Halloween Kills

. . . and KILLS again!

The nightmare isn’t over.  Far from it.  Of course, fans of Michael Myers already know this.  The Bogeyman can never be stopped from doing what it does.  In the capable hands of Director David Gordon Green and cinematographer Michael Simmonds, Haddonfield of 1978 comes roaring back to life with some great moments as flashbacks to the original night provide key character developments involving Myers and Deputy Frank Hawkins (Will Patton) before the continuation of 2018’s Halloween happens.

"stripped down to the bone Halloween action and violence with lots of nods and tips-of-the-hat callbacks to previous films, making it an exciting ride for fans of the entire franchise"


But when it does begin its continuation from the 2018 bloodbath, all bets are off.

Masterfully incorporating elements from Rod Serling's Twilight Zone episode, The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street, Halloween Kills gives us a Haddonfield that is tired of being tormented by The Shape.  As news of his attacks start to spread via the local news and word of mouth, even the non-believers are up in arms.  They’ve had enough and if this psycho has returned to resume his killing, then they are up for hunting him down.  Damn the consequences.  Sure, their “EVIL DIES TONIGHT” chant as they go out in search of Myers on Halloween night in the neighborhoods and in the hospital gets a bit old, but, with mob mentality, logic gets thrown out the window.  

Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) barely survived the first attack and this movie isn’t so much about her this time as it is about Haddonfield’s misguided attempt to silence the force of nature that is Michael Myers.  I am at peace with her sidelined role in this one because I know - and you should, too - that Halloween Ends is on its way soon.  Her trauma will continue and so, too, will Deputy Frank Hawkins’ own trauma involving Myers.Halloween Kills

A lot of people and critics are not happy with this violent flick.  I guess they wanted more jokes as were present in the 2018 installment.  For me, those jokes held the film back, making it a bit more in tune with Kevin Williamson’s’ H20 than I wanted or expected, but in Halloween Kills we have one hour and 45 minutes of blunt force kills courtesy of Michael Myers.  Hell, even the score from John Carpenter, Cody Carpenter, and Daniel Davies feels ANGRIER.  None of it is empty headed fan service and for that this dark chapter ought to be applauded.

What we have in this middle part of the John Carpenter-blessed madness is an insanely BLOODY and DARK chapter in which Myers kills and kills again, making this a damned gory flick.  The kills are brilliantly realized and brutally unblinking as Myers takes down a firefighter brigade, innocent bystanders, children, and survives countless attacks on his own body.

His target?  It doesn’t matter as Judy Greer's Karen and Andi Matichak's Allyson all learn.  There is no rationale that could EVER explain the killing machine that he is.  But this film delivers in ways I wasn’t prepared for.  As a fan of the original, seeing Dr. Loomis (the immortal Donald Pleasence) again screaming “EVIIIIIIIILLLLLLL!” is a royal treat, even if it isn’t him.  The point is that Halloween Kills builds a thematic bridge for past characters - Tommy Doyle (this time played by Anthony Michael Hall), Lindsey Wallace (Kyle Richards), Lonnie Elam (Robert Longstreet), and even former sheriff Leigh Brackett (Charles Cyphers) - to walk across . . . even if it is to their own doom as the anger against Myers brings everyone together.  Fear is an interesting thing in a community . . . 

Halloween Kills is stripped down to the bone Halloween action and violence with lots of nods and tips-of-the-hat callbacks to previous films, making it an exciting ride for fans of the entire franchise.  Myers is ANGRY here and it takes it out relentlessly on his victims, which we see on screen.  

Halloween Kills, the second and much darker chapter in this new cycle of Halloween horror,  is now playing in theaters and streaming on Peacock.  The Shape strikes back!

4/5 stars

Film Details

Halloween Kills

MPAA Rating: Rated R for strong bloody violence throughout, grisly images, language and some drug use.
Runtime:
105 mins
Director
: David Gordon Green
Writer:
Scott Teems & Danny McBride & David Gordon Greenr
Cast:
Jamie Lee Curtis; Judy Greer; Andi Matichak
Genre
: Horror
Tagline:
Evil Dies Tonight.
Memorable Movie Quote: "You want your mask, come and get it!"
Theatrical Distributor:
Universal Pictures
Official Site: https://www.halloweenmovie.com/
Release Date:
October 15, 2021
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:

Synopsis: The saga of Michael Myers and Laurie Strode continues in the next thrilling chapter of the Halloween series.

Art

Halloween Kills