*Warning: Minor Spoilers!* 

October is usually the time of year for everything spooky, with haunted houses, jack-o-lanterns, themed costume parties, candy, and horror movies. This October, #spookyszn fans are getting a real treat: Halloween–the latest installment of the Halloween franchise!

The first showings were on Friday, Oct. 19, and the theater was filled with fans who have been awaiting this movie for years. The Halloween franchise has had eleven movies–some better than others–comic books published, and a few video games released. However, it is undeniable that the first and original Halloween, released in 1978 directed by John Carpenter, has been the best movie of the franchise. The newest installment is a follow up sequel of Carpenter’s Halloween. David Gordon Green is the director of the 2018 Halloween, and he incorporates Carpenter’s music and suspenseful theme throughout the whole movie. 

The first Halloween takes place in the fictional town of Haddonfield and tells the story of serial killer Michael Myers. In the beginning of the film, he murders his older sister while wearing a clown mask. Due to Michael killing his sister, he is committed to a sanitarium, where he stays in solitude until he breaks out fifteen years later on Halloween. Myers returns to his hometown and goes back to the place of his first kill. The story then focuses on Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her friends as they each babysit different neighborhood kids. Myers stalks the girls, who happen to be babysitting in his old neighborhood, and successfully kills all but Laurie, who battles for her life. While all of this is happening, Myers is being tracked down by his former psychiatrist, Dr. Samuel Loomis (Donald Pleasance). Towards the end of the movie, Loomis finds Laurie and shoots, but doesn’t kill, Myers. At the end of the movie Laurie is the only survivor, and Loomis is left still searching for Myers. This haunting ending is what has led to so many sequels, including this year’s. 

This year’s Halloween takes place in Haddonfield as well. With resurfacing actors from the original film and new ones, this movie is something that any horror movie fan will want to see. The movie opens with two young investigative reporters who are researching Michael Myers and his killing spree on Haddonfield.  They go to the sanitarium where he is kept and try to interview him, but Michael refuses to speak, even when shown his mask. This is also where we meet his new psychiatrist Dr. Sartain. The scene then switches to Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) at her heavily guarded house. The investigative reporters track her down and try to interview her, to which she reluctantly denies after a few questions. This is where we find out that Strode has had two failed marriages and has a daughter who has grown up, married, and has a daughter in high school, making Laurie a grandmother.  The background knowledge we learn from the makeshift interview makes the viewers see Laurie as a little bit of a crazy woman. Which is unfortunate because in the first movie many viewed her as a tough and brave protagonist.  

The scene then switches to Laurie talking to her granddaughter in secret due to her rocky relationship with her daughter. Laurie’s granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak) is trying to convince Laurie to come to dinner with her and her family to celebrate Allyson’s acceptance into the national honor society. Laurie refuses because that same night is the night Myers is being transferred to a different asylum. Later that night Laurie watches the bus leave the sanitarium and has a nervous breakdown. She shows up drunk to the family dinner and causes a scene and talks about Myers. Laurie is taken home and then the scene switches to the sanitarium bus.  

Michael escapes once again and his next killing spree begins. First on his agenda is tracking down the investigative reporters and getting his mask back. Then he goes back to Haddonfield and begins ruthless murders in his old neighborhood. Laurie learns of his escape and rushes to her daughter’s house to convince them to come back to her safe house to be protected. Laurie’s daughter Karen (Judy Greer) blows her mom off as a crazy woman and explains that Allyson is at a Halloween dance and that they are fine. That is until two of Allyson’s friends are found murdered down the street. With this new fear evoked and after taking her mother seriously, Karen tries to call her daughter, only to be met with a voicemail.  

The scene switches again to Allyson, whose phone was thrown in the punch bowl by her now ex-boyfriend after she caught him kissing another girl at the dance. She and her friend leave the dance and start to walk home. They walk through someone’s backyard, and Allyson splits from her friend. Myers then appears and kills her friend and begins chasing Allyson. The sheriff, Hawkins (Will Patton), comes to Allyson’s aid along with Myer’s psychiatrist.  

Allyson ends up at her grandmother’s, and this is where Laurie has her final confrontation with Michael Myers. The film was, to say the least, not as great as the original. But what sequel is? David Gordon Green did a fantastic job incorporating Carpenter’s music into this film. The music really added to the suspense and made it relate to the original. Along with that Green also added comedic relief to this film. While it made the audience laugh out loud, it definitely made it seem more of a movie of this generation rather than a true sequel. Overall the plot was phenomenal. While it wasn’t as great as the first movie, Green still manages to capture the same feel of the deranged and utterly frightening Michael Myers that horror fans grew to love from the original film. It is something that will leave fans wanting more from the franchise.