“Halloween Kills” is directed by David Gordon Green and written by Green, Danny McBride, and Scott Teems. Starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, Andi Matichak. the film is a direct sequel to 2018’s “Halloween” and the 12th installment in the “Halloween” franchise.
The film picks up directly where the last film left off with the Strode woman trapping Michael Myers in the basement, to let him burn as the house is engulfed in flames. Since this is a Halloween film, Michael Myers survives.
What I loved about the 2018 “Halloween” film besides it being a direct sequel to the 1978 original, was that the film had real drama beyond the scares.
The film depicted a woman (Laurie Strode) who has been living with the trauma of what happened to her 40 years ago when she first encountered the boogeyman, Michael Myers.
The film showed how that fateful night in Haddonfield, Illinois not just affected her but her family (namely her daughter and grand-daughter), and gave the film real stakes outside of the terror that is Michael Myers.
Sadly, this sequel does not have the same drama.
The sequel ironically falls into the same pitfalls as the sequel that it erases from canon.
“I felt a bit disappointed with the movie compared to the last one,” said James Thomas, 25, a crew Leader at AMC Neshaminy 24.
Following an impressively realized flashback which fills in some gaps in the night Myers was apprehended, we pick up right where the last film ended as the masked madman escapes his fiery prison and massacres a group of first responders.
From there, we follow Michael on a brutally bloody rampage across Haddonfield while Laurie recovers in hospital and the townspeople – Tommy Doyle (Anthony Michael Hall) and Lindsey Wallace (Kyle Richards) among them – assemble a mob to hunt down Michael and end his reign of terror.
Having Haddonfield revolt against Myers is an interesting idea, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired.
The movie goes to great lengths to make a point about the dangers of mob-mentality and giving in to fear, but it’s all far too heavy-handed to really have much of an impact.
The film does shine when it chooses to focus back on the returning characters.
Jamie Lee Curtis (Laurie), Judy Greer (Karen) and Andi Matichak (Allyson) once again do terrific work in the lead roles, and the film comes alive whenever any of them are on-screen – which is nowhere near enough.
Sidelining Laurie does make a certain amount of sense if their final face-off is being saved for next years “Halloween Ends”.
David Gordon Green is still a strong director, there are some great visuals, and the John Carpenter’s score is amazing.
The kills in the fill are not for the faint of heart.
For a horror franchise that has been around since 1978, “Halloween Kills” has some of the most creative and brutal kills in the entire franchise. Michael Myers is not messing around!
“The ending was trash,” said Diane Johnson, a 24- year-old Bensalem nurse.
The ending may be divisive for some, but given that they announced they were making two films (Halloween Kills, Halloween Ends), the ending of this film makes sense.
“Halloween Kills” is an uneven sequel that shines when it puts the focus on the Strode family (Laurie, Karen, and Allyson), and the boogeyman himself Michael Myers.
For next year’s “Halloween Ends” let’s hope for a rousing finale.
Film Review Grade : C
“Halloween Kills” stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, and Andi Matichak. The film is currently in theaters and streaming on Peacock (With Tier Subscription).