Alejandro's Reviews > Halloween

As good as the movie!!!


This is the novelization by Curtis Richards based on the original screenplay done for the film by John Carpenter & Debra Hill.

IF YOU KNEW BY HEART THE FILM...IS IT WORTHY TO READ THE NOVEL?

Quick answer... YES!!!

...but those are movies. You can always turn the television off if you get too scared. You can't turn off real life.

I had already watched the film several times in the past, but since I was able to get a copy of it like four years ago, I set a "tradition" to watch the film Halloween each October 31st at night. So, I was uncertain of how much I would enjoy to read the novel since I knew quite well how the story went, however, the novel adds several additional information not presented on the film that it made, just for that, quite worthy to read the book, and also, while I knew how was the story, the narrative style was so engaging that I enjoyed a lot the reading experience. So, I am truly glad of having decided to read the novelization.

I think that besides the obvious title of the film that makes it a perfect choice to watch on Halloween's night, a key element of the story is that while it's highly unlikely that you will meet a vampire, zombie or another kind of paranormal monster on Halloween, it's dangerously disturbing the chance of meeting a serial killer. Even, when the story "injects" to Michael Myers with certain degree of paranormal endurance, at the very end, he is a serial killer and sadly that's something that anybody can find in real life.

WITHOUT SPOILERS...WHAT CAN YOU FIND NEW ON THE NOVEL?

The novel starts with a prologue showing an ancient ritual related to the roots of the festivities tied to Samhain.

Moreover, you will find quite extended presentation of the childhood of Michael Myers, even commenting about incidents in his family way before of his birth, but also his life on the psychiatric hospital when he was still a child. Quite revealing, insightful and great to strength even more the image of the character.

Even a chat between Dr. Sam Loomis and Sheriff Brackett related to the past family of Michael Myers that you will find the same of valuable to read.

And it seems that Michael Myers, at least during the day, when he is around Haddonfield, he is wearing a mask different that the one that everybody remembers. It's described that he is like having the lips painted on red and around the eyes, painted with purple. My best guess, is that his attempt to reproduce his clown mask when he was a child. (Dang those creepy clowns, again!)

...it's Halloween. I guess everybody's entitled to a good scare.

MY ONLY COMPLAIN ABOUT THE MOVIE...IS IT FIXED ON THE NOVEL?

Quick answer... No.

Let me explain, my only complain about the movie is that while Laurie Strode is starting to freak out during the day due encountering several times with Michael Myers, and it's noticeable (and understandable) that she is quite nervous about it, suddenly she is not believing to young Tommy, at night, when he tells her that he is watching "The Bogeyman" out there. It happens in the movie, and just the same in the book. It's not logical!!! Dang! If she was suspecting that some mysterious shadowy man was kinda stalking her, why the heck she doesn't give a dang about the comments of young Tommy?

Oh, the own inner logic of slasher stuff! ;) You have to accept it as it comes.

But, nevertheless, the Halloween novelization is a horror book that I highly recommend, not matter if you have already watched the cult film or not.

But you can't kill the bogeyman.