Universal to relaunch Halloween with Jamie Lee Curtis

[TigerClaw]

It looks like Jamie Lee Curtis will be reprising he role of Laurie Strode, for Universal's relaunch of Halloween.
https://www.comicbookmovie.com/horror/jamie-lee-curtis-will-reprise-the-role-of-laurie-strode-for-universals-upcoming-halloween-relaunch-a153861

It seems that they are ignoring Halloween: Resurrection, since Laurie Strode was killed off in that one.

[Andrew NDB]

Halloween: H40?

Yeah, sounds like it's ignoring H20 and Resurrection. Weird. H3 ignored H1 and H2, H20 wiped out H4, H5, and H6, then the Zombie movies obviously wiped out all Halloween movies. Now this appears to be a soft sequel to just H1 and H2, ignoring all others... basically a remake of H20. I don't think there's another movie series out there with such a continuous cycle of canon adjusting and reboots.

I can see why they'd want to void Resurrection as it clumsily killed Laurie off, but H20 was pretty lauded at the time.

[ZariusTwo]

Halloween: H40?

Yeah, sounds like it's ignoring H20 and Resurrection. Weird. H3 ignored H1 and H2, H20 wiped out H4, H5, and H6, then the Zombie movies obviously wiped out all Halloween movies. Now this appears to be a soft sequel to just H1 and H2, ignoring all others... basically a remake of H20. I don't think there's another movie series out there with such a continuous cycle of canon adjusting and reboots.

Terminator would be a candidate

So would Highlander.

[Andrew NDB]

Terminator would be a candidate

So would Highlander.

Terminator? Not in film, at all. 5 kind of ignores 4, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen. 1, 2, 3, 4 all work together just fine beyond the fact that it should have been Cyber Research Systems in T4 and not Cyberdyne. Though yeah, there is a lot of "canon adjusting" in T5 alone, to be sure.

Highlander? In film only one time. H3 wiped out H2, that's it. H1, H3, H4, and H5 all work fine together (even though nobody likes H5). I mean, you have to apply the retcon of "They aren't the last Immortals in H1 or H3, and no Prize was won" but then it all works fine, even with the TV show.

[Krutch]

*cough* X-Men, your favourite franchise :tcool:

[Allio]

man, H20 really sucked

[Krutch]

man, H20 really sucked

H20 tried to adapt the Scream vibe that was popular at the time. And while I'm a huge Scream fan, Halloween shouldn't have tried to go that route.

[Andrew NDB]

H20 tried to adapt the Scream vibe that was popular at the time. And while I'm a huge Scream fan, Halloween shouldn't have tried to go that route.

I thought it was effective. And I thought Resurrection was hilarious. Then again, I don't know if I can call myself a Halloween fan. Halloween 1 was a yawner to me, and Halloween 2 was more of the same. 3 was cool for what it was. 4, 5, and 6 were all horrible, horrible movies. I've never seen the Zombie stuff.

[Krutch]

I thought it was effective. And I thought Resurrection was hilarious. Then again, I don't know if I can call myself a Halloween fan. Halloween 1 was a yawner to me, and Halloween 2 was more of the same. 3 was cool for what it was. 4, 5, and 6 were all horrible, horrible movies. I've never seen the Zombie stuff.

Halloween 1 is awesome. 2 was a bit of a snooze. I'm with ya for 3-6. Both Zombie movies get a bad rep but I like them. I especially appreciate how wildly different in approach they are from the first to the second.

[Andrew NDB]

Both Zombie movies get a bad rep but I like them. I especially appreciate how wildly different in approach they are from the first to the second.

That's why I suspect I might like them. I just haven't bothered to yet.

I think my problem is that I didn't see Halloween 1 & 2 until I was already in my mid-20s. By then I'd already loooong seen all of the Friday the 13ths, and Halloween 1 & 2 just seemed like smaller scale, slower and lamer versions of the better F13s. And Jason would tear Michael Myers to pieces.

[Krutch]

Won't disagree with ya there. I'm a Jason guy all the way :D

[The Deadman]

Halloween: H40?

Yeah, sounds like it's ignoring H20 and Resurrection. Weird. H3 ignored H1 and H2, H20 wiped out H4, H5, and H6, then the Zombie movies obviously wiped out all Halloween movies. Now this appears to be a soft sequel to just H1 and H2, ignoring all others... basically a remake of H20. I don't think there's another movie series out there with such a continuous cycle of canon adjusting and reboots.

I can see why they'd want to void Resurrection as it clumsily killed Laurie off, but H20 was pretty lauded at the time.

Halloween 3 ignored the first 2 because the rest of the series was supposed to be stand alone stories, but when H3 was total crap...they reverted back to the Michael story.

[Andrew NDB]

but when H3 was total crap...

It wasn't total crap, it wasn't even bad. It just wasn't "Michael Myers killing people" again, so people avoided it.

[MsMarvelDuckie]

Won't disagree with ya there. I'm a Jason guy all the way :D


Meh, Freddy pwns them both. And before anyone brings up the ending to FvsJ, I will say flat out that Jason did NOT win that fight. Not only did he NOT truly "kill" Freddy (you can't- he's part of the dream realm now) but Freddy also got exactly what he wanted out of it- namely being remembered (and feared) again!

[Redeemer]

Meh, Freddy pwns them both. And before anyone brings up the ending to FvsJ, I will say flat out that Jason did NOT win that fight. Not only did he NOT truly "kill" Freddy (you can't- he's part of the dream realm now) but Freddy also got exactly what he wanted out of it- namely being remembered (and feared) again!

I don't know lets not get "A-head" of ourselves :lol:

But seriously when someone takes your head off you lose the match.

[Krutch]

The ending of Freddy vs Jason was such a cop out.

It was good in that both fans will eternally argue over who actually won, but lousy in that if we're being honest, the winner was Laurie.

[sdp]

I've only ever seen Halloween and H20, only remember the original film, maybe one day I'll watch the whole series just to find a way to shoehorn all the films in one continuity somehow :lol:

Last October I watched the reboots of Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street and finished it off with FvJ. They're ok, they weren't necessarily bad they just felt like a pointless remake, those horror icons were a product of its time and you can't market them like you did in the 80s and 90s.

Really for these horror icons they need to give one of those horror enthusiasts a low budget and have them make the movie of their dreams and I'm sure the niche fanbase will love it and it'll be a success. I'm not saying any horror enthusiast, obviously some director who is competent but yeah similar to how Chucky has been surviving recently with smaller budget films while Freddy/Jason are just seen as box office failures. Hell make movies set in the 80s and 90s before cellphones where everywhere to suspend disbelief easier. After the success of Stranger Things and IT others should take notice and just set movies in a time when it's still "modern" but not having phones with data on them.

As far as FvJ, it would've been huge if released in the 90s. Imagine ending 1999 with it, but by the time it came out it was a bit too late, sure it was still getting attention but not all it could've. The ending was good, you make both fans happy on who "won". The soundtrack was not that bad either, I reviewed that last year as well :lol:

[Allio]

Freddy vs Jason vs Ash was just better.

[KillCrites]

First poster is here. This looks incredible.
http://media.comicbook.com/2018/04/halloween-2018-poster-1103254.jpeg

[newfan]

I read that it takes place after the first movie (though must be many years later) but pays tribute to the others, not sure how. Halloween seems to overlook previous movies a little anyway.
I also read she once again has a daughter, wasn't Jamie, the girl in 4,5...6? supposed to be her daughter? Then in H20 it's a son she had, though she would have had a grandson, the baby Jamie had in... was it 6?... but that baby came from Myers and Jamie was killed, they obviously wanted to wipe clean and just give her a teen son, also she had been absent after 2.
Looking forward to seeing this.

As for the other comments, I haven't seen all the Friday 13th's, maybe 2 of them and then the reboot. Nightmare on Elmstreet, most but not sure if all of them.

[MsMarvelDuckie]

I don't know lets not get "A-head" of ourselves :lol:

But seriously when someone takes your head off you lose the match.


Not in this case. He still came out "ahead" in sheer fear factor, as having people remember and fear him again was EXACTLY what he was after all along. Not to mention that all it did was send him back to the deeam realm, where he is strongest- and where even JASON is afraid of him! See, he never really "died" there. Sure, Jason won the "physical" fight, but that was never really what it was about. Yeah, I call it a win for Kruger. (Hence why his head winked as Jason carted it off, and why his hand came up to grab the mask in Jason Goes To Hell....)

[Andrew NDB]

"I really wish TPTB would erase every Halloween movie ever, even the second one, and do a 'what if' story 40 years later" <--- said like maybe 3 people, ever.

[Powder]

I'm interested in this.

[KillCrites]

"I really wish TPTB would erase every Halloween movie ever, even the second one, and do a 'what if' story 40 years later" <--- said like maybe 3 people, ever.
They're taking Myers back to his roots. Back to when he had no motivation, no family connection to Laurie, no Curse of Thorn. He's just a guy hiding in the bushes killing people for no apparent reason, they're attempting to making him scary and mysterious again. Which I'm all for, even though I would prefer a direct sequel to H6.

[TigerClaw]

Looks like test audiences hated the ending. Plus they had some major issues with the continuity.
https://www.comicbookmovie.com/horror/almost-all-test-audiences-reportedly-hate-the-current-ending-to-blumhouses-upcoming-halloween-sequel-a159870

[sdp]

These movies will never have mass appeal again, it's like reviving Dracula, they're a product of their time. There's a large group of fans but they're a niche, they should go the route of Chucky and make smaller films aimed at that specific crowd that loves these type of movies.

Horror for the masses changes over time and the slasher genre is as dated as the classic universal monsters.

[The Deadman]

Looks like test audiences hated the ending. Plus they had some major issues with the continuity.
https://www.comicbookmovie.com/horror/almost-all-test-audiences-reportedly-hate-the-current-ending-to-blumhouses-upcoming-halloween-sequel-a159870

Dont know why people are upset with the continuity, the producers came out weeks ago and said this film was only following the first one. Also in terms of the ending....this means Jamie Lee's character finally bites the dust?

[newfan]

Could the ending they did like much just have been...flat rather than she dies? Coruse, it did say it will be the last ever, so maybe. I also read that it is set after the first movie, I wonder what people felt didn't explore the roots.

[Autbot_Benz]

y1nXtHQsPNs

[newfan]

So....he's not her brother now? Okay so he's been locked up since the end of the first movie, cleans up the timelines and works.... not sure if I prefer that or not at this stage, also, we've not seen his face since the first movie when she pulled off the mask, have we? (not taking Reboot into account here)
I'm looking forward to seeing it anyway, however it turns out.

[AT-Man]

Is Michael going to be just Laurie's imagination?

[Allio]

I'm wanting this to be good. Did not like H20 and this is giving me H20 vibes

[Allio]

Ultimately it was a better version of H2O. I liked it but I need to really think it over.

[Leo656]

A buddy of mine was raving about it today. I'm curious about it.

I wanna watch the old series first, though, just to get an idea what was retconned and what kind of in-jokes/homages there are, as supposedly there are many. I know the basic story of all the films from reading about them but I confess I've never gotten around to watching any of them.

I'm hoping to pick up the Blu-ray box set sometime this coming week, and my wife and I may go see the new one after we watch those. If.

Just one of many things I never got around to. I do feel bad about it.

[Allio]

The timeline is simple

* 1, 2, 4, 5, 6
*1, 2, H20, resurrection
*Rob zombies
*1, 2018
*3

[Leo656]

I definitely wasn't confused about any of that. :) I read a lot.

I actually own the first Zombie one but I haven't watched it. I promised myself I'd go in release order.

[newfan]

Just got back from watching this. I didn't know if I was going to like the movie for the first part but it improved by then end, I know this is the last but if they had have planned a follow up I'd still be interested enough to check it out.

[Vicky82]

I watched this today, it was good. I've never been into the latest horror movies because the killings were way too gruesome. But as I have always liked the original Halloween movies I wanted to go see it. so this movie was ok for me to see even though it did have 1 gruesome moment which I had to look away for.

[Kenwatanabesclone]

Just got back from watching this. I didn't know if I was going to like the movie for the first part but it improved by then end, I know this is the last but if they had have planned a follow up I'd still be interested enough to check it out.

They do have another one planned. This one was originally gonna be a two parter but they decided to wait for the reception of the first before starting a sequel.

[newfan]

They do have another one planned. This one was originally gonna be a two parter but they decided to wait for the reception of the first before starting a sequel.

Oh okay, well, I'll be up for part two should this one do as well as they want but I can take this left as it was if not.

[Andrew NDB]

Saw the new "Halloween" (2018). I'm probably the last person that should be giving an opinion on it, as I largely disliked all of the originals (H1, H2, especially H4, H5, and H6... eugh!). I found 1 and 2 boring, with 4, 5, and 6 being largely nonsensical, moreso with each new one. I actually *really liked* H20, and found "Resurrection" hysterically awesome (Busta Rhymes drop kicking Myers to the tune of "trick or treat, mutha****a!" still resonates). Apparently no one else did. I think I know the problem, though.

I never watched any of the old movies as a kid. I DO remember watching 3: Season of the Witch on HBO or something as a kid, and it creeping me out. I had no idea it had nothing to do with the other movies. I also remember being dragged to the movies to see part 5 in the theater as a kid (not by my parents, but by the cool older kids who were minding me that particular day -- not that I was ever forbidden to watch R-rated movies by my parents), but even as an 8, 9 year-old kid, finding it laughably terrible. Point is, I think had I seen Carpenter's original Halloween if not when it came out, then at least around that time, I would have probably appreciated it more. Watching it for the first time ever as a late 20-something year-old, it seems lame. After a lifetime of Freddy and Jason movies and all that, it's like watching "Diet Jason" only with far less going on and far less deaths and a less interesting antagonist. So hopefully you can forgive that.

So I got prepared for the new movie. I re-watched the original Halloween (1978) -- which is the only one that matters now, as the new one ignores all other Halloween movies, even part 2. I liked it more this time around. I appreciated the nuance. The tons of bits of Michael hiding in plain sight. The careful deliberations, quiet. Then the big payoff at the end. And then...

I saw the movie (the new one). Wow! Completely awesome! Super, super slickly written. I loved H20 but this is like H20 x10 to me. The editing is perfect, the characters -- even the little ones we spend very little time with -- are super likable and funny. The little black kid in particular that the nanny is watching is about the funniest character I've seen in years, and the whole theater was howling at his lines. So many examples of setup and payoff, over and over again in this. I would watch it again, no doubt. Jamie Lee Curtis is a beast in this. This is what Terminator 2 was to Terminator 1, if it took them 40 years to get around to it. It's so good.

Though... wow. What a mess this series is, right? It's like... of historic proportions, and I don't think I'm exaggerating. We had movies 1 and 2, yeah? Then a part 3 that ignored them, and went into the Twilight Zone. Then a parts 4, 5, and 6 that sort of built off of 1 and 2 yet went into batshit crazy territory and kind of buried things. H20 comes out and parts 4, 5, and 6 (and 3, by default) get thrown out the window to get this new Laurie Strode 20 years later thing. And 8, which is like an unnecessary (but I'm so glad it came out... sue me, but I think it's probably the best Halloween movie ever in terms of sheer entertainment value) coda to H20. Then of course comes the Rob Zombie Halloween movies. I finally saw the first one this year (have not seen the second yet), which at the time I generally liked better than the original, even if it felt like every other Rob Zombie movie ever. But anyway, Zombie's Halloween hits, which reboots the whole series, for the first time from scratch this time. Then it gets a sequel. Now we get a movie that... acknowledges only the first 1978 movie and nothing else, even part 2 which everyone apparently loved. It's just odd. Odd and ballsy. And just interesting to me as a choice. This is basically H40, yeah? It's like Jamie Lee Curtis went to both her 20th and 40th high school reunions, yet in exactly the same fashion and pretending the last one never happened.

If I had to grind any axe with this movie, it'd just be that in watching the original 1978 movie right before this one (which we did), Michael's surviving 6 or 7 gunshots and disappearing from the ground below the house he was flung from isn't really addressed. Or maybe it was in dialogue and it didn't soak in. I remember some offhand comment from the cop who claimed to be there that day that, "I stopped Loomis from killing him!" or something. They probably should have had a quick intro or something in the movie to show Michael getting swiftly apprehended after that or something to better ease us into the new movie.

But yeah! Great movie. Super fun with super well written characters. I'd say I hope there's no sequel but it's already doing gangbusters so there will, which means the ending I just watched will be "explained out of" soon enough. Whatever. When they do another one, though, I hope they actually go off the beaten path and do something new with the idea of "The Shape." They make no bones that this is basically a 70 year-old Michael Meyers in this one, and they also tease at least one new direction near the end. I hope they are ballsy enough to commit to the new vs. the old.

Oh, also. Saw "First Man" last week. Fantastic. Humbling. I knew something of this, but I guess I didn't realize the space program was quite the killing field that it obviously was at the time. Very harrowing, and I dug the getting into Armstrong's head.

[Leo656]

If I had to grind any axe with this movie, it'd just be that in watching the original 1978 movie right before this one (which we did), Michael's surviving 6 or 7 gunshots and disappearing from the ground below the house he was flung from isn't really addressed. Or maybe it was in dialogue and it didn't soak in. I remember some offhand comment from the cop who claimed to be there that day that, "I stopped Loomis from killing him!" or something. They probably should have had a quick intro or something in the movie to show Michael getting swiftly apprehended after that or something to better ease us into the new movie.

I haven't seen it, but I've been reading about it. They originally had a plan to reconcile the ending of Part 1 better with this new one. They were originally going to re-stage the ending of Part 1 with stand-ins (supposedly digitally superimposing the original actors' faces on), showing the events from a different angle and fudging the details to allow for Michael's survival, so that audiences would see "what REALLY happened" and flow right into the new film. That's how this new film was originally going to begin.

Kinda like the old movie serials, where in Chapter 3, we clearly see the stagecoach go over the cliff with the hero inside, but then the opener of Chapter 4 shows us that "really" he jumped out well in advance and we just didn't see it. :lol:

In the end, the director decided that was too much trouble and "The audience will just sort of understand what happened". But yeah, they did have a plan to address the continuity issue.

[newfan]

The continuity with the series was kinda all over the place and it took until later on to explain the character more. I had always wondered if he was supposed to be more than human (more so later on)given how hard he was to kill and his strength etc. Over all I am a fan of the franchise though, even though this is more a slasher movie which usually isn't my type of horror. This movie at least cleans up the continuity as it ignores the other movies. Not sure how I feel about the U-Turn on her being his sister though as a big part of his story became him being driven to kill relatives but if we go from the fist movie they don't have to follow that direction. I read that Carpenter regretted writing that in after he did it.

There were a couple of 'you wouldn't do that' moments but I thought that was intentional to keep with the style of older horrors (around it's earlier time)?

[Andrew NDB]

There has to be something going on with Michael supernaturally. No way he is doing the kind of stuff he does in this movie if he is simply a 70 year old man that's been standing around staring at a wall for 40 years.

[Krutch]

Saw it tonight. It was okay.

Spoilers ahead

I really couldnt get into the first act. Most of the beginning I'd axe completely. In fact, I'd probably start it right at the scene where the dad and the kid come across the bus crash. After the Sherif finds the Doctor, hit the title sequence. From there we show the journalists coming to interview Laurie. I'm all for a slow burn but what we got was pretty unengaging and at times pretty silly. Like a professional journalist shouting like a crazy person at a serial killer while sticking his hand out (way over the yellow line, btw.) It was just... too lame to be funny.

It also felt like alot of seeds were planted that never payed off. Mousetraps were given alot of attention, so I assumed someone was going to end up hiding under the sink... nope. Firecrackers were given alot of attention, so I assumed one would be used to start a fire or something... nope. And I don't think I'm on board with any master plan that involves locking a supernaturally strong serial killer in a bunker with a full arsenal, especially given that we've seen Laurie take pot shots through the ceiling no problem.

The twist with the doctor was appreciated, if not convincing. I'm glad they did something different to separate him from being just a Loomis stand-in, but the way the reveal was handled was kind of goofy. I'm 99 percent certain there was a line of dialogue that was scrapped explaining that he was the one who caused the bus crash and set Michael free. It would have made alot more sense if he did. Instead he's just like... "Oh, he's free? Now's my chance to see it in person and study! Score! And while i'm at it, see you in Hell, Sheriff!"

Editing felt so bizarre at times, too. There's a moment where Laurie cries leaving the restaurant and her granddaughter comes and hugs her. Then we cut to an insert of traffic, and then we're back to the same shot only Laurie is gone and Judy Greer is talking to her granddaughter as if it's mid conversation. Just... jarring. Like there was a scene that was nixed but these two had to be played next to each other or something.

End of spoilers

That's just my take on it. I didn't dislike it by any means, I just thought it was okay. But hey - if this brings back a surge of slasher flicks back into the theatres then by all means I hope it does gangbusters.

[Andrew NDB]

It's true, this might light a fire under R-rated slashers in general. Another Englund Freddy. Another Hodder F13, if they get their rights squared away again.

[newfan]

I prefer a sequel after a long gap to a remake, generally speaking, it worked here.

If they do follow up this movie I am interested to see where they go with Myers character, unless they want to leave some mystery to him. Agreed Andrew, given his age and as you said, years locked up.

[Hamato Yoshi]

JLC , the queen of horror (and poo youghurts) :lol::P