Netflix: why this sequel to one of the greatest horror films is worth a detour

Usually, the quality of horror sagas does not improve with sequels. Friday the 13th, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Hellraiser… The list goes on. The Halloween franchise is also dragging its many pots. In 2018, producer Jason Blum (Paranormal Activity, Get Out) decided to resurrect – once again – Michael Myers with the desire to make people forget the mistakes of the past.

For this, it offers a direct sequel to the original 1978 film and ignores all the other opuses released until then. Filmmaker John Carpenter, who remains producer and composer, leaves his place behind the camera to David Gordon Green, who has made a name for himself in independent cinema. Above all, Jamie Lee Curtis agrees to resume his emblematic role of Laurie Strode for yet another face-to-face.

This Halloween starts again on new bases, leaving aside the brother and sister relationship between the killer and the heroine. The film reunites with Laurie Strode 40 years after her night of horror and explores the mechanics of trauma passed down from generation to generation. The plot follows a trio of tight-knit women (Strode, his daughter and his granddaughter), uniting against absolute evil. The bet of this new sequel is taken up hands down.

The 2018 version moves completely away from the kitsch – not to say nanardesque – tone of the other sequels to establish itself as a first-degree and feminist film, paying an ultimate tribute to John Carpenter’s classic. When it comes out, the magic happens. Halloween is a real critical and public success. It brings in nearly $260 million worldwide for a budget of just $10 million.

This new craze for Michael Myers and Laurie Strode inspired Jason Blum and David Gordon Green for two more sequels, Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends. With this latest film, Jamie Lee Curtis embodies, for the very last time, the role that launched his career.

Halloween is available on Netflix.