The Trick is to Stay Alive (One More Time)

A re-hash of the John Carpenter classic terrorizes anew generation

Azariah Joel
The Santa Clara
October 25, 2018

As much as I love remakes of classic horror films, resurrecting Michael Myers didn’t give me the thrill I expected. Often it’s better to leave these franchises untouched.

“Halloween” and all of its bizarre sequels were originally directed by John Carpenter in 1978.

Carpenter was known for his knack for horror and mystery films. One of the greatest strengths in the original “Halloween” was the atmosphere of fear Carpenter managed to create.

Director David Gordon Green is now at the helm of this latest incarnation of “Halloween,” tasked with carrying on the Myers traditions.

Even if you haven’t seen the original movie, you can still follow along just fine. Keep in mind you just might not catch some of the recurring references.

Of course, it would not be the same without Jamie Lee Curtis, who is famously known for playing protagonist Laurie Strode. Curtis was the glue keeping this film together.

If she didn’t claim this role, I’m pretty sure the movie would’ve been a flop or a failure like the 1980 mini-sequels— all of which are thankfully ignored.

The film opens up with two inquisitive podcasters who attempt to get information from an incarcerated Michael about his murders from almost four decades ago.

Apparently, these two strangers think that dangling Michael’s old mask in his face would get him to talk. Really? As if they will be the ones to break a man who hasn’t spoken for the majority of his life.

They think their dedicated research means they know Michael the best but this is far from true.

They, like the previous films, made the big mistake of trying to explain Michael’s evil.

They tried to give him backstories and reasoning but this movie makes it explicitly clear that his reasoning is beside the point.

Michael, The Shape as he was credited in the original film, is pure evil.

Laurie is the only one who comes close to understanding Michael when she tells the podcasters that there is no “lesson” to learn—a nihilism that is at the very core of this film.

Michael just kills (hence the high body count in this movie) because he is evil. The podcasters died because they don’t understand this.

People disappearing left and right with no acknowledgment or explanation made me suspicious instead of scared.

I spent more time being concerned where everyone was instead of being terrified of the bloody scenes.

Each important character was introduced only to tease our speculations or fill in the gaps until the important action started.

The reunion of Michael and Laurie was what everyone came to see, therefore, these tackedon characters involving her granddaughter Allyson and her high school friends were merely victims for Michael to decimate.

The film portrayed some strong female roles through the Strode women: Laurie, Karen and Karen’s daughter, Allyson.

Laurie doesn’t allow fear to get in the way of the safety of her daughter and granddaughter and fends off Michael’s threats without hesitation.

An example of such is when Laurie falls out her window and we see her lying on the ground— but when Michael looks back, she has disappeared. This famous scene is a recreation from the original, but with Laurie now in Michael’s place.

Although Laurie has become deadly violent because of Michael, she has also gained some of his power.

The role reversal between Laurie and Michael was such an interesting aspect of the movie. It really makes you question who is the predator and who is the prey.

Since really it was a random circumstance that led Michael to Laurie’s house, you could argue he wasn’t truly looking for her.

But Laurie was looking for him. Like they said at the end of the movie, the house was a trap. Laurie was hunting him.

The movie reached high ratings and fans seem to love it.

It earned $77.5 million at the box office during its opening weekend and still ranks as #7 among R-rated horror films.

Critics gave it somewhat good reviews and focused on how much the new movie echoed the original.

The majority of ratings would say this movie ultimately depended on its previous sequels which put a great deal of stress on how the movie ends.

I’d say it lived up to the expectations and hype of the audiences.

Overlooking the hollow storyline, the movie did a fine job with their jump scares and bloody scenes.

Creating a remake with a low budget is risky, but they managed to redeem themselves.

Despite some of the ambiguous pitfalls, I think it did a pretty good job at giving the audience a horrifying murder movie to watch with Halloween around the corner.

If you’re in the mood for a nostalgic thriller and need something to get you into the spooky season, then this movie is for you.