Starring: Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tony Moran
Directed by: John Carpenter
Language: English
Rating: R
Running Time: 1 hr 31 mins
What better timing than to cover two iconic slashers than spooky season! Here's another pair of movies I got criticized for not seeing being a horror movie fan. I also took an extra step with both of these this time.
Fifteen 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. [Source: IMDb]
So, why did it take me this long to watch both of these legendary movies? Well, I never was interested in either of these killers. I consulted a friend on how deeply I should invest in these franchises, so I have a couple installments to talk about in both entries. Now, you ask, what did I think of Michael Myers's cinematic debut? It was alright. I really enjoyed the first person point of view at the beginning introducing our antagonist and I understand why that opener is so iconic. It adds a good setup and shock factor that Michael is just a mere child; a murder child, but a child nonetheless. The cat and mouse chase between Michael, Dr. Loomis, and Laurie was entertaining and, of course, the kills were great. The soundtrack is top notch and transcends the test of time. By the end of the movie, I was happy to now say that I have seen this and the unfortunate Rob Zombie remake/reboot...instead of just the Zombie retelling.
Once I was done with the 1978 movie, I skipped over to 2018's Halloween with Jamie Lee Curtis reprising her role as an even more badass, mature Laurie, determined to end Michael's years of mayhem. Judging from the previews, I thought it had a lot of promise and it convinced me to take the time out to watch the original movie that started it all. For the most part, I enjoyed it, but the relationship with Laurie and Michael was obviously the more entertaining parts of the movie.
In the end, I don't think I missed anything by not watching the 1978 classic as I've seen so many memorable clips from various countdowns and commentaries over the years. At the same time, I don't regret watching either of these movies either. I enjoyed them, but I don't see myself watching them again like most horror fans. I'm also happy I didn't waste my time with the 8 other entries in the franchise. I'm sure there's some good sequels in there, but I'm not that enthusiastic about finding out which ones are the quality ones,
Starring: Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King, Jeannine Taylor
Directed by: Sean S. Cunningham
Language: English
Rating: R
Running Time: 1 hr 35 mins
A group of camp counselors are stalked and murdered by an unknown assailant while trying to reopen a summer camp which was the site of a child's drowning and a grisly double murder years before. [Source: IMDb]
Unlike Halloween, I did not see the 2009 reboot first and was mostly going off of comments I picked up from friends, media, and Scream. I knew the jest of what was gonna happen, the twist at the end, and the message discouraging pre-marital sex among horny teenagers. My "relationship" with Jason was a little less favorable than Michael as I first experienced his brute strength and swift stealth like moves in Freddy vs. Jason.
Watching this movie, I wasn't surprised with what I saw, but if I take out all my movie watching experience, I can easily tell why this film has been enjoyable for horror fans for decades. Unfortunately, this wasn't enough for me to join the Jason bandwagon. #teamfreddy I thought the killer reveal was a nice touch and something different for its time. I also acknowledge the "was that a dream or not" ending left a lasting impression. In short, it was entertaining for me, but if I had to compare the two, Halloween did a lot more cinematically in my opinion. Of course, neither movies are bad, just not my cup of tea.
As for the extra entry in this franchise, I made an attempt to watch all the installments my former co-worker recommended, but...I only ended up watching the second entry. I had full intention of checking out the third movie, but concluded that I didn't want to waste my time with my continued neutral feelings towards a franchise. Yes, it was nice to see Jason Vorhees in action in Friday the 13th Part 2, but wow~ was it campy! No pun intended. Jason really is a mama's boy and it really shows in that third act. The kills were entertaining and I commend Jason's commitment to the cause of slaughtering horny teens, but he couldn't keep my interest enough to trek through a few more movies in his catalog.
If there's something you want me to review, check out Muddy Cult's Patreon on how to submit requests.
No comments:
Post a Comment