Halloween (2018)

Director: David Gordon Green
Stars: Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, Andi Matichak
Runtime: 106 minutes

Synopsis: Michael Myers returns to haunt Laurie Strode exactly 40 years after their first encounter.

• Performances: 5/10

Why? None of the performances really grabbed me or elevated the characters portrayed in any way. Jamie Lee Curtis was fine I guess, Judy Greer didn't do much, and the teen actors were genuinely bad in a lot of scenes. 

• Screenplay: 4/10

Why? I wasn't expecting much from the script going in since, like most people excited to see this sequel (yes, sequel), I was looking forward to watching one of the most iconic horror villains gruesomely kill a bunch of people. And it still managed to disappoint me. "Halloween" had a much serious vibe than the other more ridiculous and self-aware sequels and therefore had to at least present a more cohesive narrative with somewhat interesting characters. But all we got were disposable and forgettable characters (like the two journalists whose sole purpose was to tell the audience what happened in the original film), a lot, and I mean a lot of plotholes, and just lazy storytelling (that party scene with the phone was really something else). The disappointing script did bother me at one point but didn't prevent me from enjoying the movie overall.

• Costumes/Makeup: 8/10

Why? The gory scenes were somehow both over the top and realistic, which I loved. It's undeniable that their excellent design had a lot to do with that. Had they been handled poorly, I'd say that the film would've been a lot less fun. Also, I have to give a special shoutout to that iconic William Shatner mask (you read that right, google it).

• Editing: 3/10

Why? My biggest issue with the movie by a mile. Not only were there multiple useless jump scares that, in my opinion, took away from the movie's more tension-filled element of horror, but I also noticed a lot of small editing mistakes, like a scene ending a fraction of a second late, that honestly distracted me.

• Cinematography: 7/10

Why? The movie was decently shot without really breaking any grounds in the cinematography department. But I gave it a higher grade than I usually would because of one specific scene that was incredible and shot in only one take. By far my favorite moment in the flick.

• Score/Soundtrack: 8/10

Why? If it ain't broken, don't fix it.

FINAL GRADE: 7/10

Note: The final grade may be downgraded to a 6 on second viewing. It's definitely not a 5, and definitely not an 8, though. But overall, I can say with confidence that I enjoyed "Halloween" for what it was: a slasher film.