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An escaped mental patient in a sinister mask embarks on a killing spree in a quiet, unsuspecting suburbia.
Over the course of 13 (!)
and sometimes (frequently) overwrites itself and ties itself in knots deciding what’scanonand what isn’t.
Halloween Resurrection (2002)
What should have ended withHalloween H20is pointlessly continued several years later.
But why, you ask?
To have their every move documented via a live webcast, of course!
Case and point: the film’s highlight is a sequence wherein Tyra Banks dances while making coffee.
What results is a legacy sequel shaped like a direct-to-video thriller.
Michael returns in his dogged efforts to eliminate his bloodline by stalking his niece’s baby.
Oh, and also, turns out Michael’s murderous agenda?
He’s influenced by a cult.
In that respect it’s odd how strikingly similar this is to 1981’sHalloween II.
It’s a shame this doesn’t quite land, as it has some good ideas.
Looping in legacy characters we’ve not seen in years adds a nice touch.
But their presence adds nothing beyond novelty, sadly.
If the incessant shrieking of “Evil dies tonight!”
hasn’t worn you down by the time the credits roll, maybe the irrational motivations will.
The movie picks up again with Michael stalking his niece, Jamie Lloyd, played again by Danielle Harris.
The scariest thing youll get from this is a headache from the final acts endless shrieking.
Halloween (2007)
While the terribleResurrectionended the original continuity, in the mid-2000s that little issue mattered not.
Grimehouse horror is the name of the game here for what’s the bleakest entry in the franchise.
Granted, some of its swings don’t quite land.
But for the most part this closing chapter succeeds.
Halloween 2 (2009)
Fans either love or hate Rob Zombies follow-up, a signifier of its extremes.
This isn’t another retread, though.
This sequel involves visions of dead parents and dreams of ethereal horses.
Laurie’s downward spiral after the murders of her friends also provides a new avenue for exploration.
This isn’t Jamie Lee Curtis' version of the character, after all.
And the ending is truly something else.
Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)
Ah, the fan favorite with the earworm theme.
John Carpenter and Debra Hills original plan for the franchise afterHalloween IInever involved Michael Myers.
Because really, how could you better The Night He Came Home?
Heck, the point couldnt be any clearer when we see the originalHalloweenplaying on a TV several times.
Splintering from the timeline,Season of the Witchisn’t even really a slasher.
Part reboot, part sequel a requel, dare we say?
Halloween creates the same atmosphere as the original but with a larger ensemble cast.
Bloodier than before, a string of tense setpieces prove shocking in their simplicity.
Halloween 4 (1988)
The same story as the original set 10 years later.
The film’s brisk runtime culminates in the best cliffhanger ending of the franchise.
Halloween (1978)
Carpenter’s original remains the best for its simplicity.
No gimmicks, no origin story, no explanations.
This Michael Myers is devoid of reasoning, just a shape with a desire to kill.
Each glimpse of Michael adding further unease, gently threading tension until it explodes in the third act.
