It’s the Booze Talkin’: It’s okay for Halloween to ignore all the sequels!

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

As a genre fan, one thing I’ve learned is that we tend to have a bit of a continuity problem with most of the popular franchise flicks. Every FRIDAY THE 13th appears to take place in some odd timeline that makes little sense. A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET perhaps tried a little harder, but it certainly isn’t perfectly coordinated. And then there is HALLOWEEN. Michael Myers and his holiday adventures are more than a little messed up and confused. You have a weird druid cult or whatever, an odd sister and brother relationship, and a crazed doctor that is about as immune to death as the menacing boogeyman who he has spent his twilight years trying to stop. And finally, courtesy of Rob Zombie, we have a whole white trash tale of murder and madness. And you know something? I’m strangely okay with most of it.

When John Carpenter gave us the original film, it was simply a crazed maniac stalking babysitters. We knew he killed his sister as a boy, and it made this disturbed individual all the more frightening. And we knew that Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasance) was absolutely correct as to where the monster was heading. It was all a brilliant combination of suspense and terror. HALLOWEEN is a horror classic that gets everything right. Jamie Lee Curtis is excellent as a young woman who is the unfortunate object of Michael Myers (Nick Castle) – or what they referred to as “The Boogeyman” or “The Shape” – twisted obsession. In fact, the original is so good that it nearly makes up for a few pretty bad sequels that came afterwards.

As a fan of the franchise in general, I have long past the point of trying to figure out a thorough connection between all the HALLOWEEN films. In fact, I’ve gotten to the point of viewing the series as a sort of “Choose Your Own Adventure” experience – remember those books as a kid? Do I want to see the entire Jamie Lee Curtis timeline? Okay, perhaps then I’ll check out 1, 2 and then H20 – I sometimes skip that Busta Rhymes one. Or would I rather follow the f*cked up childhood of Laurie’s daughter, young Jamie Lloyd (Danielle Harris). Well, at least she had a daughter until twenty years after the original, it was then we discovered she only had a son named John (Josh Hartnett). With all that mess, do I really care that they are once again ignoring nearly all of the mythology of the series with the upcoming Blumhouse HALLOWEEN? Honestly, not even remotely.

I love the new trailer for the latest chapter directed by David Gordon Green and co-written by Green and Danny McBride. Laurie is nearly going full Sarah Connor and I buy the f*ck out of it.  The entire atmosphere looks more like the original than we’ve seen since. And then that one line about Michael not being Laurie’s brother! You know the one I’m talking about! That’s right folks, this time around they aren’t related at all. Once again, it appears that Michael is some vicious psychopath ready to terrorize the fine folks of Haddonfield. While the new film is ignoring all that came after the 1978 classic, it certainly appears to be very true to that film. Whether it is the wound that is on Laurie’s arm or that mask which is used so effectively in the trailer, this looks like it could be the best of the sequels.

Considering this franchise has treated continuity as an afterthought, I’m very much okay with ignoring the pervious films. They still exist, and they can still be enjoyed, however this was never the franchise to watch if you had a plan to connect the dots. Instead of trying to pull all the previous plot points and characters into an overblown genre experiment, the filmmakers have returned to what made it work to begin with… simplicity. What I want is a HALLOWEEN movie to creep me out again. Michael should be menacing. Laurie should be the heart of the project. And you know what else, maybe we might even root for the victims because they aren't just annoying fodder. I don’t need an explanation as to where Jamie Lloyd went, or even John Tate (or Strode or whatever), that will not affect my excitement for a good sequel.

Maybe it’s the booze talkin’, but it’s okay for HALLOWEEN to ignore all the sequels. Frankly, I’m overjoyed they are. As a massive fan of this franchise, I will pretty much watch all of the movies if they are on. And yes, this includes the dreadful RESURRECTION. However, what I really wanted from a sequel is a simplistic horror tale that somehow makes Michael terrifying. This is not to say that he hasn’t been scary in some of the sequels, in fact, Tyler Mane was pretty damn disturbing as Rob Zombie’s Michael.Yet what I long for is a proper finish to Laurie Strode who is as much a part of the Halloween saga as Michael and Dr. Loomis. Let’s see what they have in store, and maybe, just maybe, the upcoming film will lead to a whole new “Chose Your Own Adventure” in the Halloween-verse. I for one couldn’t be more excited for October 19th, the day he came back… again.