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Halloween Early Buzz and Reactions from 39 Film Critics
David Gordon Green‘s Halloween premiered at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival and reviews from the screening have begun pouring in. Almost all are positive, a rarity for a slasher horror film. Most people were interested in the eleventh Halloween film because Jamie Lee Curtis was reprising her role as Laurie Strode and Nick Castle was reprising his role Micheal Myers from the John Carpenter film. From the reviews, it would seem their inclusion is only the icing on the cake. The substance lies in the film itself, the kills, and the musical score.
Halloween Early Buzz and Reactions from 39 Film Critics
Jamie Lee Curtis returns as Laurie Strode and satisfyingly faces off against Michael Meyers 40 years later in David Gordon Green’s Halloween— in the style of John Carpenter and with his rocking score.#TIFF pic.twitter.com/MURzwjEgGG
— Anne Thompson (@akstanwyck) September 9, 2018
“Happy Halloween motherf*ckers.” Jamie Lee Curtis and the rest of the creative behind #HalloweenMovie accept a standing ovation after the #TIFF18 premiere. pic.twitter.com/LREYsJ89tB
— Fandango (@Fandango) September 9, 2018
HALLOWEEN is fucking terrific. Was definitely hoping for something this chilling, but was not expecting anything this funny or moving. #TIFF18
— Andrew Todd (@mistertodd) September 9, 2018
#HALLOWEEN: Messy and overloaded with fan service, but Jamie Lee Curtis charges through it as if she never stopped running 40 years ago. There are two moments that lift images from the '78 version to brilliant effect. It's OK. https://t.co/ezck7vNsfd #TIFF18
— erickohn (@erickohn) September 9, 2018
Beautiful while it lasts. 5 critics in pic.twitter.com/09hD1eY17f
— Jason Blum (@jason_blum) September 9, 2018
Carpenter's #Halloween is one of my all-time favorite horror films. Completely lacking its despair & discipline, David Gordon Green's did nothing for me. The occasion itself was moderately fun–the score, the cheering crowd eager to be pleased, Jamie Lee Curtis, etc. #TIFF18
— Tomris Laffly (@TomiLaffly) September 9, 2018
#Halloween is suuuuper satisfying, not least because it’s a movie that actually gives Judy Greer something to do! #TIFF18
— Angie J. Han (@ajhan) September 9, 2018
They did it. They only went ahead and did it. #Halloween is the movie we wanted and it delivers gloriously. The Shape has never been more terrifying. #TIFF18
— ?? Jon-O'-Lantern Barkan ?? (@JonathanBarkan) September 9, 2018
https://twitter.com/michelledeidre/status/1038660605941633024
HALLOWEEN is a total blast and is going to make a killing at the box office. Blumhouse does it again. Jamie Lee Curtis is still kicking ass and taking names. I can see fans watching this over and over again. The best Halloween since the original. #HalloweenMovie #TIFF18 pic.twitter.com/TSbtXr5Nuy
— Scott Menzel (@TheOtherScottM) September 9, 2018
HOLY FUCKING SHIT, THE NEW HALLOWEEN FUCKING RULES #TIFF18
— karen han (@karenyhan) September 9, 2018
In 24 hours, #TIFF18 has delivered three stylish updates of stories about fierce women fighting back against oppressive men: GLORIA BELL, HALLOWEEN, WIDOWS. Not a bad market standard. #TIFF18
— erickohn (@erickohn) September 9, 2018
HALLOWEEN is THE FORCE AWAKENS of HALLOWEEN movies: all the stuff you want, plus some new stuff, some dumb stuff, some delightfully remixed stuff. definitely the best time I’ve had at a #TIFF18 screening thus far
— ? Emma Stefansky ? (@stefabsky) September 9, 2018
The new HALLOWEEN is intense, with brutal kills, a killer score, and a powerhouse performance from @jamieleecurtis. An excellent companion piece to John Carpenter's original. #TIFF18 pic.twitter.com/ECBOrGwiUV
— Daily Dead (@DailyDeadNews) September 9, 2018
https://twitter.com/johnsemley3000/status/1038660673813848064
#Halloween is vicious! Loved the continuation of Laurie’s story but the pure evil of Michael’s drive to kill and the randomness of it is there and it’s strong. Beautifully shot, score is on point, some great humor and loaded with gore. It’s the complete package.
— Perri Nemiroff (@PNemiroff) September 9, 2018
David Gordon Green delivers best HALLOWEEN movie since the original & does a smart job w/ its callbacks to the 1st film. Legit scary, & while crazy violent at times, it shows restraint at others. Loved the score. Jamie Lee Curtis is a badass, like Ripley crossed w/ Sarah Connor.
— Jeff Sneider (@TheInSneider) September 9, 2018
DGG directs the hell out of the new HALLOWEEN. There are some chilling shots, esp. during a motion sensor scene. I had nitpicks, like some goofy humor & the off-camera kills, but the gory ones really make up for everything we don’t see. Jibrail Nantambu is a fun scene-stealer. ?
— Jeff Sneider (@TheInSneider) September 9, 2018
Oh my God, the new #Halloween is SO FREAKING GREAT! I loved it! Can't wait for you all to read my review later Sunday! #TIFF18 pic.twitter.com/QpJMqnfUNw
— Jim Vejvoda (@JimVejvoda) September 9, 2018
So #Halloween is a whole hell of a lot of fun. It has a number of dynamite old school slasher sequences that make Michael a FORCE again, and Laurie Strode has never been better. Fans will love it. #TIFF
— David Crow (@DCrowsNest) September 9, 2018
Hell yeah, #Halloween rocks! So scary & pretty funny. The way it balances the freak-out and the nervous humor and the nasty kills is just fantastic. All of it plays so well together. Badass to the bone. Loved it. As David Gordon Green says, “it’s simple and relentless.”#TIFF18 pic.twitter.com/ZpebQfdAVF
— Erik Davis (@ErikDavis) September 9, 2018
#Halloween: There’s an entire subplot in this that’s TERRIBLE and should’ve been cut. Thankfully, everything else is an absolute blast. Brutal, scary, and yes, funny. #TIFF18
— Chris Evangelista (@cevangelista413) September 9, 2018
For those waitin on word from the #TIFF screening of HALLOWEEN ? lemme set your mind at ease. David Gordon Green brought the goods! Plenty to ??4 fans of the franchise & genre, JLC brought her A game per usual, Carpenter’s score was ? , but Jibrail Nantambu stole the show!
— ?Jacqueline? (@THATJacqueline) September 9, 2018
Um, why did I just cry in HALLOWEEN?
— Katie Walsh (@katiewalshstx) September 9, 2018
We Just Got Done Watching “Halloween” 2018 At @TIFF_NET And Guys OMG!! Your not ready, the kills are more gruesome, it definitely lives up to the original, Jamie Lee Curtis does absolutely OUTSTANDING In this film! We’re gonna give it at 9.5/10? #HalloweenMovie #MichaelMyers
— filmsphenomenal_ (@FilmsPhenomenal) September 9, 2018
https://twitter.com/ezwrites/status/1038668109459214336
Buzzkill warning: After months of hype, David Gordon Green's HALLOWEEN is just another lame HALLOWEEN sequel, adding almost nothing except comic relief to undercut the scares. I much prefer H20. #TIFF18
— A.A. Dowd (@AADowd) September 9, 2018
#Halloween just premiered at TIFF, and has plenty to thrill those awaiting the return of The Shape. But is it *too* funny? Full review to follow soon #TIFF18
— Total Film (@totalfilm) September 9, 2018
Halloween RULES. Perfect horror movie. Thrilling till the end. Entire cast was great. Better than original don’t @ me!!! #Tiff18? ?#halloween
— Stefan (@shicksru) September 9, 2018
There is ONE scene that original fans are going to GO NUTS for. You know when you see it. The theatre erupted in screams and applause. #Halloween
— Joey Monda ? (@joeymonda) September 9, 2018
The new Halloween has a callback shot so inspired it could sell the entire movie. Luckily, it doesn’t have to. It’s an absolute blast.
— Matt Jacobs (@tarantallegra) September 9, 2018
Halloween was fucking fantastic! Gory, entertaining, scary and hilarious! Everyone brought their A game. Ya’ll ain’t ready. #HalloweenMovie #TIFF #TIFF18
— Burger Bro//???? (@deletetwotter) September 9, 2018
Not everything in #Halloween works — a lot of the humor didn’t land for me — but overall it’s an extremely satisfying sequel, and the rare horror movie that actually gets better as it goes. #TIFF18
— Adam Lubitow (@adamlubitow) September 9, 2018
HALLOWEEN: Best one in thirty-nine years. #TIFF18
— Norm Wilner (@normwilner) September 9, 2018
https://twitter.com/PaulThomasHeath/status/1038663367676706817
The new HALLOWEEN starts with an interesting premise. The ending is good. The rest was really disappointing. #tiff18
— Mike Ryan (@mikeryan) September 9, 2018
#Halloween is awesome and amazing to see with a crowd! Lived up to every bit of hype I had for it. Great callbacks to the original, gruesome and memorable kills and Jamie Lee Curtis crushes. Climax is fucking amazing. I want to watch it again already. Well done DGG #TIFF18 pic.twitter.com/rfnEwJTz6v
— ConnorMovies @ TIFF20 Digital (@ConnorMovies) September 9, 2018
https://twitter.com/samdzimmerman/status/1038681002426736640
Shaking. The response to this screening nearly brought me to tears. So happy…
— Ryan Turek (@_RyanTurek) September 9, 2018
Halloween‘s plot synopsis: “Laurie Strode comes to her final confrontation with Michael Myers, the masked figure who has haunted her since she narrowly escaped his killing spree on Halloween night four decades ago.”
Halloween stars Judy Greer, Jamie Lee Curtis, Virginia Gardner, Nick Castle, Will Patton, Toby Huss, Miles Robbins, Jefferson Hall, Haluk Bilginer, Andi Matichak, Omar J. Dorsey, Christopher Allen Nelson, James Jude Courtney, Dylan Arnold, and Drew Scheid.
Leave your thoughts on the Halloween Early Buzz and Reactions from 39 Film Critics below in the comments section. Halloween will released in U.S. theaters through Universal Pictures on October 19, 2018. Want up-to-the-minute notifications? FilmBook staff members publish articles by Email, Twitter, Tumblr, Google+, and Facebook.