Halloween

Forty years after the 1978 Haddonfield murders, true-crime podcasters Aaron Korey and Dana Haines travel to Smith’s Grove Sanitarium to interview Michael Myers, who was captured after Dr. Samuel Loomis shot him off of the Doyle house balcony. Dr. Ranbir Sartain, who has been treating Michael since Loomis’ death, informs them that Michael is able to speak but chooses not to. Aaron fails to get Michael to speak, even after brandishing his mask and mentioning Laurie Strode, the sole survivor of the 1978 murders.

Aaron and Dana then head over to Laurie’s heavily fortified house to interview her. She has spent the last 40 years dealing with post-traumatic stress and preparing for Michael’s inevitable return. Her trauma has resulted in two failed marriages and losing custody of her daughter Karen, who now has a husband called Ray and teenage daughter Allyson. Aaron and Dana disclose to Laurie their interest in finding out why Michael committed the murders and ask her to meet with him in a final attempt to get him to speak before he is transferred to a maximum security prison. Laurie declines and sends them away.

As patients are loaded onto a bus transport, Dr. Sartain insists on accompanying Michael. Later, the bus crashes in a ditch, the security guards are killed, and the inmates scatter about the road, allowing Michael to escape. The following morning, on Halloween, Michael finds Dana and Aaron at a gas station and kills them. Michael ransacks their car and recovers his mask before returning to Haddonfield. Laurie learns about the crash and breaks into Karen’s house to demonstrate her lack of security.

On Halloween night, Michael wanders Haddonfield and murders several people including Allyson’s friend Vicky. The boy that Vicky was babysitting, Julian, flees as Michael attacks and calls the police. Laurie, patrolling the streets in her truck, hears the dispatch call on her CB radio and hurries to the house, where Deputy Frank Hawkins, who arrested Michael in 1978, finds the bodies of Vicky and her boyfriend Dave. Laurie and Hawkins find Michael; Laurie shoots him in the shoulder, but Michael disappears.

Allyson’s friend Oscar is killed by Michael as he and Allyson leave a Halloween party during which Allyson’s phone is broken. Allyson is chased before finding refuge in a neighboring home and being picked up by Hawkins and Dr. Sartain. Laurie, Karen, and Ray arrive at Laurie’s fortified home. Finding Michael, Hawkins runs him over, despite Dr. Sartain’s protests. Hawkins gets out of the vehicle to shoot him dead, but Dr. Sartain stabs the deputy in the throat and kills him, believing Michael’s mind is too fascinating to let die. He loads Michael into the vehicle with Allyson and drives to Laurie’s house, intent on reuniting them. Allyson tells Dr. Sartain that Michael spoke to her to trick him into letting her go. Allyson flees into the woods as Michael regains consciousness and forces Dr. Sartain out of the vehicle before stomping his skull, killing him. Michael kills two cops outside Laurie’s home, before strangling Ray to death after he discovers them. Laurie sees Michael standing outside and bolts the door and calls for Karen to lock herself in the basement. Michael smashes through the door’s glass and tries to break Laurie’s neck but she shoots off two of his fingers and retreats into the basement.

Laurie tells Karen how much she loves her before leaving the safety of the basement. She starts to hunt for Michael through the house armed with a shotgun and locking down rooms that Michael isn’t in. Michael manages to ambush her and throw her over the balcony but when he looks down, Laurie has vanished from sight.

Michael hears Allyson make it to Laurie’s home. She makes her way into the basement with Karen. He then searches for both of them in the house and tears open the basement entrance. Karen then shoots Michael with a rifle and Laurie attacks Michael from behind, forcing him to fall into the basement. As Karen and Allyson leave, Michael regains consciousness and tries to pull Karen to him but Allyson stabs him with his knife, allowing Karen to break free and flip a switch that springs metal bars into place, barricading the exit and trapping Michael in the basement as it fills with gas. Laurie says goodbye to Michael as she throws a lit flare into the basement, setting it and Michael ablaze. Laurie, Karen, and Allyson escape as the house is engulfed in flames and hitch a ride in the back of a pickup truck. The three women embrace as they are taken to safety, and Allyson holds Michael’s knife as the credits roll.

At the end of the credits, Michael’s breathing is heard and he is not present in the burning basement.

Classification: 18