TO CLOSE

Michael Myers, the classic villain of horror, returns to the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois – and old Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) in "Halloween."
USA TODAY & # 39; HUI

A new coat of paint, even on a horror house such as "Halloween, can do wonders.

Psychopath Michael Myers, knife in hand, chases Laurie Strode again, as he did in John Carpenter's 1978 classic. But now co-written and directed by David Gordon Green ("Stronger"), the new "Halloween" (★★★ out of four, noted R, in the national theaters on October 19) gives up all the mythology of the following franchise . Good results should be an asset to all other series of endless horror movies.

Staying true to the original narrative, this "Halloween" is firmly positioned as the best chapter since the first – not exactly the highest bar – mainly by making Laurie (a remarkable Jamie Lee Curtis, whose last appearance in 2002 was "Halloween"): Resurrection ") everything but a victim, and while he remains essentially faithful to the usual pattern, send Michael to Haddonfield, Illinois, for a slaying murder, the remodeling worthy of Green is also a nuanced look on mass tragedy in America through the slowness of an incident survivor.

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The former babysitter Laurie turned to disaster, turning her home into a highly secure headquarters when Michael will come back someday. But she is separated from her daughter Karen (Judy Greer), who was taken away by authorities at the age of 12 due to her mother's obsession for protection and Laurie is close to her small – daughter Allyson (Andi Matichak). exits.

Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) faces her worst enemy for the first time in 40 years in "Halloween". (Photo: RYAN GREEN / UNIVERSAL)

Then there is Laurie's infamous foe, Michael, played by James Jude Courtney (though Nick Castle, the original of Myers, makes an appearance). He has not spoken for four decades of his bloody passage – and he's still pretty cool for an old man. A pair of British podcasters (Jefferson Hall and Rhian Rees) crossed the pond to "why" Michael's attacks on the 40th anniversary and their trip coincides with a bus transfer from the asylum to a new prison is going very badly. As a result, Michael recovers his signature mask and makes his way to confront Laurie again.

Green pays tribute to Carpenter (who gets an executive producer credit and gets a new mix on his iconic theme) while adding his own film language. The director takes the audience to the worlds of Laurie and Michael with a variety of close-ups, multiple locks on his door to his teeth that he has violently extracted from the mouth of an unfortunate guy. Green is also taking a fresh look at Michael's wild door-to-door assaults (which leave a crying baby uncomfortable).

The population of Haddonfield, unlike Laurie, is totally blind, which is the most insightful and relevant theme of this "Halloween". When the murders of 78 are evoked in a teenagers conversation, a child rejects almost everything that has happened. people are dead, implying that his generation has witnessed the worst atrocities. Even Allyson says to her grandmother at one point: "Finish things".

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It's not so simple for Laurie, and finally, the three generations of Strode women, especially Greer (who usually plays the best friend of the cinema but who has more to do here) and Curtis, are at the same time. origin of the madness of horror. Like a stone guardian, Laurie stands in front of Allyson's school, watching over her family even though she was seen as a crazy city.

It's a visceral liberation to be haunted by the existence of this "pure evil" and a forerunner of what's at stake, including an excellent climax, for the nasty Michael when he – and an audience voracious unbridled fury.

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