Review Detail
9.7 6 10
Overall rating
10.0
Audio/Video Quality
10.0
Audio Editing
10.0
Visual Editing
10.0
Narrative
10.0
Enjoyment
10.0
After watching Last Survivor's latest Halloween reimagining, and I can say with confidence, this is the DEFINITIVE 2 in 1 combination.
Why?
Because this is the FIRST ONE EVER that has a proper THREE ACT MOVIE STRUCTURE.
There have been many, many, MANY 1978 Halloween and 1980 Halloween II fan edit combos over the years, all of which had their own strengths and their own entertainment factor, but at the end of the day, they all mostly still played like fan edits, like two movies glued together. And that is fine. Nothing wrong with that. Especially if you want to enjoy all the Kills. But if you wanted to watch one that genuinely played out like a horror movie of the period, then none quite cracked the needed Three Act Structure Story Code.
Until now.
This fan edit is bold and radical. And may not be to every hardcore Halloween fans' taste.
Most of the legendary kills are gone. This movie is laser focused on following the point of views of Laurie and Loomis. The audience discovers the bloody devastation of Michael only when Loomis or Laurie do. We experience the terror of Michael coming home through their eyes. This creates a much more intimate and mature film. In fact, I would dare say, this is no longer a Slasher Movie at all but is now a Suspense Mystery Thriller.
The onscreen kills now only occur in the the Third Act, only after the mystery unravels and the tension has masterfully escalated over the first Two Acts. This, for me, makes the final kills less about thrills but more about genuine horror. In other words, the final kills are narratively earned and thus have more impact. As I said before, this is structurally and tonally, a VERY DIFFERENT movie from the originals.
Along with massive cut work (more than an hour of material is gone), the tone of the originals has been extensively altered by Last Survivor's signature music replacement. New variations of classic Halloween music themes have been used in most of the iconic scenes we all know so well, giving the scenes new life and energy. And for me, the best music replacement is the joining scene of Halloween and Halloween II. Instead of using the recognizable franchise theme like most fan edits, LS goes with something completely different and now it no longer plays like one movie ending and another beginning, but as just a single scene seamlessly transitioning from Act Two into Act Three. It is for me, a brilliant piece of editing.
I will say again, this is not the Halloween you remember.
Last Survivor has crafted something new, something different.
Less Kill-centric and more character focused.
A very refreshing Halloween fan edit.
Thumbs Up for me.
Why?
Because this is the FIRST ONE EVER that has a proper THREE ACT MOVIE STRUCTURE.
There have been many, many, MANY 1978 Halloween and 1980 Halloween II fan edit combos over the years, all of which had their own strengths and their own entertainment factor, but at the end of the day, they all mostly still played like fan edits, like two movies glued together. And that is fine. Nothing wrong with that. Especially if you want to enjoy all the Kills. But if you wanted to watch one that genuinely played out like a horror movie of the period, then none quite cracked the needed Three Act Structure Story Code.
Until now.
This fan edit is bold and radical. And may not be to every hardcore Halloween fans' taste.
Most of the legendary kills are gone. This movie is laser focused on following the point of views of Laurie and Loomis. The audience discovers the bloody devastation of Michael only when Loomis or Laurie do. We experience the terror of Michael coming home through their eyes. This creates a much more intimate and mature film. In fact, I would dare say, this is no longer a Slasher Movie at all but is now a Suspense Mystery Thriller.
The onscreen kills now only occur in the the Third Act, only after the mystery unravels and the tension has masterfully escalated over the first Two Acts. This, for me, makes the final kills less about thrills but more about genuine horror. In other words, the final kills are narratively earned and thus have more impact. As I said before, this is structurally and tonally, a VERY DIFFERENT movie from the originals.
Along with massive cut work (more than an hour of material is gone), the tone of the originals has been extensively altered by Last Survivor's signature music replacement. New variations of classic Halloween music themes have been used in most of the iconic scenes we all know so well, giving the scenes new life and energy. And for me, the best music replacement is the joining scene of Halloween and Halloween II. Instead of using the recognizable franchise theme like most fan edits, LS goes with something completely different and now it no longer plays like one movie ending and another beginning, but as just a single scene seamlessly transitioning from Act Two into Act Three. It is for me, a brilliant piece of editing.
I will say again, this is not the Halloween you remember.
Last Survivor has crafted something new, something different.
Less Kill-centric and more character focused.
A very refreshing Halloween fan edit.
Thumbs Up for me.
B