Featured, Movie Reviews

‘Halloween Kills’ Review – ‘A brutal fatality fest and an experience that you don’t want to miss’

Synopsis:

And the Halloween night when Michael Myers returned isn’t over yet. Minutes after Laurie Strode (Jaime Lee Curtis), her daughter Karen (Judy Greer) and granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak) left masked monster Michael Myers caged and burning in Laurie’s basement, Laurie is rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, believing she finally killed her lifelong tormentor. But when Michael manages to free himself from Laurie’s trap, his ritual bloodbath resumes. As Laurie fights her pain and prepares to defend herself against him, she inspires all of Haddonfield to rise up against their unstoppable monster.

Don’t let people gas you up. Not only will it result in unreal expectations, but oftentimes you don’t even know what you’re agreeing to. As we’ve seen recently, mob mentality is a very real thing and once your mind is clouded with false platitudes, only chaos follows. Chaos is usually met with more chaos resulting in losses all around. Remember to use your eyes, trust your gut, and think with your brain. It just might save your life,

” Evil dies tonight!”

You can run, you can hide, you can burn a house down with him inside, but the Haddonfield boogeyman will find you. It’s finally here! Halloween Kills is a brutal fatality fest and an October experience that you don’t want to miss. I hope you don’t have a weak stomach because there is definitely an emphasis on kills in this outing. Out of the fire with murder on his mind, Michael Myers is in rare form ready to demolish the whole town if need be. Picking up right where the previous movie left off, this sequel is a thrilling and gruesome ride from start to finish. Some diehard fans may find the storyline lacking and the tone resembles that of its lighter slasher counterparts, nevertheless, it stays true to its mission and is still worthy of the franchise. You can definitely see and feel the influence Danny McBride as a writer and Jason Blum as a producer has on this film. Its moments of levity scream McBride while its insurrection vibes definitely have that topical Blum tone. As the film begins to feel somewhat like Frankenstein, there is more messaging than I can remember in past Halloween films. It’s a message of look what we’ve become. As we get some detailed backstory from different viewpoints, Michael’s presence sends people into an unexpected frenzy as all hell breaks loose. It transforms this story from a slasher to a versus battle, adding an interesting dynamic to what we’re used to. The only downside is already knowing that there is a film that follows this one, so the stakes don’t feel as high. Nonetheless, I had a ton of fun with this movie. The kills are creative and gory, the body count is high, the score is amazing as always, and the mask is more menacing than ever. You’ll want to gather your friends and enjoy the chaos together. Its rewatchability is high.

(from left) Karen (Judy Greer), Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and Allyson (Andi Matichak) in Halloween Kills, directed by David Gordon Green.

Anthony Michael Hall as Tommy Doyle in Halloween Kills, directed by David Gordon Green.

Pacing & Pop

The pacing of the film is perfect. It moves at the elusive and brisk killer pace of Michael Myers himself. What popped for me were the gruesome and ruthless kills and the high body count. It’s definitely a ramp-up from what we saw in the previous film. Michael also has more personality than ever. It not only makes him more than just an entity of evil but possibly makes him a bigger threat.

(from left) Michael Myers (aka The Shape) and Cameron Elam (Dylan Arnold) in Halloween Kills, directed by David Gordon Green.

Judy Greer as Karen in Halloween Kills directed by David Gordon Green.

Characters & Chemistry

As a whole, the acting was not great. There are some over-the-top performances that belong in the 80s with a different franchise. However, performances by Judy Greer as Karen, James Jude Courtney as Michael Myers, and Andi Matichak as Allyson keep it from flying off the rails. Jaime Lee Curtis as Laurie is great but is overshadowed this round, as is Will Patton. I’m not quite sure what Anthony Michael Hall was doing as Tommy Doyle, but not, just no.

Halloween Kills releases in Theaters and Streaming Only on Peacock October 15, 2021. Stay spooky and enjoy.