Why The New ‘Halloween’ Film Should Be The Last (& Every Halloween Film Rated)

SPOILERS FOR THE ‘HALLOWEEN’ FILMS AHEAD!

On October 19th 2018, serial killer and slasher icon Michael Myers turns 61 years old, the film he debuted in – ‘Halloween’ – will be almost 40, and a direct sequel to that horror classic will be released. This film (I’ll call it ‘H40’ to avoid confusing it with the original, as they share the same name!) sees the return of several key figures from the original; the supreme ‘scream queen’ Jamie Lee Curtis reprises her iconic role as Laurie Strode, writer and director of the original John Carpenter will compose and produce (as well as Blumhouse Productions), while Nick Castle will be restored as ‘The Shape’ (Michael Myers) for the first time since the original. The legendary Donald Pleasence will of course be missing, but no doubt his role of Dr Sam Loomis will loom large over the film (pun intended).

All of this is what gives me confidence in this film’s ability to deliver for ‘Halloween’ fans. Blumhouse has been dominating the horror genre for over a decade now, with terrifying films such as ‘Sinister’ (probably the scariest film I have ever seen), and has been successful in creating its own horror franchises like ‘Insidious’, now trying its hand at rebooting one of the instantly recognisable horror franchises. Jamie Lee Curtis has never appeared in a disappointing ‘Halloween’ film; the original and its sequel were thrilling, shocking and ultimately an intense experience thanks largely to her performances, whilst her involvement in Halloween H20 revived the franchise… (yes, I am going to ignore her ten-second appearance in Halloween: Resurrection for the purposes of the point I’m making). Nick Castle’s return as ‘The Shape’ (a role he will share with James Jude Courtney) should bring Michael Myers back to his average size (something that adds to the mystery and horror, in my opinion) and original movements. Last but certainly no means least, John Carpenter’s comeback can only mean scary things (he did create the film that started it all!).

And it is for these reasons that I believe H40 should be the final ‘Halloween’ film. I know this is ambitious, and that ‘Halloween’ films will probably never stop being made, but this film looks as though it is going to be amazing, and that’s why it should end the franchise: because every good ‘Halloween’ film has been followed by several disasters in an apparently endless cycle.

The original film was the catalyst which set into motion the slasher craze which dominated the next decade, and while the sequel was never going to live up to the original, it was a worthy follow-up. The next ‘Halloween’ film – ‘Season of the Witch’ – disappointed fans and critics; it under-performed at the box office compared to other horror films released that same year and critical consensus was quite negative. Why? There was no Michael Myers. This led to his return in the fourth ‘Halloween’ film which, although okay for a fourth installment, is now tarnished by its setting up of the ‘Thorn Trilogy’. The ‘Thorn’ storyline ruined what made the original so great by answering why Michael Myers is a killer and why he is seemingly indestructible. Horror films explaining too much is never good (yes, I am laying the foundations for my attack on Rob Zombie’s remake). It takes away the suspense, the mystery and the whole point: the horror. The only reason to watch 4, 5 and 6 – and why I still revisit them myself sometimes – is because of Donald Pleasence’s enjoyable performances as Dr Sam Loomis, the series protaganist and nemesis of Myers (alongside Curtis/Strode, of course). Then, 20 years after the original, H20 did the right thing and retconned the ‘Thorn Trilogy’, and saw the return of Strode. H20 gave the franchise its best box office performance since the original and was quite well-received (not that it had much to live up to following the four previous films). Because of H20’s success, Halloween: Resurrection was released years later, and (just like the ‘Thorn’ storyline did to the original) it ruined everything that made H20 good.

Then came Rob Zombie’s remake. It is a truly horrifying film… for all the wrong reasons. I cannot express in words my hatred for this film and my anger towards Rob Zombie for what he did to the franchise. But let’s give it a go anyway.

What makes the original film so horrifying? A six year old boy picks up a knife one Halloween night and murders his sister. Why? We don’t know. He just snapped, and then he never spoke again. Fifteen years later he escapes, and randomly targets babysitters on Halloween night, slaying them as he had his sister. Why? We don’t know. All we have is the explanation from Dr Loomis, who perhaps knows Myers best: “I spent eight years trying to reach him and then another seven trying to keep him locked up because I realized that what was living behind that boy’s eyes was purely and simply… evil.” Then, after several attempts at trying to kill Myers in self-defence and not succeeding, Laurie Strode looks up at Dr Loomis and exclaims “It was the boogeyman.” Loomis looks at her having just shot Myers, and replies “As a matter of fact… it was.” These two scenes are everything, because Myers is a mystery, our two protagonists don’t know what he is – capable of only attaching the terms “evil” and “boogeyman” to him, and that terrifies them as it terrifies us.

In Rob Zombie’s remake, we know everything. Michael’s childhood is explored in great detail; his twisted nature and his desire to kill is all explained to us. Then, we see him as a patient as he slowly loses his grip on sanity, eventually becoming mute and growing into a man that looks like he belongs in a WWE ring. We see his escape, and his return to his hometown of Haddonfield where he simply goes on a rampage and kills a bunch of people. This is meant to be a remake of the greatest horror film ever made, a remake of the ‘Grandfather’ of slasher films, not a crime documentary. Where is the creepy, stalking average sized man from the original who seemingly kills for no other reason that he is the living embodiment of evil, the boogeyman? The original Michael Myers toys with his victims like a cat with its prey; as though for fun. I don’t mind admitting that to this day, after all these years, I still have not seen Rob Zombie’s ‘Halloween II’. I can’t bring myself to do it.

Now, that again brings me to why I believe H40 is going to be well-received, and why it should be the final ‘Halloween’ film. It is a direct sequel to the original. Literally everything else in the ‘Halloween’ franchise is going to be ignored, and that means we are back to the very original Michael Myers, killing for no reason. In ‘Halloween II’ and H20, even with the absence of the ‘Thorn’ curse, there is still a reason behind his killing: he is pursuing his sister, Laurie Strode. Now, though, the writers’ hands are untied as Michael and Laurie being siblings was not brought into the timeline until the second film. Michael is back to being an enigma, and that is the way it should stay. As good as I think the original sequel and H20 are, they still explain too much; yes, Michael’s indestructible nature remains a mystery, but his motives for killing do not.

I have watched the trailer for H40 several times, and will no doubt watch it many more times before the film’s release. It looks like it is going to be a real treat (another intended pun), and from what I have read of test screening opinions, it sounds like it’s going to be a treat. Which fills me with enough hope to conclude that the film in its entirety will be a treat, because the creators seem to understand what made the original an instant classic.

However, it should all end here. No doubt if this film is, as I have predicted, a worthy follow-up to the original ‘Halloween’, it will receive overwhelmingly positive reviews and a good box office performance, which will undoubtedly raise the prospect of a sequel. Obviously, the film may leave its ending open for a continuation, but this seems like it is going to be Curtis’ last appearance as Strode, and that should mean this is the last appearance of Myers too. If more sequels are allowed to follow this film, we know what will come; disappointment. Look beyond ‘Halloween’ even and at other franchises, the same thing always happens: for example, ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’, another epic original slasher, followed by lackluster sequels and badly-received remakes, with the modern Texas Chainsaw 3D serving as a somewhat decent attempt to revive the franchise as a direct sequel to the original, but then being followed by an unnecessary and mystery-shattering prequel titled ‘Leatherface’.

‘Season of the Witch’ attempting to turn the ‘Halloween’ franchise into an anthology series was an interesting idea, but was met with backlash from fans. The ‘Thorn Trilogy’ destroyed the mystery of the most iconic slasher killer in movie history. H20 gave the franchise new energy but was completely ruined by its sequel. And I’ve made my feelings clear on the remakes.

This is the chance to show horror fans once again why ‘Halloween’ is the best and scariest slasher series ever, and is also the chance to end it on a high note. Please make it happen.

Ratings:

10) Halloween II (2009)

I haven’t even seen this film, because Rob Zombie’s first attempt was so awful, so naturally it comes bottom of the list.

Rating: 0/10 (I suppose it should really be ‘N/A’, but I’ll stick with the 0).

Mask Rating: 0.5/10 (again, haven’t seen the film, but as far as I know the mask doesn’t play a large part in the movie and is actually falling apart; Michael then ditches the mask).

Best Quote: I have absolutely no idea, but I’m sure all of the lines are very, very bad.

9) Halloween (2007)

I said everything I needed to about this above. Rob Zombie’s remake took everything that made the original great and shattered it. Rob Zombie’s name does not deserve to go above the ‘Halloween’ title as John Carpenter’s does.

Rating: 0.5/10 (can’t even bring myself to give it a ‘1’)

Mask Rating: 6/10 (not a bad mask in all fairness, similar to the original with a unique modern take with all the wear and tear).

Best Quote: It’s all definitely very, very bad!!!

8) Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989)

The reason this is so low on the list is because I can never remember what actually happens in it, which of course is a bad sign. I have seen it probably as many times as I have seen the other sequels, but I just barely remember anything from it… I think largely because it just feels like a cheap, cash-in copy of Halloween 4! Also, it set up the film that took away Myers’ status as the scariest, most evil being in the franchise.

Rating: 1/10

Mask Rating: 1/10 (really awful with its odd slicked back hair and neck part jutting out from Michael’s boiler suit, which I think is demonstrative of how rushed production of the entire film was!)

Best Quote: The one (and only) good thing about this film is of course Pleasence’s portrayal of Dr Sam Loomis, as he reaches the peak of his descent into madness over his obsession to put an end to Michael, in which he delivers one of his most memorable lines: “I prayed that he would burn in hell… but in my heart, I knew that hell would not have him!”

7) Halloween: Resurrection (2002)

My anger at this film’s existence stems from the fact that it ruined the ending of H20 (which should have ended the franchise, in my opinion. Until now, of course). It also gave the protagonist of the franchise the least dramatic send-off possible. That, on top of Busta Rhymes getting into a bizarre wrestling contest with Myers, is all too much. However, that said, I actually do like the premise of the film, I just think it was executed badly. Perhaps keeping Laurie alive for the whole film to warn the people of Haddonfield about using the Myers House in a Dr Loomis-esque performance would have been more fitting. Jeepers, even the original ending where it turns out Laurie has taken up her brother’s mantle would have been better than what we got – and would have kept the finality of H20 somewhat intact!

Rating: 3/10

Mask Rating: 5/10 (not great but not bad, it’s just okay… with some weird styled eyebrows and makeup!)

Best Quote: Mostly terrible dialogue, but the best quote has to go to one of Laurie’s at the beginning of the film, I’d probably go for: “I knew you’d come for me sooner or later. What took you so long?”, as it sounds vaguely similar to the Laurie we get in Halloween (2018), it’s a shame her role was so short in Resurrection as with her throughout it might not have been so bad, much in the same way Loomis rescues the terrible ‘Thorn’ sequels.

6) Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)

I actually do find this entry enjoyable, and it brings back the character of Tommy Doyle from the original film for nostalgia, but that by no means makes it a good film. It’s actually really bad. It takes away the whole mystery surrounding Myers and turns him into the secondary villain of the franchise. I’m sure most fans along with me wish the ‘Thorn Trilogy’ had never happened. However, this film also marks Donald Pleasence’s final outing as Dr Sam Loomis to take on Myers, which is always fun, even if his character’s death had to be disappointing due to Pleasence passing away while the film was in post-production. Maybe H40 can fix that somehow.

Rating: 3.5/10

Mask Rating: 5/10 (probably the best mask of the ‘Thorn Trilogy’, but they’re all pretty poor).

Best Quote: Nothing really stands out, but it probably goes to Dr Loomis again, with: “Not dead, just very much retired!”, which signals we’re getting a much calmer Loomis in this entry to the maniacal, using-a-child-as-bait-for-a-serial-killer doctor we witnessed in the previous installment.

5) Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)

This film could have been much better. While the original was a trend-setter for practically every slasher film that followed it, this sequel simply followed those trends, and was way off the mark in living up to the original’s execution of them. It also gives Myers superhuman strength that is unnecessary and makes him seem different from the first two films. However, this film does have a good ending reminiscent of the shock climatic sequence from the original film, but, again, it does not live up to it.

Rating: 5/10

Mask Rating: 4/10 (looks really cheap and simplistic, and although the original mask is so scary because of how featureless it is, this one is just… blank, and not in the scary way Michael’s expression is supposed to be according to Dr Loomis.)

Best Quote: Goes to Dr Loomis again; his exchange with a fellow Dr at the start of the film after hearing Michael is being transported is scarily comical, but shows how (justifiably) mad Loomis has become in all the years of battling with Michael: “We’re not talking about any ordinary prisoner, we’re talking about evil on two legs!”

4) Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)

Although it doesn’t include Myers, it is a good film with a tense ending (the first 4 entries in the franchise all have outstanding finales that really get the blood pumping). The final scene in this film in particular is haunting and certainly one that lingers long after the cut to black and the credits have rolled. I’d have been interested to see what would have followed had the series continued as an anthology. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. I say unfortunately because at least we could have avoided the ‘Thorn Trilogy’.

Rating: 5.5/10

Mask Rating: 5/10 (not applicable to Myers, but the Silver Shamrock masks do their job).

Best Quote: Conal Cochran, the titular ‘witch’, is a worthy villain within the Halloween franchise, and his line “Do I need a reason?” when questioned as to the motive behind his actions brings us back to that simplistic mystery element that made Michael Myers so haunting in the first film.

3) Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)

A worthy follow-up to the original two films that saw the return of Curtis to the franchise and thankfully removed the previous three films from the storyline. Myers is back to his creepy, stalking best in this one. All that is missing is Dr Loomis, but that is quite a big hole that sadly wasn’t really filled here (apparently there was a detective sub-plot to try and plug that hole, which ended up cut from the final version). The ending of this film is shocking and absolutely fantastic. I wholeheartedly believe that it is an ending worthy of serving as the finale for the entire franchise (had H40 not come about).

Rating: 7.5/10

Mask Rating: 4/10 (a few masks were used in this film, including an odd scene in which we glimpse a CGI mask, but the one we see the most of – throughout the third act’s final showdown – is sadly quite poor; very similar to the mask in 4, I also don’t like how Myers’ intact eyes and normal skin are visible given Laurie shot them 20 years ago and Loomis set him on fire!)

Best Quote: The exchange between off-screen mother and daughter scream queens Janet Leigh and Jamie Lee Curtis is iconic: “It’s Halloween, I guess everyone’s entitled to one good scare.” a line from the first film that is again said to Laurie, to which Laurie replies “I’ve had my share”.

2) Halloween II (1981)

The original sequel packs a quicker pace than the original that keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout. Halloween and its 1981 follow-up can be stitched together and viewed easily as a double bill, without treating them as two separate films. A fun and tense experience that will be difficult to top, especially given that this is the last time we got to see Curtis and Pleasence on the same screen together battling Myers.

Rating: 8/10

Mask Rating: 9/10 (same as the one used in the original, but with some aging after 3 years).

Best Quote: You guessed it, Loomis again! There are a few good ones here, but his speech about ‘Samhain’ is particularly impressive, which he ends with “we’re all afraid of the dark inside ourselves”, probably partially in reference to his unhealthy obsession with Myers and how it has consumed him.

1) Halloween (1978)

The horror film that inspired so many others, setting the bar so high that it is yet to be equalled, let alone surpassed. The most iconic slasher villain in film history in Michael Myers, the perfect nemesis in Dr Loomis, and a protagonist that audiences actually want to see survive in Laurie Strode (a rarity in modern horror cinema!). A film of much build-up, and then 15 minutes of perhaps the greatest movie climax and twist ever seen.

Rating: 10/10

Mask Rating: 10/10 (it’s what all the rest are measured against, naturally).

Best Quote: So much to choose from! I’m going to award it jointly to Laurie and Dr Loomis, in their climactic exchange as two people who know the extent of Myers’ evil: “It was the boogeyman”, says Laurie, to which Loomis replies “as a matter of fact, it was.” Chilling!

?) Halloween (2018)

Where do I think this one will come? Realistically, 2nd. II and H20 will be difficult to beat, but I think this film will do it. To knock the original off the top spot would take something truly spectacular… Actually, I think it’s pretty much impossible at this stage. Forty years later and no horror film has come close yet.

Let’s wait and see.

THE AFTERTHOUGHTS (including on ‘Halloween Kills’ and ‘Halloween Ends’):

2018 Update: I have now seen Halloween (2018), and it is definitely the best of the sequels! My only complaint is the kill count, which is about 3 times the amount of the original (5); there was enough atmosphere and story going on in H40 to avoid such a high body count, but I guess that’s what’s expected from the modern slasher unfortunately. That said, it edges out H20 with an even better performance from Jamie Lee Curtis and the return of John Carpenter is evident (the soundtrack is epic!). The pace reminds me of Halloween II and the climactic sequence is reminiscent of the original’s. There are also plenty of brilliant throwbacks to the other films in the franchise but most importantly the original; and although it was always going to be a (very) long shot that the original would be beaten, this film is definitely worthy of the title ‘Halloween’.

Rating: 8.5/10

Mask Rating: 9.5/10 (pretty much just an aged version of the original, looks epic and works really well with the story!)

Best Quote: Again, what to pick?! Curtis’ Oscar-worthy performance is packed with great lines, reminiscent of Pleasence as Loomis. However, I have to go with the one that, as with many of Loomis’ lines, shows the psychological effects of being involved with Michael Myers: “He’s waited for this night. He’s waited for me. I’ve waited for him.” I think this is so interesting because it shows how Laurie wants Michael to escape so she can confront him. However, what has also intrigued me is that it all seems to be in Laurie’s head (or at least forced by her); in my opinion, Michael was never really after her in this film. He ends up at her house by chance, although he does seem to recognise her earlier on in the film when they first see each other (when Laurie shoots at him through the window; the only part of the film in which Nick Castle plays Myers physically). So why does he do it? The mystery of the original is back!

The sequels are announced: with H40’s large haul at the box office (the highest ever amount for a slasher film!), the positive fan reception and critical response, it wasn’t long before a sequel – or, rather, sequelS – were confirmed. Despite the above article being written by me, and my strong argument in favour of the 2018 film being the definitive end for the Michael Myers saga, one thing made me change my mind. Previously, Halloween sequels were churned out with only one thing in mind: the box office. ‘Halloween V’ is a perfect example of a film that was made purely for profit: it feels rushed, incoherent, directionless. However, when ‘Kills’ and ‘Ends’ were announced I was filled with hope by the fact that the same team would be behind the new installments. There appeared to be an actual plan, and I thought we would finally get the perfect ending to the franchise (or, at least, for Jamie Lee Curtis’ Laurie Strode’s struggle against ‘The Shape’).

Halloween Kills Update:

For me, upon first viewing of Halloween Kills, I really didn’t know where to place it in my rankings. For a brief period prior to my second viewing I was wondering whether it had topped the 2018 outing or not. Upon reflection and after some re-watches, while more action-packed and fast-paced (much as 1981’s Halloween II was to the original film), it wasn’t as good as its predecessor. But for me it broke the trend of poor Halloween sequels: it had a big box office, and while the reviews were not as glowing as they were for H40, it was not panned by critics as most Halloween sequels have been and die-hard fans seemed to enjoy it on the whole. I described this film as a ‘love letter’ to fans of the franchise: returning cast members and characters, lots of throwbacks and even flashbacks (including a jaw-dropping cameo by Dr Loomis!), and Michael at his most brutal in some outstanding set-pieces. And need I mention John Carpenter’s score again? This film falls just short of Halloween II and H20 for me, but not by much.

Rating: 7/10

Mask Rating: 9/10 (building on the aged look in 2018, this mask carried bullet gashes and a charred look from Michael’s stand-off with the Strodes, giving it just the right level of battle-hardened look on that expressionless white canvas as Michael prepares to face off against the whole of Haddonfield).

Best Quote: A lot of the dialogue and lines in this film were… questionable. “EVIL DIES TONIGHT!” being bandied about by returning characters and then incessantly chanted by the people of Haddonfield is certainly not the one. However, some of the scenes between 1978 survivors Laurie Strode and Officer Frank Hawkins (however lazy retconning his very clear death in H40 by this film was) give us just that little bit of insight into Michael that satisfies us, but keeps us in the dark about what he is and what he wants, particularly when Hawkins says: “Maybe [Michael] wasn’t looking out, maybe he was looking in, at his reflection, at himself. Who knows what makes him kill, what motivates him, but in his heart it always seemed to me he wants one thing.” The character development for Michael in this line, for an expressionless, voiceless killer, is huge. It gets us thinking again about Michael’s motivations: why would he be looking at himself? Why is he so obsessed with going home? There’s no curse plot, no sister storyline, just the mystery of Michael and the few nuggets of information we have to go off about what drives him. And this film makes it very clear he was never coming after Laurie in his 2018 escape.

Halloween Ends Update:

Sigh. Where to start? I really wanted and want to like this film, but the simple fact of the matter is I don’t. Not as a Halloween film, anyway. Rob Zombie’s remakes may indeed have some stand-out qualities – had they not been packaged as a Halloween film. The same applies here. Yep, I feel almost as strongly about this film as I do about the Zombie remakes: in that none of them are a Halloween film, they should have been something else.

The first time I went to see Ends there were some early signs it was going in the wrong direction: the opening sequence (which H40 and Kills did extremely well before the opening credits burst into life) introduces a new character without any sign of Michael Myers and Laurie Strode. By the time the film had been rolling for forty minutes I was ready to shout “where is Michael?!” before he finally shows up and then is sidelined again for most of the film. By the time of the climax I was about ready to walk out of the cinema altogether, before Michael and Laurie finally start to beat the living daylights out of one another. But that final showdown, lasting about all of five minutes in a nearly two hour film, was the only part of the feature that didn’t feel out of a place in a film that had been billed as Michael and Laure’s final face-off (I mean just look at the poster, for Samhain’s sake!).

 Rating: 4/10

Mask Rating: 9/10 (again evolving with this particular thread of Halloween films, this mask seems diseased almost, dying, just like its host who we find in a weakened state in this film).

Best Quote: “I have run from you. I have chased you. I have tried to contain you. I have tried to forgive you. I thought maybe you were the boogeyman… no. You’re just a man – who’s about to stop breathing.” Enough said?

Final thoughts – should Halloween (2018) have been the last?

In short: yes.

After seeing ‘Halloween Kills’, my answer would have been the opposite, but it’s strange that the new trilogy ended up going in the direction it did. I’m talking about ‘Halloween Ends’, of course. This final film, despite being made by the same team behind H40 and Kills, felt as though it was made by people who jumped in at the last second to hastily patch together a concluding chapter (looking at the Star Wars sequel trilogy), which tells me one thing: clearly there wasn’t a plan despite all the same people being involved. The cycle repeats: we had a truly amazing reboot in H40, high box office figures and universal praise; only to be rounded off by ‘Ends’, which gave a relatively disappointing box office return and was panned by critics and fans alike.

What remains especially upsetting is that of course Halloween films will make a comeback, but will we ever see John Carpenter involved again? Will Jamie Lee Curtis ever return to her original ‘scream queen’ role again? The answer is highly likely ‘no’ on both counts. And so the opportunity to end the franchise on a high with the involvement of some important members of the original team appears to have been lost.

When will they learn? End it while it’s good.

Final Rankings:

1. Halloween (1978)
2. Halloween (2018)
3. Halloween II (1981)
4. Halloween: H20
5. Halloween Kills
6. Halloween III: Season of the Witch
7. Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
8. Halloween Ends
9. Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers
10. Halloween: Resurrection
11. Halloween V: The Revenge of Michael Myers
12. Halloween (2007)
13. Halloween II (2009)