Halloween (2018) - Wow, actually pretty good

Okay, I should point out that I'm - probably - the only horror fan in the world that just doesn't 'get' the original 'Halloween.' I've watched it a fair few times and it just leaves me cold (and bored).  In fact, I actually even preferred the, much maligned, 'Halloween III: Season of the Witch' or the Rob Zombie remake to the 1979 version (please don't hate me).  Therefore, my hopes were hardly high for this weird sequel/reboot/re-imagining.  Whatever it is.

So, because I was never into the whole 'Halloween' franchise when it came to following serial killer 'Michael Myers' I'm not really fussed as to where and how this one fits in.  I hear it's a remake of the sequel to the original, thus erasing other sequels - or something.  I don't care.

On the off-chance you know even less about the franchise than I do, Michael Myers is a - possibly supernatural - masked serial killer who has a love for knifing babysitters while they work.  Back in the seventies, he stalked and very nearly killed young Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis).  Now, in present day, she's a grandmother who's been left traumatised by her brush with the bogeyman all those decades ago.

Overall, what you get here is nothing new.  It's a 'slasher' flick - killer picks off one teen/cast member after the next, finally facing off against the star.  Nothing new to see here.  And it would probably would be quite forgettable if it wasn't for Jamie Lee Curtis herself.  It's rare that I say a film is 100% carried on the shoulders by its star, but her performance here is just superb.  Maybe it's because - in modern cinema - our on-screen heroes are normally pretty perfect to start with.  Not here.  She's a complete mess, suffering from post traumatic stress syndrome and drinking herself to death even before Myers can get to her.  She's living as a 'prepper' hermit, convinced that Myers will one day return for her and try and finish what he started.  And - guess what - he finally finds a way to break out of his secure institution and find his way 'home.'

About the only thing that felt a bit 'odd' to me was seeing Michael Myers without his mask.  I know it's a strange thing to say from someone who doesn't really care that much about the series, but I'm so used to ONLY seeing the killer all masked up that even just catching glimpses of the man under the mask just felt, well, odd.

Whether you approve of remaking a franchise midway or not, this one deserves a watch if you're a horror fan as Jamie Lee Curtis really does bring something new to the (modern) genre.  I wonder if they could 'reboot' 'Aliens' after the second film too and do the same for Lt Ripley?

7/10 if I woke up on Groundhog Day and had to watch this again, I could live with that