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TIFF Review: ‘Halloween’ is a Brutal, Beautiful 40th Anniversary Gift

Published

6 years ago

September 9, 2018

There’s something magical about sitting in a packed theatre with hundreds of die-hard fans, about to watch the movie they’ve been waiting to see for over a year. As the lights dimmed on TIFF’s Midnight Madness premiere of Halloween, the crowd held an elated tension. Would this be worth the wait?

Hell yeah.

via TIFF

David Gordon Green and Danny McBride’s reimagining of the classic slasher does retcon every film after the 1978 original. What this creates is a Laurie Strode who is so traumatized by the events of that Halloween night 40 years ago that it has consumed her entire life.

Along with that trauma and paranoia is the doubt she faces because of her obsession. Laurie’s family members constantly plead for her to just “get over it” and “move on” with her life. But Laurie knows that she will never be truly safe until Michael is dead.

The legendary Jamie Lee Curtis plays this trauma beautifully – and it’s delicately balanced. Her extreme preparedness can feel intensely impressive in one scene and comically nutty the next. But under it all, you can see how Laurie has been – and is still – shaken to her core by Michael Myers.

via Universal Pictures

The reimagined timeline is such a perfect fit that you really don’t even miss the other films. But, rather than completely discard the whole franchise, Green and McBride show their respect with several little Easter eggs and hat-tips to the original Halloween and its other chapters.

They’re extraordinarily satisfying bits of fan service.

And speaking of extraordinarily satisfying, the film’s R-rating is used to its full advantage. Scenes of violence are viciously, deliciously gruesome, and sprinkles of comedic levity make the horror that much more effective – it’s a skilled dance of building and releasing tension.

Even after 40 years, Michael Myers is still a terrifying, brutal (and highly productive) killing machine. He has aged well.

via Universal Pictures

Admittedly, because this Halloween follows more characters on separate plotlines, the rhythm of the story is a bit spread out. The first two acts have some push and pull with the pacing and tend to favor jump scares. The third act, however, is a master class in tension. You’re right there with Laurie and – as Sarah Connor-level prepared as she is – you can feel her anxious terror.

Putting the focus on three generations of Strode women is a powerful way to both demonstrate how Michael has had a lasting effect on the family and explore the challenging mother-daughter dynamic that developed as a result.

Even if Laurie was not the warm, loving mother that Karen Strode (Judy Greer, Jurassic World) so desperately wanted, Laurie put Karen’s safety above everything. Her maternal instincts told her to protect and prepare instead.

Again, the film encompasses the post-traumatic stress that would surely follow after surviving such a brutal massacre. Even though Laurie has had time to bandage the wounds of that trauma, they’ve never really healed because of her conviction that Michael will one day return.

We can see an attempt at normalcy through Laurie’s relationship with her granddaughter, Allyson (Andi Matichak, Orange is the New Black). Laurie feels incredible guilt for how she raised her own daughter and frustration because of how her paranoia is outwardly perceived.

It’s a powerful reflection on the isolation of trauma.

via TIFF

Overall, when you get down to brass tacks, Halloween is a deeply satisfying return to Haddonfield. The return of John Carpenter to revitalize the iconic main theme speaks to how Green and McBride wanted to do Halloween right, and with Carpenter’s blessing (the theme will give you goosebumps, by the way).

Co-written by Danny McBride and director David Gordon Green, and produced by Jason Blum and Malek Akkad (son of Moustapha Akkad, executive producer of every other film in the Halloween franchise), Halloween was given the love and care of a team that has such respect for the original film and the horror genre as a whole.

For Halloween’s 40^thanniversary, this was the best possible gift.

Halloween will hit theatres on October 19, 2018. Check out the trailer here!

via Blumhouse

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Netflix Releases First BTS ‘Fear Street: Prom Queen’ Footage

Published

4 hours ago

April 30, 2024

Timothy Rawles

It’s been three long years since Netflix unleashed the bloody, but enjoyable Fear Street on its platform. Released in a tryptic fashion, the streamer broke up the story into three episodes, each taking place in a different decade which by the finale were all tied together.

Now, the streamer is in production for its sequel Fear Street: Prom Queen which brings the story into the 80s. Netflix gives a synopsis of what to expect from Prom Queen on their blog site Tudum:

“Welcome back to Shadyside. In this next installment of the blood-soaked Fear Street franchise, prom season at Shadyside High is underway and the school’s wolfpack of It Girls is busy with its usual sweet and vicious campaigns for the crown. But when a gutsy outsider is unexpectedly nominated to the court, and the other girls start mysteriously disappearing, the class of ’88 is suddenly in for one hell of a prom night.”

Based on R.L. Stine’s massive series of Fear Street novels and spin-offs, this chapter is number 15 in the series and was published in 1992.

FEAR STREET: PROM QUEEN IS NOW IN PRODUCTION 🩸 Welcome to Shadyside High. We're gonna have a killer time. pic.twitter.com/jDl0zRa2CH
— Netflix (@netflix) April 30, 2024

Fear Street: Prom Queen features a killer ensemble cast, including India Fowler (The Nevers, Insomnia), Suzanna Son (Red Rocket, The Idol), Fina Strazza (Paper Girls, Above the Shadows), David Iacono (The Summer I Turned Pretty, Cinnamon), Ella Rubin (The Idea of You), Chris Klein (Sweet Magnolias, American Pie), Lili Taylor (Outer Range, Manhunt) and Katherine Waterston (The End We Start From, Perry Mason).

No word on when Netflix will drop the series into its catalog.

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Live Action Scooby-Doo Reboot Series In Works at Netflix

Published

5 hours ago

April 30, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The ghosthunting Great Dane with an anxiety problem, Scooby-Doo, is getting a reboot and Netflix is picking up the tab. Variety is reporting that the iconic show is becoming an hour-long series for the streamer although no details have been confirmed. In fact, Netflix execs declined to comment.

If the project is a go, this would be the first live-action movie based on the Hanna-Barbera cartoon since 2018’s Daphne & Velma. Before that, there were two theatrical live-action movies, Scooby-Doo (2002) and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004), then two sequels that premiered on The Cartoon Network.

Currently, the adult-oriented Velma is streaming on Max.

Scooby-Doo originated in 1969 under the creative team Hanna-Barbera. The cartoon follows a group of teenagers who investigate supernatural happenings. Known as Mystery Inc., the crew consists of Fred Jones, Daphne Blake, Velma Dinkley, and Shaggy Rogers, and his best friend, a talking dog named Scooby-Doo.

Normally the episodes revealed the hauntings they encountered were hoaxes developed by land-owners or other nefarious characters hoping to scare people away from their properties. The original TV series named Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! ran from 1969 to 1986. It was so successful that movie stars and pop culture icons would make guest appearances as themselves in the series.

Celebrities such as Sonny & Cher, KISS, Don Knotts, and The Harlem Globetrotters made cameos as did Vincent Price who portrayed Vincent Van Ghoul in a few episodes.

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BET Releasing New Original Thriller: The Deadly Getaway

Published

5 hours ago

April 30, 2024

Cameron McFarland

BET will soon be offering horror fans a rare treat. The studio has announced the official release date for their new original thriller, The Deadly Getaway. Directed by Charles Long (The Trophy Wife), this thriller sets up a heart racing game of cat and mouse for audiences to sink their teeth into.

Wanting to break up the monotony of their routine, Hope and Jacob set off to spend their vacation at a simple cabin in the woods. However, things go sideways when Hope’s ex-boyfriend shows up with a new girl at the same campsite. Things soon spiral out of control. Hope and Jacob must now work together to escape the woods with their lives.

The Deadly Getaway is written by Eric Dickens (Makeup X Breakup) and Chad Quinn (Reflections of US). The Film stars, Yandy Smith-Harris (Two Days in Harlem), Jason Weaver (The Jacksons: An American Dream), and Jeff Logan (My Valentine Wedding).

Showrunner Tressa Azarel Smallwood had the following to say about the project. “The Deadly Getaway is the perfect reintroduction to classic thrillers, which encompass dramatic twists, and spine-chilling moments. It showcases the range and diversity of emerging Black writers across genres of film and television.”

The Deadly Getaway will premiere on 5.9.2024, exclusively ion BET+.