60 SECOND REVIEW: HALLOWEEN (10/19/18)

"Stop – if you keep walking, they'll make another sequel!" Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) prepares to take aim at The Shape, a.k.a. Michael Myers (James Jude Courtney) in a scene from David Gordon Green's HALLOWEEN. Credit: Ryan Green © 2018 Universal Studios. All rights reserved.

WATCH THE TRAILER(S) HERE:

KEY CAST MEMBERS: Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, Andi Matichak, Will Patton, Virginia Gardner, Haluk Bilginer and James Jude Courtney

DIRECTOR(S): David Gordon Green

WEB SITE: https://www.halloweenmovie.com/

THE BACK STORY: Remember EVERY other Halloween movie since the 1978 original that spawned WAY too many sequels and indirect sequels (but surprisingly not a prequel – I better stop before I give them ideas!) Well, don't – because the 2018 version is supposed to be a sequel to JUST that original film. That's why Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) - the one babysitter that survived a serial killer's rampage 40 years ago on Halloween night - is still alive (she did DIE, after all, in Halloween: Resurrection). The trauma of that night has cost her a lot, including a better relationship with her daughter (Judy Greer) and her granddaughter (Andi Matichak).

But Laurie is willing to risk it all for the chance to do one thing and one thing only: The chance to kill the unstoppable kitchen knife-wielding force that is "The Shape," a.k.a. Michael Myers (now played by James Jude Courtney).

THE REVIEW: For all the hype about this new Halloween movie, one viewing of the film will show you why the phrase "what's old is new again" is a cliche that still holds its weight in remakes - or in this case, sequels to films that have sequel upon sequel to the point that there's really not too much new happening at all.

What do I mean by that? Well, let's see ...

• Is Michael Myers still an unstoppable killing machine? Check.
• Does NO ONE listen to Laurie Strode until it's basically too late? Check.
• Do people get killed at basically random when half of their deaths don't amount to anything more than "let's kill this person?" Save for two rather funny ones, check.
• Is there a version of Dr. Loomis? Check.
• Is that version of Dr. Loomis just as crazy as Dr. Loomis if not more so? Check.
• Is there still a bunch of unexplained stuff - both about Michael and why everyone around him finds him so fascinating (save for the new Dr. Loomis character) that if they did, might add some depth? Check. And ...

Is there ANYTHING truly groundbreaking that, outside of the die-hard, watched every single entry in the Halloween catalog, can tell you every fact about Haddonfield, Il. and then some fans? Nope. Because when it comes down to it, it's still the same old story - emphasis on OLD - that you've seen several times over. Sure, it's better than that atrocious mess that was the aforementioned Halloween: Resurrection (seriously - that movie is so dumb it deserves its own ESPN 30 for 30 on it), but unless you're already all in on the franchise and can't wait to see it, there is nothing compelling happening here to gain your interest. It's just another Halloween movie with a few funny moments, enough requisite gore for the hardcore and cast Curtis in a decent light for what should be the last film in the franchise.

Because at this point, I'm not sure if the scariest thing about Halloween is that Hollywood keeps making Halloween movies ... Or that audiences keep on turning out to watch them. 

OVERALL RATING (OUT OF FOUR POSSIBLE BUCKETS OF POPCORN):