Halloween

Four decades after his rash of babysitter murders, silent super-psycho Michael Myers (Nick Castle, the originator of the role back in 1978) escapes incarceration and returns home to Haddonfield. Only this time, a still-traumatised Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) is ready for him with a hefty arsenal of weaponry and a booby-trapped house. Ignoring all previous mixed-bag sequels, director David Gordon Green takes John Carpenter's landmark slasher back to its roots with a superior continuation of the killer saga, cleverly embellishing the established mythology while adding tense tweaks of its own. Loaded with great scares, horrifying deaths, brave twists and knowing in-jokes, this film will satisfy fans and newcomers alike. Curtis excels as the survivor whose trauma has affected her entire life, while Green makes effective use of Carpenter's wonderfully repurposed soundtrack. As Halloween's go, this is an absolute treat.