video review : Halloween Ends

video review : Halloween Ends

Halloween, the actual holiday, Ends every first of November. The movie franchise might never. Disregard the title of this latest entry and the conclusion of its plot, which seems to display the fate of Michael Myers; Haddonfield’s Bogeyman; at the hands of Laurie Strode; the arch nemesis he first encountered in 1978. Lest we forget she chopped his head off 20 Years Later only for him to be Resurrected.

This is supposed to be their story. Instead we’re introduced to a guy named Corey who, after being involved in a tragic killing of his own, befriends Michael and falls for Laurie’s granddaughter. If that sounds like a silly plot device, it is and his character is the worst thing about the movie, which gets downright corny at times. The best parts are still the kills. Look and listen for the tongue on the turntable.

my rating : 3 of 5

2022

video review : Halloween Kills

video review : Halloween Kills

Jamie Lee Curtis breaks her tradition of dressing up as Laurie Strode every ten years for Halloween Kills; a sequel to Halloween, which itself is a sequel of the original. The title is fitting; the killings have always been the best parts; but the night should’ve ended long ago.

This movie is, like the series itself, a bloody mess. It starts out decent enough; the 1978 flashback bit conjures a sense of nostalgia that suggests it would’ve been better as a pseudo-remake; but the quality drops dead once the stupid vigilante concept comes into play.

my rating : 2 of 5

2021

video review : Halloween 2

video review : Halloween 2

2 is better than 1 if only because it starts, after a pointless recap, at full thrust. It’s still Halloween night (1978) in the city of Haddonfield and Michael Myers remains on the loose.

Laurie Strode is his prime target and she’s still conveniently inept, at one point waiting for help to walk away to scream for help, but this time it’s revealed why he wants to kill her so bad.

The best parts are the first several minutes after the beginning title sequence before the setting switches to the local hospital; Haddonfield Memorial Hospital; where it stays to the end.

my rating : 3 of 5

1981

video review : Halloween

video review : Halloween

What do you do after finally subduing and taking the knife from the masked murderer who’s been trying relentlessly to stab you to death? Drop it on the floor beside his seemingly unconscious body, of course, and hang around until he gets up.

It’s such dumb decisions that’ll have you rooting not for the protagonist, a girl named Laurie, but The Bogeyman himself; a ruthless killer named Michael. He’s escaped from a psychiatric hospital to wreck havoc on the night of, you guessed it, Halloween.

There are some scary moments here, most notably during the ending climax; the movie wouldn’t be as entertaining as it is if Laurie were smart enough to simply run away; but they’re undermined by all the wacky characterization and plotting.

my rating : 3 of 5

1978

video review : Halloween 2