The Terrific – And Terrifying – Third Act
As important as all these previous factors have been in explaining why Halloween ranks up there with the 1978 movie, the main thing it needed to be was a good horror flick. Even the best performances and easter eggs couldn’t save it if it was lacking in the key ingredients of suspense and terror. Thankfully, then, that’s not a problem, as the tone builds at a mostly consistent rate (though there are moments of humor and tangents that could have been trimmed), culminating in a thrilling third act.
Eschewing a close remake of the final reel of the first film, 2018’s Halloween decides to almost give us an R-Rated reboot of Home Alone as the Strode women have to protect themselves from Michael in Laurie’s fortified, tricked-out house. Or at least, it starts that way. Once again playing with our expectations, the shoe’s on the other foot when Laurie decides to go on the attack and hunt Michael instead. As said before, this results in all three women coming together to stop him.
The whole sequence is mercilessly suspenseful. As well as being the product of some incredibly sharp and efficient filmmaking, it’s also because, for once, we’re really not sure what’s going to happen. Is this going to be Laurie’s swansong? Will either her daughter or granddaughter die? The best part is that none of this happens and we close with a victory for our heroines. Sure, Michael’s almost certainly not dead, but Laurie faced her trauma and beat it, meaning it’s a rare happy ending for the franchise.
Though we wouldn’t want to be around Haddonfield next Halloween…