Halloween

John Carpenter’s 1978 film about a masked maniac stalking teens on Halloween was a frightening little thriller, far more dependent on suspense and suggestion than blood and gore, but its slasher sequels and imitators were mostly atrocious. In resurrecting the franchise, filmmaker David Gordon Green proves surprisingly adept at restoring the original luster to the title, melding respect for Carpenter’s template with the contemporary demand for more explicit violence. Ignoring all of the intervening sequels, this Halloween finds Michael Myers finally escaping confinement in a mental hospital after 40 years and returning to Haddonfield to resume his murderous activities, pursued by his long-time doctor (Haluk Bilginer). Ready to confront him is Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), Carpenter’s last girl standing, who has spent her life preparing to protect herself and her family, especially her estranged daughter (Judy Greer) and loving granddaughter (Andi Matichak). The body count is far higher than in the original, but Michael’s real targets are Laurie and her family, who he tracks down to Strode’s fortified rural house for a final confrontation. Curtis reclaims her old title of “scream queen” (although she is challenged by Matichak), and the film wisely utilizes the brilliantly simple score that Carpenter originally composed. This new Halloween can’t match the punch the story carried four decades ago, but it comes surprisingly close. Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include deleted/extended scenes (13 min.), a “making-of” featurette (6 min.), and the production segments “The Legacy” (5 min.), “The Original Scream Queen” (3 min.), “The Sound of Fear” (3 min.), and “Journey of the Mask” (3 min.). Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are bonus DVD and digital copies of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a better-than-expected sequel to the original.] (F. Swietek)