'Halloween': Reviewing the Iconic Series
By Tessa Petrocco, Hollywood.com Staff
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Friday, October 30, 2009
It’s never Halloween until you watch (at least some) of the Halloween series, so I’m providing you with a nerdy in-depth analysis and criticism of the films, just in time for the holiday. Be sure to set your dials to AMC, SyFy and most other stations to get your horror haunt on! (Click here for your best TV bets on Halloween)
Halloween (1978)
In John Carpenter’s Halloween, we’re introduced to the mass murderer Michael Myers. As the story goes, Michael killed his sister when he was 6 years old, got committed to a mental institution, broke out 15 years later and returned home.
The viewers get the impression that he really, really loves staring at women, especially Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode, but what 21-year-old male doesn’t?
Nonetheless, the film is a masterpiece. Michael’s disregard for human life, anarchistic killing sprees and his ghost-white, featureless face are absolutely bone-chilling. What really gets you, though, is how Michael examines his work, tilting his head from side to side.
Halloween II (1981)
Despite being filmed three years later, the sequel transitioned seamlessly from the ending of the first film. The main characters, reprised by Donald Pleasence and Curtis, look so closely to how they did in the first film that I thought these two films were shot simultaneously until a few years ago.
The second film, directed by Rick Rosenthal, picks up with a trip to the hospital to tend to Laurie’s wounds. Michael, having disappeared at the end of the first film, is trying to track down the “one who got away,” but things aren’t as romantic as they seem. This film reveals to us the basis of the entire series: Laurie is Michael’s sister.
This is actually the first Halloween movie I ever saw. Even after years of not watching it, I vividly remember the hot-tub scene because it’s still one of my favorite movie kills. Needless to say, it made me (and several others) cautious of being in a hospital at night, just like the first film made ladies never want to babysit.
Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)
Despite the fact that this movie has nothing to do with the previous two, Halloween III is a great movie that stands on its own. The filmmakers should’ve just called this film Season of the Witch, because having it tied to the Halloween series enrages a lot of die-hard fans.
In the third film, the leading Halloween mask manufacturer, Silver Shamrock, and its boss, Conal Cochran, have done a very bad thing: Chips that have been placed inside the masks, which contain a piece of Stonehenge, are set to explode when activated by a particular jingle set to air on Halloween night. Nothing ruins Halloween like millions of murdered, innocent children.
Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)
Along with the original, this movie is tied for my favorite in the series. Film No. 4 steps it up a notch in the plot department. We find out early in the film that Laurie got married, had a baby and put her up for adoption to protect her from her batshit-crazy uncle. However, when Michael finds out, he returns to Haddonfield immediately to kill his niece, Jamie Lloyd.
Danielle Harris, who plays Jamie in the film, was 10years old when she made this film. That’s a difficult age to begin with, let alone being a child actor in a horror film. She gives a great performance, especially during the insane ending. If you want to spoil it for yourself, click here!
Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989)
Poor little Jamie is plagued with nightmares while she’s locked up in a children’s mental facility. However, when her nightmares become graphic visions of murders, she knows Michael has come back for her. As if this isn’t bad enough, Jamie’s shock after the entire ordeal has left her temporarily mute. In comes Dr. Loomis, who is the only person able to interpret her cries for help and protect her from Michael once again.
This was the first film in the series to really disappoint me. Instead of sympathizing with the characters, I found myself rooting for Michael instead. Which can often be fun, but when it's part of a series like Halloween, it just seems wrong.
Halloween 666: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)
At the end of Halloween 5, we’re briefly introduced to the character known as “The Man in Black” (not to be confused with the Men in Black), who is later revealed to be part of a druid cult that protects Michael.
Several years have passed and Jamie, who is now in her late teens/early 20s and pregnant, returns to Haddonfield to peacefully give birth and hide the baby from the druids and Michael. When Dr. Loomis hears that Jamie has, naturally, been killed, he freaks out (again). With the help of Tommy Doyle, the kid Laurie was babysitting that dreadful night of Michael’s original escape, Loomis is determined to save the baby from a horrific fate.
In short, this movie is ridiculous. While we’re introduced to the adorable Paul Rudd, the Pantera-esque score throughout the film doesn’t exactly help its cheeseball factor. It’s the first in the series that ASKS to be made fun of.
Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)
20 years after the first film, the viewers get to check in on Laurie Strode. It’s too bad that her past has come back to haunt her, despite living under the assumed name Keri Tate.
It’s Halloween once again and her son John, played by Josh Hartnett, wants to go away on a trip with his friends. Laurie eventually caves and says yes, but she should know by now to trust her gut. Michael kills the woman who has Laurie’s file and tracks her down, turning the movie into a brother-vs.-sister free-for-all.
Honestly, I didn’t entirely hate this film. I thought it was a step up from Halloween 5 and 6 (even though I still watch both whenever they’re on TV) and even after all these years, Curtis still makes a great scream queen.
Halloween: Resurrection (2002)
When we find out that Laurie is Michael’s sister in Halloween II, the first movie makes sense: He killed his first sister, so in his psychotic brain he feels he must kill his other sister. Finally, in the eighth installment, he does … and in somewhat dramatic fashion.
However, if this was a movie done in true Halloween fashion, it would have ended 10 minutes in. The rest of the movie acts more as a stab (get it?) at the Internet age and reality shows when Freddie and Nora (played by Busta Rhymes and Tyra Banks, respectively) hold a contest to see who out of six teenagers can last the longest in Michael’s old house. Michael returns, blood is shed, yadda yadda yadda.
Halloween (2007)
As for Rob Zombie’s Halloween, I will openly admit that I don’t totally hate it. With that being said, he absolutely should not have considered this a part of the Halloween series. Had this been his take on any other serial killer, it would have been way more enjoyable, but when it comes to Michael Myers, I don’t want to understand the reason behind his insanity. "Cold-blooded killer" has been the term to describe him for nearly 30 years and I don’t want one movie to change that.
In Zombie’s remake, we not only get a terrifying and almost subhuman version of Michael but we get his backstory. As it turns out, his mom was a stripper, his stepdad was a jerk and no one cared about him. Boo-effing-hoo!
After seeing Zombie’s first redo, I decided to do myself the favor and skip the second one to avoid any more upset.
Which Halloween movies are you favorites? Are you a fan of the original? What do you guys think of Zombie’s remakes?