With no disrespect to the rest of the cast, when Jamie Lee Curtis is not in shot, the pulse slows. Whether that be to her star status or connection to the original, it’s difficult to tell.

Thankfully, her character Laurie Strode’s dual with Michael Myers, who has escaped from a secure facility almost forty years to the day since he was arrested for The Babysitter Murders, forms the bonfire around which the plot crackles and spits. Though it should be said, there are few fireworks.

And a tension-filled scene towards the end, as she wanders breathlessly through a darkened house, gun in hand, is reminiscent of Jodie Foster tracking down the liver-loving serial killer with a taste for a nice Chianti.

Disregarding plot developments of previous sequels, director and co-writer David Gordon Green (Stronger, Our Brand Is Crisis) successfully adopts the suggest not show approach to slash and gore, which adds weight to the few excruciating aorta ruptures. And he nails most scene endings with a satisfying swish, thud or stab. Though the actual ending is strangely subdued.

Curtis does and says little – and is all the more watchable for it – as she tries to protect her “full of love and understanding” daughter Karen (Judy Greer) and boyfriend-jilting granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak) from the “dark and evil place” that is the world.

Are people born evil? asks Michael Myer’s long-term psychiatrist Dr Sartain (Haluk Bilginer). Are their heinous crimes random or triggered? And what’s more, how do they feel? Assuming, of course, they feel at all. This is not the film to answer such questions, but it’s a taut reboot which brings closure to the victims – and, fingers crossed, the franchise.

Director: David Gordon Green
Writers: David Gordon Green (screenplay), Danny McBride (screenplay)
Stars: Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, Andi Matichak
Peter Callaghan
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