Heck of a Review: ‘Halloween’ Brings it Back to the Old School

Very few things that hit the movie theaters these days get me excited. However, when the new "Halloween" movie was announced, I knew I would have to check it out right away.

I checked it out last night at the Regal Cinemas in the Berkshire Mall for the very first showing. After what seemed like 45 minutes of previews, it was off to the races. The movie opened up with a great scene -- which you've seen in the trailers -- of two investigative podcasters visiting Michael Myers at the Smith's Grove Sanitarium. One of the journalists pulls out the iconic mask and blood begins to boil, which leads to the opening credit sequence that old school Halloween fans will appreciate.

Without giving too much away, the story continues on from the original 1978 movie in which babysitter Laurie Strode, played by Jamie Lee Curtis, was stalked and escaped the terror-filled grasp of Myers. Fast forward 40 years and the character is portrayed as someone who has never gotten passed that day in Haddonfield four decades ago. We are then introduced to Strode's daughter and granddaughter.

As you already know, as Myers is being transferred to another facility, the bus crashes, Myers escapes and, well, Halloween happens in Haddonfield -- again!

The movie is very well done -- from the writing, the music, the production; all of it is great. The one thing that puzzled me a little bit -- again, you have seen it in the trailer -- is that we discover, unlike the other Halloween sequels that were made, that Laurie Strode is not the sister of Michael Myers. So, why is he coming back? What is his motivation to return to cause chaos once again?

That is a question that is asked throughout the movie. Do we get an answer? That's for you to decide. Overall, the movie is very intense with some creative ways to tell the story and create, how should I put this delicately, a decrease in the Haddonfield population. I will also say that in the grand scheme of things, especially compared to the original film, it can be quite brutal at times in terms of the violence. I'll admit it, at one point in the film I jumped a little bit.

One piece of advice heading into the movie, if you didn't already know it. This movie was created as if the prior sequels to the series never existed. However, the film does a great job paying homage -- at different points throughout -- to those past efforts. Michael Myers is still as evil as it gets, but he's more human and less monster as he was portrayed in the sequels following the 1978 classic. If you are a fan of the original Halloween film, you will enjoy the next chapter and I highly recommend this movie, especially if you are a fan of the series and the genre.

Get out there and see it, Berkshire County. Let me know what you think!