HALLOWEEN KILLS (2021)
Updated: Dec 11, 2022
A Shocking Yet Inferior Sequel to the 2018 Slasher Reboot
Grade: C+
**Spoiler Alert!!**
In 1978, director John Carpenter unleashed Halloween, a terrifying and suspenseful movie that was embraced by critics and audiences and spawned a massive series of films of varying popularity. After languishing for several years, the franchise bounced back in 2018 with a direct sequel to the first movie that ignored the narrative of every film in between. Also called Halloween, it became the highest-grossing film in the series. Unfortunately its sequel, Halloween Kills, is not quite at the same level as either the original or even its predecessor. It is not a terrible movie, as it features some genuinely shocking moments and a few interesting ideas, but it suffers from both repeated callbacks to the original film and the predictability of its plot. Yet these flaws are somewhat salvaged by the sheer terror of how things turn out, including the horrific fates of several characters.
Halloween (2018) ended with series veteran Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), her daughter Karen (Judy Greer) and granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak) thinking they had finally destroyed their nemesis, the masked serial killer Michael Myers (or "The Shape," as he is called in the credits) by trapping him in the basement of Laurie's fortified house which they then set ablaze. But Myers is still alive and kicking when firefighters come to douse the flames, and he proceeds to kill them all before making his way back to the town of Haddonfield, Illinois. While Laurie recovers in the hospital from injuries sustained during the fight, the Haddonfield community becomes aware of Myers's return and the body count from his latest killing spree. Tommy Doyle (Anthony Michael Hall), a Haddonfield citizen whom Laurie had babysat in 1978, rallies the horrified and grief-stricken townspeople to hunt down Myers and stop him once and for all. Before the night is finished, they will all realize that they have bitten off way more than they could chew.
Halloween Kills makes a common sequel mistake of repeatedly referencing the events of the first movie. The characters mention it over and over, and there is an extended flashback early in the film explaining how Myers was recaptured by the authorities in '78. Nowadays, movies that constantly remind audiences of their classic predecessors are relying on their nostalgia, and it runs the risk of becoming annoying.
The movie's other problems basically go hand-in-hand with its plusses. Jamie Lee Curtis still puts on a great performance as Strode, but she is given less to do here since she is hospitalized. Michael Myers's gruesome rampage remains shocking and horrifying to watch, but the moments leading up to his attacks mainly consist of frightened people wandering around in the dark looking for him. Not exactly new material for a slasher movie. There is also a scene halfway through the movie where an innocent mental patient (who presumably escaped from the same bus that was carrying Myers in the last movie) is mistaken for Myers and attracts an angry mob, with tragic results. This is an interesting development that further illustrates the effect Myers has on the community and taps into the idea that fear can turn people into monsters, but the message is literally spelled out by Laurie, essentially diluting its impact. Later, after the guilt sets in, the people continue on as normal. Basically, this scene could have been cut without affecting much in the movie.
When viewed alongside other movies of its kind, there is little to set Halloween Kills apart except the concept of the killer's prey uniting en masse and fighting back. This clever and compelling idea is ultimately defeated by the predictability of the battle's outcome. This viewer will probably be forgiven for giving away the fact that their crusade is doomed. Because Michael Myers is a slasher villain; and slasher villains, by their very definition, are indestructible. Still, the movie does a decent job of lulling the audience into a false sense of security during the finale before everything turns around in gory fashion.
In the end, the audience is left with despair by the number of characters killed off, some of which were introduced in the original film. And it demonstrates how even the best intentions and most carefully laid plans can fall to pieces in the face of pure evil; when the dust settles, Myers is still standing. Yet even this is no big surprise to people who know anything about him.
Halloween Kills is still a well-made horror movie with great scares, but at this point in the franchise it is common knowledge that Myers cannot be killed, and that undermines most of the movie's suspense. Yet it also proves that the franchise is not afraid of killing off beloved characters, and while this doesn't quite elevate the movie beyond its predecessors, it still keeps viewers riveted; who will be the next to go? The wait will not be long, as a sequel, Halloween Ends, is scheduled for next year (the fact that it was announced before this movie was released is another reason why the plot is predictable). Hopefully it will tie up the loose ends left by this movie and maybe even find a weakness for Myers, bringing this new cycle of films to a close. If not, it will end on yet another hook, baiting audiences back and falling into the same trap as most films in the franchise of churning out sequel after inferior sequel.
Director: David Gordon Green
Screenplay: Scott Teems, Danny McBride, David Gordon Green (Based on characters created by John Carpenter and Debra Hill)
Producers: Malek Akkad, Jason Blum, Bill Block
Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis (Laurie Strode), Judy Greer (Karen Nelson), Andi Matichak (Allyson Nelson), James Jude Courtney, Nick Castle (The Shape), Will Patton (Deputy Frank Hawkins), Anthony Michael Hall (Tommy Doyle), Robert Longstreet (Lonnie Elam), Dylan Arnold (Cameron Elam), Charles Cyphers (Leigh Brackett), Kyle Richards (Lindsey Wallace), Nancy Stephens (Marion Chambers), Omar Dorsey (Sheriff Barker), Thomas Mann (Young Frank Hawkins), Airon Armstrong (The Shape '78), Tristian Eggerling (Young Lonnie Elam)
Rated: R (for strong bloody violence throughout, grisly images, language and some drug use)
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