, but where's the character? Dracula had character, Myers has a spray painted William Shatner mask...

Mark Kermode touches on the subject, albeit through another sub-genre of the exploitation / assault-revenge thriller; these discussions are older than the internet and most of these subtexts didn't come down with the last shower:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_wKuosCHQk

batgoat · 07-10-2018 2:05pm

Iconic villain is more of an accurate description, doesn't imply they're developed. More incredibly recognisable. In general, Laurie is the developed character and she is relatable, be it teenage Laurie or Laurie in sixties. Laurie now being a person who faced an incredible and is still coping with the consequences of that. Relating that to that to the real world is reasonable.

On top of that, Laurie is Curtis' character, she is pretty entitled to say how she views the story in a real world context. The fat right love shouting "snowflake" but you'd have to be pretty fragile if you view her interpretation as so devastating.

johnny_ultimate · 07-10-2018 2:06pm

I actually think the suggestion that any film is fundamentally obliged to be merely escapist fantasy and apolitical is deeply disrespectful to the artists involved, no matter how light or fantastical the content. If filmmakers are expected to not say what they feel about the material or story being told, that’s a shortcut to bad art / entertainment. Not that they should feel obliged to be political either: they should say what they want to say, regardless of whether that’ll sit badly with individuals or even large portions of the audience. Sure, it’s absolutely possible and reasonable to be individually disappointed or frustrated by what a film does / doesn’t explore - but ultimately the idea any film should just be ‘escapism’ and nothing more is an unfortunate one IMO.

That said, I don’t think Halloween (2018) is a particularly political film - unless you believe the idea of three women forced to confront a sort of shared generational trauma is a naturally political idea. I think Jamie Lee was absolutely correct to highlight that elements of the film do resonate more strongly now given the events of the past year... hell, after the events of the past two weeks even more. But as she also pointed out, the script predates MeToo even if it may have been an obvious context during production. I think it would be dishonest to not comment on those parallels, especially if - as this film’s star clearly does, and she’s much more capable of speaking about what she believes the film stands for more than any of us - one feels strongly about the issues dominating the discourse of the moment. Absolutely stood out to me watching the film. But generally it’s just a modestly, ‘inoffensively’ feminist film in the sense of ‘strong female characters’ - no more overtly or explicitly so than hundreds of mainstream and horror films before it. Probably more interesting as what I felt in pure storytelling terms was a very natural evolution on the Laurie / Michael dynamics from the first film, and the rare horror film where characters are actually

prepared for the final outcome, which proves quite fertile territory for a tense, exciting setpiece.

Most importantly: the moment where

Judy Greer tricks and shoots Michael is completely and utterly delightful

.

p to the e · 08-10-2018 1:41pm

batgoat wrote: »

Iconic villain is more of an accurate description, doesn't imply they're developed. More incredibly recognisable. In general, Laurie is the developed character and she is relatable, be it teenage Laurie or Laurie in sixties. Laurie now being a person who faced an incredible and is still coping with the consequences of that. Relating that to that to the real world is reasonable.

On top of that, Laurie is Curtis' character, she is pretty entitled to say how she views the story in a real world context. The fat right love shouting "snowflake" but you'd have to be pretty fragile if you view her interpretation as so devastating.

Freudian slip?

sirmanga · 12-10-2018 10:45am

Does anyone know of this is getting a general release in Ireland next week as it is everywhere else?
I can't seem to find any cinema listings for it. Most movies now are available to pre book a couple of weeks in advance.

northgirl · 12-10-2018 10:47am

sirmanga wrote: »

Does anyone know of this is getting a general release in Ireland next week as it is everywhere else?
I can't seem to find any cinema listings for it. Most movies now are available to pre book a couple of weeks in advance.

Omniplex in Cork only gives the listings the Wednesday before Friday releases AFAIK

artvanderlay · 12-10-2018 10:51am

It's out in most cinemas on the 19th, but even my local cinemas are not listing it yet for pre-booking. I'm going to it again it was so good

JKerova1 · 12-10-2018 12:53pm

I thought some cinemas might show the original and the new one back to back but it doesn't seem to be happening...pity.

gmisk · 12-10-2018 2:13pm

JKerova1 wrote: »

I thought some cinemas might show the original and the new one back to back but it doesn't seem to be happening...pity.

Yeah that seemed like an obvious thing to do, the lighthouse did show it on Wednesday this week, 2 screenings, both sold out.

Halloween (2018)

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