For Better or Worse ‘Halloween Kills' Carves Up a Gruesome Old School Slasher

Halloween Kills follows up where 2018’s Halloween leaves off, with three generations of Strode women battered and drained from a hard-fought war. The battle isn’t finished yet; firefighters unintentionally unleashed the boogeyman while attempting to extinguish the blaze at the Strode residence. Michael Myers is back on the loose in Haddonfield, angrier than ever. The emphasis on “kills” in Halloween Kills leads to a savage sequel from both the killer and the residents of Haddonfield. In this uneven bridge between flicks, the callbacks and the body count take precedent.

For Better or Worse ‘Halloween Kills’ Carves Up a Gruesome Old School Slasher

Director David Gordon Green recreates that tragic 1978 Halloween night, working from a scenario he co-wrote with Scott Teems and Danny McBride, to enhance Haddonfield’s collective grief from Michael Myers’ initial carnage. That means there are a lot of references, homages, and callbacks to John Carpenter’s masterpiece here, matching Michael Myers’ fanatical fervour. Tommy Doyle (Anthony Michael Hall) and Lindsey Wallace (Kyle Richards), who have known Dr. Loomis’ former assistant Marion Chambers for a long time, are at the forefront of this entry (Nancy Stephens). Tommy has even made amends with Lonnie Elam, his childhood bully (Robert Longstreet). This gang takes up the baton left by Laurie Strode, who is injured and in the hospital (Jamie Lee Curtis). Those expecting the trilogy’s midpoint to propel the Strode narrative ahead in a major way will certainly be disappointed. Curtis isn’t allowed much to do here, so Laurie is forced to play a passive part. Granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak) shows she’s more like her grandma in this scene, seeking vengeance on her father. At the same time, Karen’s mother (Judy Greer) becomes the only sane voice in the midst of the chaos.

Green ups the ante on the number of kills and the gruesomeness of the kills. It’s evident that he and special makeup effects designer Christopher Nelson had a lot of fun coming up with innovative and gruesome murders for many of the film’s characters, and Halloween Kills may be Michael Myers at his most heinous. Green also leaves no stone untouched when it comes to franchise fanservice, both new and old. This sequel addresses everything, whether it’s painstakingly linking Halloween Kills to the original storyline or even wrapping up loose ends from 2018’s Halloween. Halloween Kills, on the other hand, is so engrossed with the past and ripping open old wounds that it forgets to carry the story ahead. Character arcs are unchanging; the only goal is to kill or be killed. Outside of Myers’ increased aggression, Gordon Green doesn’t do much to build momentum as the penultimate entry before what’s supposed to be the trilogy’s culmination. With the exception of one final, polarising big swing.

Halloween Kills is a great slasher film that has a lot of gratifying moments. The deaths were heartbreaking in more ways than one; the benefit of getting to know Haddonfield’s citizens is that it’s simple to invest in them. Michael Myers has no motivation or method, which makes for an unpredictably unpredictable warpath as he kills and kills and kills again. It’s entertaining to see, even if it causes the Strodes to take a back seat. Haddonfield is in utter pandemonium across the board, making for a crazy journey with plenty of tension and graphic devastation. Halloween Kills is a clumsy and uneven instalment into an overall tale with little to offer. Despite this, the ensemble gives it their all in this lean, nasty, and downright brutal entry, resulting in an excellent and fascinating old-school slasher.