Horror franchises are often known more for their longevity than their overall quality, with iconic original films spawning mediocre-to-terrible sequels with diminishing returns. The Halloween franchise is no different in this regard and star Jamie Lee Curtis knows it. The actress admits that some of her movies in the series aren't great, but having John Carpenter involved again is what elevates the new Halloween film, as she explained:
The real stamp of approval is John Carpenter's, not mine. Because I made a couple of [rubbish] ones. Did you see Resurrection?! Halloween II wasn't great. H20 was okay. Resurrection is a piece of [crap]. But the seal of approval was John Carpenter.
It's refreshing to hear an actress honestly admit that not all of the films she was in were home runs, and I suppose that's the beauty of no longer having to promote those films. As Jamie Lee Curtis told BBC News, some of the Halloween films where she has played Laurie Strode have not been great. The original 1978 film is iconic and one of the pillars of the genre, but its sequels... not so much.
Calling Halloween: Resurrection a piece of crap is probably one of the nicer reviews that the 2002 film received, as it is considered to be one of the worst films in the series. Halloween II also fell short of the original, but 1998's Halloween H20 is actually viewed as one of the best Halloween movies that isn't the original.
Now, after the Rob Zombie Halloween films, the series is back and so is Jamie Lee Curtis' Laurie Strode. That lends an air of legitimacy to David Gordon Green's movie but for Jamie Lee Curtis, the real endorsement that matters is that of original Halloween writer, director and composer John Carpenter, who returns as composer and executive producer for the new film.
Having Jamie Lee Curtis and John Carpenter back gives the new Halloween credibility and ties to the series' roots, while also feeling like a fresh start since the film fixes the murky continuity by cutting out everything but the original film. None of that matters though if the new film is another terrible entry that further besmirches the Halloween name.
Fortunately, that doesn't appear to be the case with the largely positive reviews indicating that although not as good as the original (a bar no one really expected it to clear), this new film is a worthy successor and one of the best entries in the series. Needless to say, Jamie Lee Curtis is happy that this new film is not a piece of crap.
Critics aren't the only ones keen on the film either. Horror is hot right now and Halloween is striking at the perfect time of the year, with early tracking predicting that Halloween could have a huge opening weekend.
Halloween opens this Friday, October 19. For the horror movies and everything else you can look forward to seeing this fall, check out our release schedule.
