Halloween Ends

Lucky 13. So they say. Not sure that applies here. Not sure I'll ever know. There's a lot to process. Even more divisive than "Kills" I presume, as David Gordon Green's arthouse origins really come through here in ways I wasn't expecting, or it seems anyone was expecting. The opening scene was rather shocking and unique, and right off the bat Mr Green is telling you this is a different kind of Halloween film (signaled early on with the blue Halloween III style credits), so put your big kid pants on and open your damn mind. For much of this film it felt like a Halloween sequel by way of David Lynch. Other times, Nicolas Winding Refn came to mind. But it's an arthouse film, make no doubt about it. Some will hate it. Some will love it. But there will be surprising audience crossovers between the two camps too, I am certain of it. It's that divisive. Fascinatingly so. Like cinema should. Art, in general.

Does it all work? That's another question. At times I thought it was brilliant, at other times cringe seeped in. Everything about this movie, no matter how one rates or judges it, is a rollercoaster. There's a lot wrong, but I think the willingness to be bold and at least try something new, when you have the filmmaking chops to get it done, and to do that with a beloved franchise, it really is a risky move, and the willingness to try something different, as we're always asking for, overweighs that criticism.