Halloween Kills Review

Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!

Plot Summary: After surviving his apparent defeat, Michael heads back to his childhood home and kills anyone in his path.

Review: This was a tough one to rate, and I can see it being one of the most divisive entries in the franchise. There are a lot of plot aspects I love as if the writers tweaked this entry based on my own complaints about the 2018 film. On the other hand, this isn't a proper depiction of Michael, and there were serious pacing issues--reeking of filler to create a trilogy. Strangely enough, the thing that keeps sticking with me days after viewing "Halloween Kills" is the serendipitous continuation of 1978's Halloween night through the flashback sequence; I'll touch more on that later.

So what works here is the carnage candy! Michael kills more people here than in most of the previous entries combined. If all you want out of your "Halloween" sequel is Michael doing his thing, then, believe me, "Halloween Kills" more than delivers the goods. The inclusion of past survivors did help to bring everything together since the film emphasized this notion of the town uniting to take down Michael. Speaking of which, the big showdown against Michael was satisfying. The criticisms of this scene are unwarranted with people pointing to a lack of guns brought to the knife fight. True, this is a bit contrived but not stupid in context. The town wants to vent on Michael which is why they want to beat and stab him to death rather than just blow him away. Besides, Mikey is shot plenty too.

Another major criticism I want to address about the uneven storytelling is that you need to understand this isn't a movie about someone trying to survive Michael--this is a movie about Michael trying to get home, overcoming all obstacles he faces, and transforming into the bogeyman. This is an important distinction to make since no other entry has focused on Michael himself. And, as I mentioned in my 2018 review, no other entry besides part 4 (sorta) had the guts to let Michael win...until now. There is no final zinger to hint at Michael living or a possible sequel...it's just Michael winning Thanos-style.

On the technical side of things, the lighting is excellent with special attention to blacken Michael's eyes as much as possible. In regard to the man himself, this burnt look added a certain layer of menace a lot of past installments screwed up royally. I love these new pieces by John Carpenter even if there was a lot of overlap to the 2018 soundtrack. The cinematography was topnotch especially with the 1978 flashback sequence. Finally, you could feel the amount of heart put into the production and appreciation for the series as a whole from the filmmakers.

I've heaped plenty of praise so far on "Halloween Kills" which makes it bizarre that I now have to trash it considerably. Let's start with the filler material since that's hardest to ignore. There is simply not enough going on in the story. You've got pointless characters showing up, wasting more time than they need, then dying unceremoniously; for example, the doctor/nurse couple, Big John and Little John, the bratty kids in the silver Shamrock masks (nice touch though), etc. are all wasting time. The old couple Michael kills first could have been fused with the two Johns for a more concise story structure. Then we have the mob of angry citizens at the hospital chasing the mental patient, Laurie meandering about the hospital, and just numerous filler moments as if the filmmakers are trying their hardest to stretch things out into the next installment, "Halloween Ends." These aspects create a sense of wasting the audience's time and are often stupid scenes unto themselves.

Okay, I'm not sure who's under that mask, but that's not Michael Myers; it might be Jason. Michael has never been the type to charge headfirst at a crowd and start killing. He has always lurked in the shadows when going after his victims and stalks them. Taking things further, we have Michael receiving more damage than he has ever before and shrugging it off. Keep in mind this is also supposed to be Michael in his damn 60s tanking bullets, beatings, stabbings, and getting right back up. And what the fuck--Mikey rolled over and let himself get arrested by the police when surrounded but fights the townspeople?! They could have at least hinted he was hurt after Loomis famously SHOT HIM SIX TIMES. On some level I get the intention of the filmmakers, but this can only be explained away by finally declaring Michael supernatural. Which leads me to my next point...

Is Michael outright no longer human in this continuity? Here is the problem as I understand it: the filmmakers stripped Mikey of his exploits by removing the sequels from canon. This reduced Michael to a mental patient who killed like 4 people one Halloween 40 years ago. To compensate from that de-powering, Michael's exploits have been exaggerated to the point now that there is no alternative but to make him superhuman--to make him become the bogeyman. Maybe this isn't the full direction they're going in, but it would be a ballsy, final sendoff to the series. Make Mikey the living embodiment of Halloween, and the actual bogeyman, and end it.

Setting aside the negatives, the final topic I want to discuss is the flashback sequence. This is what I've unknowingly wanted from a "Halloween" sequel all these years! It's common knowledge that Carpenter didn't want to do "Halloween II" and it showed. Instead of rebooting the franchise as they did with the 2018 entry, they should have created a true part 2. There was something magical about seeing Michael in the original costume and in his prime again. Being back in '78, having Loomis back, having that different outlook on Halloween, and just everything--the setting and situation--that is what I've always wanted to see filmmakers recapture; this is something no previous sequel could ever attain. However, this flashback demonstrated you CAN get it all back AND continue where part 1 left off. We don't need Laurie...make a retro sequel where it's '78 still, Michael just fell out of the balcony and the cops are after him with Loomis in tow. I WANT THAT!

All things considered, my feelings are mixed and my score sways heavily. There are a ton of great things going on here, yet, they're contrasted by an aimless direction and stupid ideas. I find myself as one of the few people who sees this as merely an okay entry, boosted by some of the creative choices. I get why this movie is polarizing, but there are waaaay worse entries. At the same time, I think there are enough positives to rank this above most sequels and, this goes without saying, the horrendous Rob Zombie remakes. "Halloween Kills" is worth a view without a doubt just to see for yourself, however, you should be aware that this is a tonal shift from the series with Michael as the lead character for once, and you might not like this even if you enjoyed the 2018 film.

Notable Moment: The flashback sequence. Now that's the direction I want to see this franchise go in. Man, I just miss having that dynamic with Loomis again.

Final Rating: 6/10