The darkest souls are not those which choose to exist within the hell of the abyss, but those which choose to break free from the abyss and move silently among us — Dr. Samuel Loomis — Rob Zombie
By putting such an extended focus on Michael’s childhood, we get a more complex character, but it doesn’t significantly inform the character choices — we can only dole out so much sympathy for the killer — the boy not just made in his upbringing but restricted help by misunderstanding parents
This movie is not the original Halloween, so that it favors gore over suspense is not a detriment but a stylistic choice — the dread remains, less as “what’s going to happen?” and more as “how bad is it going to be?”
That said, the rest of the movie plays out close to the original — with the “Laurie being Michael’s sister” stuff from the second one weaved in — so in that sense, it’s hard to feel that much tension
Also, for a movie so heavy on backstory, it doesn’t consider answering why Michael is immortal, or at least hinting that he is before he gets shot in the chest and walks away. Not that I want that — it’s just interesting
Malcolm McDowell gives a decent performance, although his theatric temperament is at odds with everyone else
All in all, an okay script but too indebted to the original to overcome the weight of backstory, references, and other plot points