‘Halloween’ Wins Over Toronto, With Critics Hailing It as ‘the Best Halloween Sequel Ever’
“The Predator” hasn’t been especially well received in Toronto, but it isn’t the only genre film premiering at TIFF. David Gordon Green‘s “Halloween” is there too, and early word should come as a pleasant surprise to slasher fans in dire need of a good new movie. IndieWire’s Eric Kohn gives the film a B-, writing that Green “has made a slavish, sharply executed bit of fan service elevated by Jamie Lee Curtis’ transformation into a badass grandmother back to finish the job.”
Writing for Nerdist, Katie Walsh is even more enthusiastic:
“Forty years after the original film’s release, Green, McBride, co-writer Jeff Fradley, and most importantly, star and big beating heart of the franchise Jamie Lee Curtis, made a film that’s a profoundly feminist re-examination of its psychology of trauma through its iconography. It’s also a rip-roaring slasher flick that’s hands down the best Halloween sequel ever.”
Entertainment Weekly‘s Leah Greenblatt gives it a B+:
“Long live Michael Myers, so maybe someone can finally kill him — in a big, funny, scary, squishy, super-meta sequel that brings it all back to the iconic 1978 original.”
Peter Debruge of Variety is another fan:
“That makes this new ‘Halloween’ an act of fan service disguised as a horror movie. The fact it works as both means that Green (who flirted with the idea of directing the ‘Suspiria’ remake) has pulled off what he set out to do, tying up the mythology that Carpenter and company established, while delivering plenty of fresh suspense — and grisly-creative kills — for younger audiences who are buying into the “Halloween” brand without any real investment in Michael and Laurie’s unfinished business.”
The new HALLOWEEN starts with an interesting premise. The ending is good. The rest was really disappointing. #tiff18
— Mike Ryan (@mikeryan) September 9, 2018
HOLY FUCKING SHIT, THE NEW HALLOWEEN FUCKING RULES #TIFF18
— karen han (@karenyhan) September 9, 2018
I was always gonna be an easy lay with #HalloweenMovie but they really nailed it. Some will have quibbles — it’s maybe *too* funny, and one little twist might have been too much — but scary AF plus Force Awakens levels of fan service = very good times. #tiff18
— Joel Meares (@joelmeares) September 9, 2018
Movie #9: HALLOWEEN. Fear not, @HalloweenMovie delivers. Some great kills that had me cheering. And lots of great references (& a cameo!) that harken back to the original. Great score by Carpenter and his son, Cody. I want to be as badass as the Strode women, someday. #TIFF18 🎃
— Michelle @ TIFF (@michelledeidre) September 9, 2018
“Halloween” is in theaters October 19, just in time for a certain Halloween.
