John Carpenter’s 1978 horror film Halloween is so compelling that even after a thousand sequels (okay, nine or ten, depending on how much hairsplitting you want to do), a wowed public will still pay to see this new revved-up 2018 homage in theaters.

Executive produced by Carpenter, who actively collaborated on the production with writers Jeff Fradley, Danny McBride, and writer-director David Gordon Green — I know, weird, right? All these comedians doing horror — the film includes many direct recreations of Carpenter’s memorably scary shots, such as the agonized face of Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis, wonderfully seared by age) leaning against the doorframe, waiting for Michael Myers to emerge and attack.

There are also some quietly inspired new effects, like the scene featuring motion sensor lights that keep getting tripped in a dark suburban backyard on Halloween night, with each successive floodlight burst showing Michael Myers standing still, but twenty feet closer to his teenage prey.