Jamie Lee Curtis returns to the role of Laurie Strode for the second time in this new sequel that shares its title with the iconic 1978 horror classic.
Even in this age of endless reboots and sequel-ignoring follow-ups, Halloween is an odd proposition: it ignores every single other sequel in the franchise, even those in which Curtis appeared, for a follow-up that revisits Strode 40 years after an incredibly stressful night in which she was almost killed by a towering mad man named Michael Myers.
Emphasising the lasting emotional effects of such an experience, Strode has more or less spent her life since preparing for the return of Myers, which has alieniated her from her daughter Karen (Judy Greer) and granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak).
The film also follows two journalists making a podcast documentary about Myers that sees them visit the killer in prison shortly before a transportation accident gives Myers the opportunity to escape and bring Strode's worst fears to life.
Myers spends a lot of time without his mask this time around, but the film never quite shows his face, stressing the character's ominous unknowabilty.
The notion of a horror film examining the residual trauma that being the protagonist of a horror film might provoke is definitely appealing and Curtis expresses that trauma with a strong conviction that demonstrates her deep understanding of the character.
Allyson and her friends fulfill the horror's teenager/babysitter victim quotient, and while the resulting set-pieces are fun, they don't integrate particularly well with the more grown-up aspects of the film, which arguably has a more appealing build-up than pay-off.
Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer
Director: David Gordon Green
Running time: 109mins
Rating: R16 (Violence, offensive language and horror)
Verdict: Respectful and fun, but lacking in lasting impact.