40 years since the original Halloween and Michael Myers is back.

As far as timelines go this film asks you to ignore the 9 sequels/remakes between the original and now and assume this is a direct sequel to the 1978 film. Myers has spent the preceding 40 years in a mental institution and Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) has become a survivalist waiting for his return so that she can kill him. On the way she had a daughter, Karen (Judy Greer) whom social services separated her from when she was 12 and has a granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak). It is this triumvirate that must face down the evil that is Michael Myers.

One of the aspects of this sequel that most interested me going into it was that it’s creators are better known for comedies. Co-written by David Gordon Green, Danny McBride and Jeff Fradley and directed by Green, these are names known for the likes of TV shows Eastbound and Down and Vice Principals and films such as Pineapple Express and Your Highness. Could they pull off a horror movie? It certainly works well as a film that clearly knows and respects its subject matter, but less well as a film that should scare you.

The best aspects for me were call backs to the original. The opening credits are perfect. There are shots that mimic the original where instead of Laurie seeing Michael we have Laurie’s granddaughter seeing her. A new psychiatrist to take up Loomis role from the original. And with John Carpenter back for musical duties, the score is a real treat.

It is not particularly scary though, something that I guess is forgivable when it manages to be intriguing enough in its running time.

I’ll leave you on this thought. The only other worthwhile sequel in the Halloween series in my opinion was Halloween H20. Released 20 years after the original, it’s timeline directly followed Halloween 2 and featured Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode facing her past. Released in 1998 it very much fitted into the Scream horror era. This film does a similar thing 40 years later. Perhaps in 2038 an 80 year old Jamie Lee Curtis can cameo in a film where she tells her great grand kids about the legend of Michael Myers?