Halloween Reactions Promise a Return to Form For the Franchise!

Last night was the night that Michael Myers finally came home again. Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Productions held the premiere screening of David Gordon Green’s slasher sequel Halloween at the Toronto International Film Festival, and for the most part critics and fans were ecstatic! Check out the first Halloween reactions below!

RELATED: The New Halloween Trailer is Here!

Jamie Lee Curtis returns to her iconic role as Laurie Strode, who comes to her final confrontation with Michael Myers, the masked figure who has haunted her since she narrowly escaped his killing spree on Halloween night four decades ago. Curtis is joined in the film by Judy Greer who plays Karen Strode, the daughter of Curtis’ character, and Andi Matichak (Orange Is the New Black, Underground) who plays Allyson, the granddaughter of Laurie Strode.

The upcoming sequel film will be ignoring the continuity of all of the sequels in favor of telling its own story. Curtis previously appeared in four films in the series, including the 1978 original, its 1981 sequel, 1998’s Halloween H20: 20 Years Later, and Resurrection.

RELATED: Green & McBride Reveal Why They’re Ignoring All the Halloween Sequels

Master of horror John Carpenter will executive produce and serve as creative consultant on this film, joining forces with cinema’s current leading producer of horror, Jason Blum (Get Out, Split, The Purge, Paranormal Activity). Inspired by Carpenter’s classic, filmmakers David Gordon Green and Danny McBride crafted a story that carves a new path from the events in the landmark 1978 film. Green also directs.

The film will hit the theaters on October 19.

“Happy Halloween motherf*ckers.” Jamie Lee Curtis and the rest of the creative behind #HalloweenMovie accept a standing ovation after the #TIFF18 premiere. pic.twitter.com/LREYsJ89tB

— Fandango (@Fandango) September 9, 2018

#Halloween is suuuuper satisfying, not least because it’s a movie that actually gives Judy Greer something to do! #TIFF18

— Angie J. Han (@ajhan) September 9, 2018

Movie #9: HALLOWEEN. Fear not, @HalloweenMovie delivers. Some great kills that had me cheering. And lots of great references (& a cameo!) that harken back to the original. Great score by Carpenter and his son, Cody. I want to be as badass as the Strode women, someday. #TIFF18

— Michelle @ TIFF (@michelledeidre) September 9, 2018

HALLOWEEN is a total blast and is going to make a killing at the box office. Blumhouse does it again. Jamie Lee Curtis is still kicking ass and taking names. I can see fans watching this over and over again. The best Halloween since the original. #HalloweenMovie #TIFF18 pic.twitter.com/TSbtXr5Nuy

— Scott Menzel @ TIFF (@TheOtherScottM) September 9, 2018

HOLY FUCKING SHIT, THE NEW HALLOWEEN FUCKING RULES #TIFF18

— karen han (@karenyhan) September 9, 2018

HALLOWEEN is THE FORCE AWAKENS of HALLOWEEN movies: all the stuff you want, plus some new stuff, some dumb stuff, some delightfully remixed stuff. definitely the best time I’ve had at a #TIFF18 screening thus far

— Emma Stefansky (@stefabsky) September 9, 2018

The new HALLOWEEN is intense, with brutal kills, a killer score, and a powerhouse performance from @jamieleecurtis. An excellent companion piece to John Carpenter’s original. #TIFF18 pic.twitter.com/ECBOrGwiUV

— Daily Dead (@DailyDeadNews) September 9, 2018

HALLOWEEN (david gordon greene): it somehow manages to do all the wink-nudge fan service bullshit and….not be annoying at all. the film is a miracle. and so much fucking fun. #TIFF18

— your friend john (@johnsemley3000) September 9, 2018

#Halloween is vicious! Loved the continuation of Laurie’s story but the pure evil of Michael’s drive to kill and the randomness of it is there and it’s strong. Beautifully shot, score is on point, some great humor and loaded with gore. It’s the complete package.

— Perri Nemiroff (@PNemiroff) September 9, 2018

They did it. They only went ahead and did it. #Halloween is the movie we wanted and it delivers gloriously. The Shape has never been more terrifying. #TIFF18

— Jonathan Barkan (@JonathanBarkan) September 9, 2018

David Gordon Green delivers best HALLOWEEN movie since the original & does a smart job w/ its callbacks to the 1st film. Legit scary, & while crazy violent at times, it shows restraint at others. Loved the score. Jamie Lee Curtis is a badass, like Ripley crossed w/ Sarah Connor.

— Jeff Sneider (@TheInSneider) September 9, 2018

DGG directs the hell out of the new HALLOWEEN. There are some chilling shots, esp. during a motion sensor scene. I had nitpicks, like some goofy humor & the off-camera kills, but the gory ones really make up for everything we don’t see. Jibrail Nantambu is a fun scene-stealer.

— Jeff Sneider (@TheInSneider) September 9, 2018

Oh my God, the new #Halloween is SO FREAKING GREAT! I loved it! Can’t wait for you all to read my review later Sunday! #TIFF18 pic.twitter.com/QpJMqnfUNw

— Jim Vejvoda @ TIFF (@JimVejvoda) September 9, 2018

So #Halloween is a whole hell of a lot of fun. It has a number of dynamite old school slasher sequences that make Michael a FORCE again, and Laurie Strode has never been better. Fans will love it. #TIFF

— David Crow (@DCrowsNest) September 9, 2018

Hell yeah, #Halloween rocks! So scary & pretty funny. The way it balances the freak-out and the nervous humor and the nasty kills is just fantastic. All of it plays so well together. Badass to the bone. Loved it. As David Gordon Green says, “it’s simple and relentless.”#TIFF18 pic.twitter.com/ZpebQfdAVF

— Erik Davis (@ErikDavis) September 9, 2018

#Halloween: There’s an entire subplot in this that’s TERRIBLE and should’ve been cut. Thankfully, everything else is an absolute blast. Brutal, scary, and yes, funny. #TIFF18

— Chris Evangelista @ TIFF (@cevangelista413) September 9, 2018

For those waitin on word from the #TIFF screening of HALLOWEEN lemme set your mind at ease. David Gordon Green brought the goods! Plenty to 4 fans of the franchise & genre, JLC brought her A game per usual, Carpenter’s score was , but Jibrail Nantambu stole the show!

— Jacqueline @ #TIFF18 (@THATJacqueline) September 9, 2018

Um, why did I just cry in HALLOWEEN?

— Katie Walsh (@katiewalshstx) September 9, 2018

We Just Got Done Watching “Halloween” 2018 At @TIFF_NET And Guys OMG!! Your not ready, the kills are more gruesome, it definitely lives up to the original, Jamie Lee Curtis does absolutely OUTSTANDING In this film! We’re gonna give it at 9.5/10 #HalloweenMovie #MichaelMyers

— PhenomenalFilms (@phenomenalfilms) September 9, 2018

Jamie Lee Curtis returns as Laurie Strode and satisfyingly faces off against Michael Meyers 40 years later in David Gordon Green’s Halloween— in the style of John Carpenter and with his rocking score.#TIFF pic.twitter.com/MURzwjEgGG

— Anne Thompson (@akstanwyck) September 9, 2018

HALLOWEEN: I am so happy for Judy Greer. #TIFF18

— Esther Zuckerman (@ezwrites) September 9, 2018

Buzzkill warning: After months of hype, David Gordon Green’s HALLOWEEN is just another lame HALLOWEEN sequel, adding almost nothing except comic relief to undercut the scares. I much prefer H20. #TIFF18

— AADowd (@AADowd) September 9, 2018

There is ONE scene that original fans are going to GO NUTS for. You know when you see it. The theatre erupted in screams and applause. #Halloween

— Joey Monda (@joeymonda) September 9, 2018

The new Halloween has a callback shot so inspired it could sell the entire movie. Luckily, it doesn’t have to. It’s an absolute blast.

— Matt Jacobs (@tarantallegra) September 9, 2018

Halloween was fucking fantastic! Gory, entertaining, scary and hilarious! Everyone brought their A game. Ya’ll ain’t ready. #HalloweenMovie #TIFF #TIFF18

— TIFFrific (@Adamnfilms) September 9, 2018

#HALLOWEEN: Messy and overloaded with fan service, but Jamie Lee Curtis charges through it as if she never stopped running 40 years ago. There are two moments that lift images from the ’78 version to brilliant effect. It’s OK. https://t.co/ezck7vNsfd #TIFF18

— erickohn (@erickohn) September 9, 2018

HALLOWEEN: Best one in thirty-nine years. #TIFF18

— Norm Wilner (@normwilner) September 9, 2018

The new HALLOWEEN starts with an interesting premise. The ending is good. The rest was really disappointing. #tiff18

— Mike Ryan (@mikeryan) September 9, 2018

#Halloween is awesome and amazing to see with a crowd! Lived up to every bit of hype I had for it. Great callbacks to the original, gruesome and memorable kills and Jamie Lee Curtis crushes. Climax is fucking amazing. I want to watch it again already. Well done DGG #TIFF18 pic.twitter.com/rfnEwJTz6v

— Connor (@ConnorMovies) September 9, 2018

HALLOWEEN 2018: it shreds

— Sam Zimmerman (@samdzimmerman) September 9, 2018

Shaking. The response to this screening nearly brought me to tears. So happy…

— Ryan Turek (@_RyanTurek) September 9, 2018

Beautiful while it lasts. 5 critics in pic.twitter.com/09hD1eY17f

— Jason Blum (@jason_blum) September 9, 2018