HALLOWEEN KILLS

 

For a horror franchise to still be going strong in what is now its fifth decade is some kind of miracle, Halloween Kills marking the twelth instalment of the franchise but the third film of this timeline after 2018's Halloween retconned everything that came after the masterful original to bring this iconic horror franchise to modern audiences with plenty of ferocity. 

Minutes after Laurie Strode (Jamie 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. The Strode women join a group of other survivors of Michael's first rampage who decide to take matters into their own hands, forming a vigilante mob that sets out to hunt Michael down, once and for all.

In order for Halloween Kills to keep the franchise fresh, it had to approach its subject from a different angle, much like its predecessor did in having Laurie Strode a total badass waiting for Michael Myers to make his move so she could kill him. David Gordon Green, Danny McBride and Scott Teems have followed up that film with a sequel that delves into the impacts of generational trauma and the dangers of mob mentality, certainly making it feel like a different film to what has come before.

With that in mind, they have written a film that does of course heavily feature Michael Myers going on a very bloody and incredibly brutal rampage through Haddonfield. Green creates such a sinister atmosphere, cranking up the tension amongst the audience with some playful character deaths, many drawing gasps from the audience, the sound design going into overtime with every stab motion, and even the odd laugh along the way as the upper hand on Michael is swiftly taken away. The most frustrating aspect, as with a lot of slasher films, is the choices made by some of the characters throughout, stupid not even being the word as they play right into Michael's hands. It's always something that can easily be forgiven in films like this though as it makes for one hell of an entertaining ride, best experienced with a packed audience.

It's great to see Jamie Lee Curtis returning to the role that launched her career and, while she doesn't have as much screentime in Halloween Kills as expected, Curtis finds a way to deliver the most memorable performance of the film, bringing nothing but contempt for Michael Myers and a determination to have him destroyed. It rubs off on Judy Greer and Andi Matichak too, both fierce when standing their ground against the evil that has plagued their family for decades.

There's other performances that keep the film ticking over nicely, Anthony Michael Hall as a Haddonfield resident hell-bent on bringing Myers to justice while Scott MacArthur and Michael McDonald provide some comedic moments as Big John and Little John, a couple protecting their house from more than just mischievous trick-or-treaters.

Halloween Kills has no chance of reaching the quality of the original film but I do think it's a better film than its 2018 predecessor, gnarly as fuck once more and setting things up for one hell of a finale next year with Halloween Ends.

Verdict: ★★★★