shane's review
4.0
Loved the film. Loved the novel at least as much. Was interesting to hear Michael Myers' thoughts and the odd memory of him as a child. I wasn't so keen on the little explanation at the beginning about the curse in ancient times and so on, it felt a bit unnecessary and I would've preferred the author to have left it out completely.
Very good, which is probably not something that's said too often about novelisations.
Very good, which is probably not something that's said too often about novelisations.
ryneb's review
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
literatetexan's review
2.0
I'm a huge fan of the movie, but the writing for the novel was lackluster--which is probably to be expected, but still. The attempts to make the characters a little deeper than they were on film actually weaken the story instead of strengthening, which is one of the mistakes Rob Zombie made in his ill-advised remake a few years ago.
michaelrcalkins's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Halloween is a really fascinating movie novelization. There is alot that is familiar here, but a surprising amount of original content, particularly in the early chapters where Curtis digs into the festival of Samhain and it’s effect on Michael Myers becoming The Shape. It actually echoes a bit of what would later come in Halloween II and especially Curse of Michael Myers. I found a lot of those digressions fascinating! I’m stunned they let him take this many liberties!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Sexual content, and Stalking
Moderate: Drug use and Cursing
Minor: Alcohol
matt08's review
3.0
Way too graphic but it has the only good origin for "Michael's" powers. It also works really well with the reboot trilogy's themes.
tyrelljh's review
5.0
I can't even explain to you how excited I was that the first Halloween movie was novelized. I intentionally read this book only after midnight with the faint glow of a fire gleaming off my kindle lol. it was really cool to be able to read what the characters (even Michael himself) were thinking prior/during/after each murder. The tension was captured phenomenally and I genuinely will look back on the time I spent reading this book with fondness.
akilynx's review
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
jamietherebelliousreader's review
5.0
Re-read #3 Halloween 2022
Happy Halloween!
*Original Review*
5 stars. Perfect companion to the film. It fills in so many missing details. While it follows closely to the film, there are some slight changes to it, particularly the ending. It’s still the same just a bit rewritten. I have the entire series that I got for dirt cheap at a garage sale (thank goodness because these books are stupid expensive!) so I plan on reading them all this month and then watching the corresponding film afterwards. Honestly, the entire time I was reading this I really wanted to watch the movie. It’s very close to it and makes the movie feel even better and whole. If you can get your hand on this—for cheap of course—I’d highly recommend it. The fact that we follow little six year old Michael Myers point of view and get his thoughts leading up to the murder was pretty awesome. Great read.
Happy Halloween!
*Original Review*
5 stars. Perfect companion to the film. It fills in so many missing details. While it follows closely to the film, there are some slight changes to it, particularly the ending. It’s still the same just a bit rewritten. I have the entire series that I got for dirt cheap at a garage sale (thank goodness because these books are stupid expensive!) so I plan on reading them all this month and then watching the corresponding film afterwards. Honestly, the entire time I was reading this I really wanted to watch the movie. It’s very close to it and makes the movie feel even better and whole. If you can get your hand on this—for cheap of course—I’d highly recommend it. The fact that we follow little six year old Michael Myers point of view and get his thoughts leading up to the murder was pretty awesome. Great read.