Myers Monday: Will the new Halloween live up to the high hype?

Michael Myers returns next month when the new Halloween hits theaters. Will the David Gordon Green film live up to the hype or is nasty candy ahead?

Horror Comes Home

As summer transitioned into fall, the unthinkable happened last year. After four decades, the minds behind the original Halloween announced they were coming back for more tricks. Along with newcomers Director David Gordon Green and funnyman Danny McBride; Jamie Lee Curtis, John Carpenter and Nick Castle are returning in next month’s Blumhouse treat, Halloween. But with so much hype behind the return of Michael Myers, can the movie live up to the incredible hype?

Halloween — Courtesy of Blumhouse

Evolution Of Evil

While there’s a multitude of expectations for the upcoming flick, it’s important to manage expectations. One of the things pushing the film, and it’s marketing, is Carpenter’s classic. The fact that Jamie is back, and that the movie is acting as the only sequel to the original, is a selling point. But when you do that, you make people constantly think of their love of the original while creating a huge standard of quality to over come.

Honestly, I’m thinking of it as the evolution of a cinematic organism. Taking into account the history of the franchise, the players involved and proposition as a whole, I’m continually grounding myself by seeing the film as an evolution. Will I walking out thinking the movie is as good as the original, my favorite flick ever? Probably not, but I can still enjoy it for what it is.

The Boogeyman Awakens

More from Halloween

• 31 Days of Horror: The secrets of The Nightmare Before Christmas!
• Is David Gordon Green’s sequel to The Exorcist doomed to fail?
• Where can I stream the original Halloween and all of its sequels?
• 31 Days of Horror Movies: Halloween Ends, I Bet I’m About to Offend You
• Interview with Michele Dawson, Nurse Deb in Halloween Ends

While the new Halloween is truly, in and of itself, an example of evolution, expect some massive references to the original. We’ve already seen the three masks from Halloween III in the first trailer, and in the new trailer, an homage to Halloween II’s Mrs. Elrod. So Blumhouse/Universal is putting fan service front and center.

In fact, critic Emily Stefansky, who was lucky enough to attend the TIFF premiere, says it’s the Star Wars: The Force Awakens of the Halloween franchise. Which means, by all accounts, the movie mirrors its iconic source material while progressing the story in its own unique way. Like Ryan Coogler’s masterpiece Creed, a film following the beats of the original Rocky but differently enough to stand out. Then again, only time will tell if it works but the references are already calming my nerves. Which is good…I need pick out a Halloween costume.

Halloween stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Andi Matichak and Judy Greer. David Gordon Green directs a screenplay from Green, Danny McBride and Jeff Fradley. Blumhouse Productions produces, with Universal Pictures distributing. Michael Myers returns for more tricks Oct.19, 2018.

Looking forward to the return of Michael Myers? Hoping the film lives up to the hype? Let the other Smith’s Grove Inmates know what you think in the comment section below.