It has been 40 years since the timeless horror classic Halloween by John Carpenter was released in theaters, and has become a beloved horror film that many people rewatch each year. It has also spawned up to 10 sequels since then. It currently holds a score of 7.3/10 on IMDb and 79% on Rotten Tomatoes. With that said, the newly released film is a breath of much needed fresh air to the franchise.

The film sees Jamie Lee Curtis and Nick Castle reprise their iconic roles as Laurie Strode and Michael Myers, respectively. When Myers escapes from a prison transportation bus and starts to murder people once again, Laurie prepares to carry out her goal of killing the mad man, who has terrorized her for the last 40 years. The movie delivers an amazing mix of horrific suspense and excitement throughout. It also has a couple scenes that callback to the first film, including Laurie’s granddaughter Allyson sitting in the back of a classroom with Laurie staring at her from outside. In the 1978 film, Laurie was in the same location as Allyson, only it was Michael who stared at her from outside the school. The final showdown between Laurie and Michael is incredibly intense. The two of them face off in a suspense building game of hide and seek. The showdown takes place inside Laurie’s home, which she has prepared for this very situation. The movie illustrates that Michael is not the only predator anymore. With Laurie readying herself for this showdown over the course of 40 years, they are now evenly matched.

Despite all these praises, the movie does have its shortcomings. The use of cheesy lines can distract the viewer from the movie. On a few occasions, a laughably weak choice of words is used for no reason at all. Another issue with the movie is the occasional overuse of gore. An example of this is when Michael kills one of his victims by stepping on his face. This is a cop-out instead of using our imaginations, and this scene fails to achieve its purpose, leaving the audience cringing rather than afraid.            

Overall, the new 2018 Halloween movie is one of the best new additions to the series since the original was released in 1978. Although it  suffers from cheesy lines and a slight overuse of gore, neither of these complaints hold the film back from being a great movie. The rivalry between Laurie Strode and Michael Myers has never been stronger, and their final confrontation in the concluding act of the film proves that. Fans of the series will get a delight from the many hidden Easter eggs that call back to earlier movies. Halloween is a not just an entertaining horror movie, but a great movie, period.

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