Mid-October just wouldn't be complete without a high profile horror film hitting the big screen, and this week we have the return of a classic franchise. Michael Myers is back, 40 years after the original, to lay waste to those who tried to keep him down in the first place. Get ready for Halloween.
Just remember, I'm not reviewing these movies, but rather predicting where they'll end up on the Tomatometer. Let's take a look at This Rotten Week has to offer.
Forty years ago, Michael Myers went on a killing spree in Haddonfield, and now the dude is back to wreak more havoc. If horror movies have taught us anything it's that folks are naive and think a murderous (possibly indestructible) psychopath will probably just leave well enough alone if given him enough time. Fortunately, Jamie Lee Curtis's Laurie Strode isn't one of those people and is ready to finish the job he couldn't do four decades ago in the new Halloween.
Director David Gordon Green has a number of excellent films already under his belt with Pineapple Express (68%), Stronger (92%), Joe (85%) and Prince Avalanche (82%). Unfortunately, some of his features, like Our Brand is Crisis (35%) and The Sitter (22%), have missed the mark. This latest looks like it will reverse the trend. Early opinions on Halloween are excellent, with the Tomatometer sitting at 86% with 65 reviews posted. Critics are praising the stylistic choices along with its simplicity as a followup to the original. Most agree it stays true to John Carpenter's first film, and is a worth successor. Does Michael Myers reach his end here? It always seems like he will and never does, but there's a first time for everything I suppose.
It was another great week for the Rotten Watch, with all three movies falling within range. Bad Times At The El Royale (Predicted: 75% Actual: 71%) missed by only a couple of points, with some reviewers comparing the movie to a Quentin Tarantino-flick. Overall, they were pleased with the results and appreciated the intrigue and interwoven storylines.
For First Man (Predicted: 85% Actual: 88%) I had a head start on the reviews with a number of them posted at the time of post. The score didn't move much over the course of the week, and the movie could end up in the Oscar conversation when all is said and done. If there was one central complaint about the film it's that the parts of the film that weren't part of the space program (i.e. the family aspect) held the film back just a tad.
And finally, Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween (Predicted: 51% Actual: 43%) was a successful prediction, but not because it was a critically successful title. No one seemed to outright hate the flick, but rather just thought it a bland follow up to the first film. It has some laughs, a couple of scares, the family can go see it without the adults killing themselves, and that's about the extent of the positives.
Next time around we've got Hunter Killer, Indivisible and Johnny English Strikes Again. It's gonna be a Rotten Week!
