Halloween Franchise
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- DirectorJohn CarpenterStarsDonald PleasenceJamie Lee CurtisTony MoranFifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween night 1963, Michael Myers escapes from a mental hospital and returns to the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois, to kill again.It may be the first, but it doesn't make it good
"Halloween" from 1978 is a cult horror by John Carpenter, movie considered to be the first slasher horror and one of the most influential movies of all time. With all due respect, this does not automatically make it a good movie. This is Jamie Lee Curtis' debut movie, the movie that made her famous and one of the stupidest and the most boring movies I have ever seen. It practically doesn't have a story, characterization is also nonexistent, and complete lack of motivation makes Michael Myers one of the most unconvincing movie villains. The movie has no depth, no tension, and it is not scary either.
One reason to watch this film could be the fact that Jamie Lee Curtis is extremely hot. She changed a little over the decades, but her specific sex appeal and sensibility fits her better in her forties and fifties than in her youth. As she is buttoned up to the neck all the time, this reason falls apart. On top of that, she is a lousy screamer.
The only good thing in this movie is Carpenter's simple but eerie high-pitched melody, that became one of the most famous themes in the history of horror, or even movie melodies overall.
5/10 - DirectorRick RosenthalStarsJamie Lee CurtisDonald PleasenceCharles CyphersWhile Dr. Loomis hunts for Michael Myers, a traumatized Laurie is rushed to Haddonfield Memorial Hospital, and The Shape is not far behind her."I've been trick-or-treated to death tonight."
"Halloween II" is a direct continuation of the 1978 original, which opens where the previous one ends and the action takes place later that night. The first half of the movie was extremely boring to me, and I carried the idea of giving up. The other half justified the patience. The movie becomes very tense and I think that it owes its frightening effect primarily to sound and music. There are some really top cadres, and my favorite scene was the attempt of bathtub sex in the therapy room, not only because of the only nudity in the movie, but also because of the powerful atmosphere. This time the murders are more diverse and very well shot, and the finale is explosive. Overall, this is an average '80s horror flick, but slightly better than the original.
6/10 - DirectorTommy Lee WallaceStarsTom AtkinsStacey NelkinDan O'HerlihyKids all over America want Silver Shamrock masks for Halloween. Doctor Daniel Challis seeks to uncover a plot by Silver Shamrock owner Conal Cochran.Even a carpenter would do it better (pun intended)
After several minutes of ugly, monotonous and boring opening credits I already doubted that the movie will be any better. I was not wrong. The film is a disaster. Carpenter intended for every movie in the "Halloween" franchise to be a separate story, but after the success of the first one, they forced him to make a direct sequel. With the third film he returned to his original idea and failed terribly. The film has nothing to do with its predecessors, nor with the brain. Somehow they managed to make a movie in which the story feels hasted, although the film itself is rather slow and boring. The acting is mournful, and the film is in every way cheap and badly done, as if the carpenter hammered it from leftovers. The story is dull, unconvincing and pointless and overall resembles mediocre episode of some cheap TV series like "Tales from the Darkside" or "Monsters" ("Twilight Zone" is for this unreachable masterpiece). It is hard to believe that this is actually a part of the legendary franchise, and not an amateur TV movie. And just when I asked myself why I even waste my time on something so incredibly stupid, the movie surprised me and became even more stupid. The peak of shame transfer was reached in the extremely corny cliché in the motel room, the scene that almost made me vomit. And a totally battered final plot twist knocked the last nail in the coffin of this garbage. Literally the only thing in this movie that is worth seeing is the beauty of Stacey Nelkin, but I advise you, from all my heart, to simply google her photos instead.
3/10 - DirectorDwight H. LittleStarsDonald PleasenceEllie CornellDanielle HarrisTen years after his original massacre, the invalid Michael Myers awakens on Halloween Eve and returns to Haddonfield to kill his seven-year-old niece. Can Dr. Loomis stop him?Cops do it by the book
After the first two movies, the rest of the franchise has quite a bad reputation and, after the terrible third installment, I was at the edge of giving up on it. However, my masochistic OCD could not leave me be. I had to continue. "The Return of Michael Myers" is a fairly decent film in every respect, and observed separately, an average horror of the eighties. But as the fourth part of the "Halloween", this film brings nothing new, neither technically nor essentially, and in no way contributes to the franchise. Basically, it reprises its predecessors with a new cast and, while not bad, it is completely unneeded, redundant, and if you watched the previous parts, quite boring. However, there are a couple of interesting attributes. For maintaining a decent level of tension in the second part of the movie I assign it one point. Another point for the performance of Danielle Harris, who, for an eleven-years-old, has played the lead very well. It earned the third point with a quite good ending twist. And finally, one more point for each of Kathleen Kinmont's boobs.
5/10 - DirectorDominique Othenin-GirardStarsDonald PleasenceDanielle HarrisEllie CornellOne year after the events of Lễ Hội Kinh Hoàng 4: Sự Trở Lại Của Michael Myers (1988), the Shape returns to Haddonfield once again in an attempt to kill his now-mute niece.Franchise on life support
"The Revenge of Michael Myers" is a direct sequel to "The Return of Michael Myers" and it doesn't bring anything especially new. It's dumb and dull and the author's lack of inspiration is more than obvious. This is yet another franchise kept alive on life support despite a complete lack of originality and purpose. To be honest, it would probably be best if the first "Halloween" has never grown into a franchise. The only thing I really liked was the excellent opening credits, which builds a tense atmosphere even before the movie started, so that when the movie finally begins you are already at the edge of your seat. Unfortunately, that tension dies up after just a few minutes and only my OCD made me watch the movie to the end. As far as acting is concerned, the very decent role played by Ellie Cornell in the previous film is now reduced to the classic slasher-horror blonde "whose only purpose in the film is to run around half-naked before being slaughtered." Loomis (Donald Pleasence) is the only character to maintain quality through all the parts, and the highlight of the film is again little Danielle Harris. Watchable, but a waste of time.
4/10 - DirectorJoe ChappelleStarsDonald PleasencePaul RuddMarianne HaganSix years after Michael Myers last terrorized Haddonfield, he returns there in pursuit of his niece, Jamie Lloyd, who has escaped with her newborn child, for which Michael and a mysterious cult have sinister plans.So far, the most boring part of the most boring horror franchise
Even when they are born from an exceptional movie, franchises rarely reach the sixth part, and when they do, it usually does not work. Then what to expect from the sixth part of the franchise in which even the earlier films were nothing special. Moreover, it is a mystery to me how a mediocre horror such as "Halloween" ever grew into a franchise, let alone how this franchise came so far. Although filmed quite decently, the movie is totally meaningless, dull and boring, and the only good thing in it is a legendary music theme, which is essentially the only good thing in the whole franchise.
4/10 - DirectorSteve MinerStarsJamie Lee CurtisJosh HartnettAdam ArkinLaurie Strode, now the dean of a Northern California private school with an assumed name, must battle the Shape one last time, as the life of her own son hangs in the balance.By far the best in the original franchise
When I sat down to watch "H2O" I was expecting "same crap, different package," because that's what I got from the previous six. But the film did not meet my expectations - the packaging is much better than before. Much more expensive production, much better story and atmosphere, more famous actors, and Jamie Lee Curtis, who in her forties looks and acts better than in her girlhood.
The authors wisely decided to ignore the previous sequels and refer directly to the original story. In the film, I did not notice stupid illogicalities typical of this genre, which pleasantly surprised me. The movie lasts less than an hour and a half, there is no idling and humdrum, and in the second part, it was actively holding me on the edge of the chair, which none of its prequels managed to accomplish.
I especially liked that the film is full of references to Hitchcock's "Psycho." Jamie Lee Curtis plays the director of a private high school, and her secretary is Janet Leigh, her mother, famous for playing Marion in "Psycho." In the scene when Janet leaves the school, she stands in front of a car from "Psycho", and the background music is also from this classic. The registration plate is the same as in "Psycho" and represents the initials of Norman Bates. In one scene, friend says to Jamie's son: "Twenty years from now, you'll still be living with her, probably running some weird motel, out in the middle of nowhere." Sounds familiar?
The simple and effective story, well-balanced pace and duration, great atmosphere and, of course, the legendary tune that makes us shiver for decades. Recommendation.
7/10 - DirectorRick RosenthalStarsJamie Lee CurtisBusta RhymesBrad LoreeThree years after he last terrorized his sister, Michael Myers confronts her again, before traveling to Haddonfield to deal with the cast and crew of a reality show which is being broadcast from his old home.The second best
I honestly don't understand such hate towards this movie. The scenario is original (compared to the previous sequels), and satisfactorily consistent with the timeline and heritage of the franchise. I liked the combination of the classic "Halloween" story with elements of teenage romantic movies, reality TV, the "Blair Witch" style and sporadic comic reliefs. The acting is not nearly as bad as you might think after reading internet reviews, and the atmosphere is more tense than in the prequels. "H2O" retains the position of the best film in the franchise, but this one is the most exciting and entertaining.
7/10 - DirectorRob ZombieStarsScout Taylor-ComptonMalcolm McDowellTyler ManeAfter being committed for 15 years, Michael Myers, now a grown man and still very dangerous, escapes from the mental institution and immediately returns to Haddonfield to find his baby sister, Laurie.Next time I see that Myers pussy, he's dead!
The remake of the cult horror film from 1978 is a true refreshment from the original franchise. Thirty years after the original film, screenwriter and director Rob Zombie, better known as the frontman of the metal band White Zombie, turned barely mediocre slasher into quite good psychological horror thriller.
While the original film is a two-dimensional slasher in which Michael Myers is an inexplicable and indestructible embodiment of evil, the remake brings us a background story that gives this character a face and a psychological profile. The old "Halloween" begins with Michael's murder of his sister, for no apparent reason, and hospitalization in a mental institution, and then immediately jumps fifteen years into the future, where Michael escapes from an asylum and begins his frantic manhunt. Zombie adds a lengthy introduction and shows us Michael's childhood, dysfunctional family, problems at school and early signs of mental disorder, from which somewhat logically follows the rest of the story. In the original franchise, the main characters are Michael's victims and Dr. Samuel Loomis, while Michael is a faceless, mysterious and brutal evil that lurks from the shadows, incomprehensible, inhuman. Rob's vision does not bind us to teenagers "condemned to death", but instead moves spotlight on Michael himself, who takes on the lead role, so we follow his transformation from a seemingly cute child to a relentless killing machine, while his victims are now somewhat depersonalized and essentially irrelevant.
In the first part of the film, young Michael is played by twelve-year-old Daeg Faerch, who quite skillfully balances between the sweet 10-year-old trying to get through an unhappy childhood and soulless psychopath on whose face is reflected the abyss of evil. In the second part, the film returns to the original story and becomes a classic slasher, essentially no better or worse than the original, but somewhat better shot. If you do not like the original, like I don't, here is your chance to look at the story from a different angle that may suit you better.
7/10 - DirectorRob ZombieStarsScout Taylor-ComptonTyler ManeMalcolm McDowellLaurie Strode struggles to come to terms with her brother Michael's deadly return to Haddonfield, Illinois; meanwhile, Michael prepares for another reunion with his sister.After "Halloween" (2007), Rob Zombie stated he would never do a sequel. He should have kept the promise.
The movie is audio-visually very well done. There are some really nice camerawork and interesting solutions. The acting is realistic and believable, without silly over-acting typical of slashers. But as much as it is technically good, it is so inexpressibly boring. After only fifteen minutes I was already bored, and for the next hour I struggled not to give up. Although he did a good job as the director, Zombie wrote a disastrously bad scenario. Without a good plot that will keep you in anticipation of the outcome and without characters for whose fate you care, there's simply no tension, which makes scenes that should be terrifying just plain stupid and banal. Half an hour before the end, I completely lost interest and went to bed. Unfortunately, I hate to leave things halfway done, and I had to finish it the very next day. The ending buried even what little positive impressions I had from the previous evening. It's so incredibly stupid that it hurts. The only positive impression after watching this movie remains the following dialogue:- Did you just mention "journalists", "cool" and "positive" all in the same sentence without throwing up?
- Yes, why? Is that a problem?
- It's just quite an oxymoron, my dear.
4/10 - DirectorDavid Gordon GreenStarsJamie Lee CurtisJudy GreerAndi MatichakLaurie Strode confronts her long-time foe, Michael Myers, the masked figure who has haunted her since she narrowly escaped his killing spree on Halloween night four decades ago.It's finally over
The eleventh installment of the "Halloween" franchise completely ignores all previous films and builds directly on the original from 1978, but at the same time, it is full of "Easter egg" references to each of the prequels, even to "Halloween III: Season of the Witch", which has nothing to do with Michael Myers or the rest of the franchise. With this movie, the franchise got the fourth timeline. The original timeline consists of films from the first to the sixth, with the exception of the aforementioned third. The seventh, "H20" ignored movies from the fourth to the sixth and created a second timeline, consisting of the first two films, "H20" and "Resurrection." Rob Zombie opened the third with his two reboot films from 2007 and 2009, and now we have the fourth one made up of the original movie and this one.
This is a well-crafted slasher-horror, which in itself has no major flaws and, viewed within its timeline, is a worthy successor to the original film. But if you, like me, have watched all ten films that preceded it, this is just additional pouring sand in the desert, because almost everything this film brings has already been seen, which makes it extremely boring.
If you are a fan, well acquainted with the entire franchise, you can find satisfaction in searching for "Easter eggs" and identifying references to previous films. I particularly liked that in this movie Jamie Lee Curtis and Myers repeatedly find themselves in situations similar to those in the first movie, but in reversed roles.
If you have not yet watched the "Halloween" franchise, I advise you not to watch everything, but to follow one timeline. As, in my opinion, "H20" is the best in the franchise, I suggest the following:
Halloween (1978),
Halloween II (1981),
Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998).
Then you could watch this one and, in the end, only the first reboot by Rob Zombie.
6/10