Horror The Halloween Film Series Thread... - Part 4

I think I realized I only like the Jamie Lee Curtis Halloween movies and don't care for the others. 3 is a nice attempt at something new, though.

 

I really only rewatch the original halloween 1 and 2 and now 2018. The rest are rather forgettable imho. I will say though in zombies halloween 1 I really liked the time they spent on young Michael at the asylum but thats it.

 

I can have fun with all of them for different reason, even if to enjoy some bad Horror/Slashers once in a while.

Yeah, its one of the few strong parts of the movie.
I can see the idea of wanting to give Michael a Face and reason, to show what made this Kid suddenly Kill and become who he is.
But he had to ruin that by going with his Edgy Trailer Trash Family nonsense.

 

I think the thing with approaching the “character“ of Michael Myers, Especially especially after Halloween Ends has been released, is that you need to think of him as two separate entities, not just one person. You have Michael Myers, the poor human soul that the evil took over, and you have “The Shape“, the evil incarnate, this force of nature, stalking, hunting and killing its victims in ritualistic fashion on Halloween night.

I think, as a result of pop culture longevity and infamy, people have forgotten to separate the two and just conflate them both together. The best writers of the best films in the series recognize that and make good use of it. It’s the films that just use them as a prop and an excuse to just have kills in their Halloween film it doesn’t work or falls apart.

 

I agree with ya, the asylum scenes with young Michael and Loomis were so strong that it felt those were the scenes that made zombie want to do the remake but then he just remade the original the last half.

 

Zombie claimed he was too scared to deviate heavily from the original with the second half but I really wish he had because the second half is just a weaker version of the original. I don't feel like the entire movie needed to be about young Michael but his return to Haddonfield should've been handled completely differently.

Hearing the actors repeat the famous lines of the original just felt so lazy, which it always does because doing so lacks the authenticity of the original delivery.

 

My biggest peeve with both Zombie movies wasn't even really Michael. It was how Laurie was portrayed. Having her casually cuss like a sailor constantly and be introduced making lewd gestures with a bagel was not a good way to try and make the audience like her IMO. But the sequel made her even worse by having her be violently miserable and lash out at Annie and people who were just trying to help her. There's a big different between being deeply traumatized and just being a *****.

Btw, I'm in the crowd that absolutely loved Halloween Ends. To me, it felt like a mix between Halloween 4 with its character study and the unused ideas of "the evil of the Shape passing on" that the people who did 4 WANTED 5 to be! And that ending was so cathartic.

 

I don't mind that he did something different with Laurie Strode. She was a bit too whiny in H2 but even with that being said I've always thought Scout Taylor-Compton gave two fine performances as Laurie Strode that didn't feel like she was trying to be a Jamie Lee Curtis knock off.

On the other hand, I feel the total opposite about characters like Loomis. McDowell is tasked with mostly copying off of Pleasence with some Gale Weathers thrown in and it just doesn't mesh well.

Also, a bit random but I learned in the Zombie timeline Michael's real father died in a car crash apparently. I'm assuming he wasn't anywhere near being a jackass like Ronnie, which is backed up by how Judith gets mad when her boyfriend refers to Ronnie as her dad. I feel even just mentioning that in the film would've been a huge plus to convey the idea that the Myers family had been falling apart for quite some time.

 

I think I've come to the conclusion that the entire Blumhouse timeline is my favorite. So Kills is back in my top 3 sequels, behind Halloween 2018 and Ends.

 

Same here. It's the only time the series has actually got the Shape 100% correct. Say what you want about Halloween Ends but it did nothing to really ruin the mystique or allure of Michael Myers. There's no family angles, no evil demon worshipping cults & no reality TV shows.

The David Gordon-Green trilogy highlights pretty much everything that made me fall in love with the series to begin with. And for me personally, these are the sequels I've wanted ever since I was a teenager & started obsessing over this franchise.

 

A big thanks to JJC and AA for their donning of the mask for the trilogy.

Very disappointed with what they were given in HE, but at least I have H18 and HK to see the Shape in all its glory.

 

That is a cool shot.

 

Just like with Nick Castle, everything about James Jude Courtney's portrayal of the Shape makes the character truly feel larger than life.

 

Gorgeous shot.

Is this right before Cory manhandles him for the mask?

 

As I've iterated recently in the "What's the last movie you watched" thread I've been studying this film recently & I like it even more upon revisiting it and doing a deeper dive into it.

Is it a traditional Halloween story? No. But it manages to tell (imo) a compelling story that still has the Myers mythology wrapped around it & acting as a central force driving the overall plot.

I'm fine with Myers being placed on this mythical pedestal where his evil causes individuals to do irrational things. That's far better than him being the doofus muscle for a ridiculous cult whose goals make absolutely no sense whatsoever.

I feel that what makes HE work so well for me is the fact that Rohan Campbell is a really talented actor & handles the role extremely well, allowing you to see all of the different sides to Corey and how he changes drastically over the course of the film.

I do wish they had started the present day story at the start of October at least to add a bit more time. It would've made him and Alyson feel more authentic. As it is, it's just hard to buy them falling that deeply in only about four days time. But, overall, I do like that they didn't try to just make Alyson a Laurie Strode clone & she instead got to be her own character.

If I could make other changes, it'd simply be adding in certain things that cut out, like more scenes with Michael obviously. But overall, I am satisfied with it. And I still very much enjoy the final fight between Michael and Laurie...maybe even more than their bout in '18. It's just the two of them, it's not goofy, it's intense and there's plenty of back and forth. And, just as it should be, she wins in convincing fashion.

In time, I fully expect Halloween Ends to become a film that is more appreciated for what it is and what it brought to the table. It expanded on the legend of Michael Myers without sacrificing any of his mystique.

 

Nice post.

I just think HE did affect the mystique of Michael by having him be overcome physically in an odd-looking way against Corey. He did almost become that "doofus muscle" you referenced from H5-6.

I do wonder if I would enjoy the movie more if those scenes were executed differently or nixed altogether.

I am such a fan of the character of MM that it did taint my overall thoughts of HE.

 

Thank you.

And I can see how people can view it from that perspective, though I disagree. The stage is set from the moment Michael first grabs Corey and they have their exchange.

Right after, Corey gets a kill. So working off of the lore this trilogy has provided, the fact that Corey obtained that kill right after Michael passed on some of his power would mean Corey immediately grew.

This is further backed by him returning home, showering, and being spotted in the bush by Laurie, who from that point on views him as a threat because she can literally sense Michael on him.

So was Corey overpowering Michael goofy? Yes and no. Yes, in the sense that it could have looked a bit better. But ultimately no because the story is literally pointing to it happening from the start rather than it happening out of nowhere.

But that is why I said more scenes should've been added. As far as I'm aware, prior to Corey returning to the sewer, Michael attacked a victim who managed to escape, hence his left arm being useless to him for that period of time. Since she injured him and fled, he isn't able to recoup that power...until all of the stuff with Doug goes down.

It's one of those things where just a few more scenes could've helped sell the idea for those who saw it as a hard buy to begin with and for those who enjoyed it, it would've just given even more to take in.

 

I just saw this on Rohan’s insta-story, love that Corey is getting some love;

 

My 4k copy just arrived in the mail

 

I don't know if it's intentional or what, but The Terrifier fanbase, and maybe the director (?) have been taking jabs at Halloween Ends since october. Listen, I don't really care if people prefer terrifier, but it is funny to me how people are so against Halloween Ends for being unexpected and different, but will obsess over Art The Clown being the new "icon", despite him really being generic. The first Terrifier was pretty forgettable for me.

 

Pretty sure retailers will only stock 6 copies of Terrifier 2...

While having a cardboard box full, and a bunch more copies of Halloween Ends at endcaps and within the regular shelves.

(no disregard to Terrifier 2 - it's gross and fun, but too long and repetitive of the first one)