Movie remakes have always been a hit or miss. Sometimes, they land in the middle with unsure audiences not knowing how to feel. But with Halloween around the corner and remakes picking up speed, the most notable ones, Hocus Pocus 2 and Halloween Ends, have been buzzing.
As a Halloween movie fan, I had been waiting impatiently for months to watch these films, excited to see if they’d be similar to the originals or if they were a shot in the dark. But, upon watching them, I felt unsure — my excitement-filled anticipation and my honest thoughts and critiques taking over.
Out of both films, I anticipated Hocus Pocus 2 the most because the original from 1993 is one of the best, most classic Halloween movies — and for a good reason. It felt great to see the Sanderson sisters back at it, but it almost didn’t work for me. The movie begins with the sisters’ backstory in Salem, Massachusetts, which provides background context for the original first movie. This is followed by scenes from a present-day high school with present-day GenZ cultural references, which can be tricky to execute, especially if done the wrong way. This is why I appreciated that throughout the film, this was only done once. But still, when Mary Sanderson flies on a hoverboard instead of a broom like she did in the 90s original, I couldn’t help but look away. Or when the Sisters catch sight of an Amazon Alexa and another scene where they’re browsing a Walgreens and looking at face cream, with Sarah Jessica Parker’s character bringing up retinol. In that way, the modern-day references did not work in the film and made me squirm in my seat. However, there were some things the original 1999 film should’ve had, that the sequel possessed. Specifically, the sequel’s cast included not only the three original sisters but an entirely new, younger and more diverse cast — which the original film unfortunately lacked, and what I felt was the sequel’s primary positive in its sea of troubles. My final verdict is that I understood what they were trying to do with the remake: to bring back the Sanderson sisters to a new generation. Though, it could’ve been better in a way not to tarnish the original story’s magic.
Like Hocus Pocus 2, Halloween Ends had the same current of buzz surrounding its release. Before watching, I felt excited to see Michael Myers and hear the music signaling his emergence. I anticipated the final remake to be a bittersweet huzzah to the story of Laurie Strode and the terror Michael had reigned on the fictional town of Haddonfield, Illinois, for years. Nevertheless, like Hocus Pocus 2, there was potential, yet it was an unfortunate miss. Throughout the film, the plot surrounds a teenage boy, Corey Cunningham, who has been accused of murdering the child he babysits. As the film progresses, we learn that the teenage boy is Laurie Strode’s granddaughter’s boyfriend, with the entirety of the film focusing on them, their relationship and his almost friendly interactions with Michael. We rarely ever see Michael Myers and when we do, he is strangely portrayed as weak, being easily fought down, when he couldn’t be farther from that in the previous films. Though the ending seemed justified, I found myself enjoying the sense of finality in the scene between Laurie and her granddaughter. Much like Hocus Pocus 2, my final verdict is that the film could’ve had more meat to it and, overall, been a much better goodbye to the Halloween series.
So, what’s the deal with Halloween movie remakes? First, as a fan of the genre, I’ll say that I appreciate the efforts, but it is about the execution of the films that says it all; about how they honor the original stories’ authenticity while still preserving the magic that makes the movies so loved still to this day. This Halloween season, I would encourage you to put the remakes on the back burner and stick to the originals.