Since 1978, the world has changed drastically for better or worse, but a few things have remained constant. Death, taxes, the Atlanta Falcons not winning a championship, and the return of Michael Myers to the big screen via a Halloween movie about every four years are all things that happened like clockwork over the last five decades.
For its 12th reminder that the fictional town of Haddonfield, Illinois, is the last place anyone should be on October 31st, the crew behind the successful 2018 reboot of the Halloween series brings us Halloween Kills. Picking up immediately after the events of the preceding film, Halloween Kills is the story of Michael Myers escaping imminent death to continue his homicidal ways and the townspeople joining the women of the Strode family in their fight to stop him permanently.
The previous movie gave the series a much-needed resuscitation after having nine toes in the graveyard of franchises that overstayed their welcome. However, the Halloween story being almost the same age as the average grandparent is a fact that can’t be ignored. Does Halloween Kills sustain Michael Myers’s new life or prove it’s time to retire?
Halloween Kills primarily sticks to the same tried and true formula it used for 43 years – give Michael Myers his navy blue Dickie jumpsuit, white mask, and knife and let him silently paint the town (and screen) red. The only institution that changed less than Michael and the Halloween movies during this period is the ageless android known as Smokey Robinson (Yes, that Smokey. No, I don’t have proof that he’s been a robot controlled by a tiny alien implanted in his skull since the 80s).
It appears to be stale and retread at first glance, but writer-director David Gordon Green makes just enough adjustments to keep it from staying that way. He takes the timeworn adage “it’s not what you do, but how you do it” and applies it well.
His chief adjustment is the execution of Michael’s kills. The past films relied heavily on shock and jump scares that came from the slasher surprising his victims face to face as they would run for their lives while he never broke a slow creep. Green replaces that troupe with fewer pop-ups and more creative kills for Michael that use more varying and prolonged methods of murder that have a far more chilling effect than making the viewer jump.
The other change was a bit more surprising. Green and his writing team from the 2018 film, Scott Teems and Danny McBride, incorporate a prominent social theme about the treatment of those impacted by mental illness and a political one that accurately captures our current state in real life. Their inclusion makes Halloween Kills resonate more intellectually than any entry in the Halloween franchise. They don’t go the way of Jordan Peele, but they work seamlessly into the story's fabric and hit home without excessively trying to make its point.
The Green, Teems, and McBride trio also did a great job working in the characters from the earlier Halloween films that the reboot had erased from cannon. They went a step further by bringing back most of the original actors and actresses who played the roles in previous films. Their inclusion offers a real treat for followers of the franchise and arguably the movie’s only noteworthy acting performance in Anthony Michael Hall’s turn as Tommy Doyle.
While it doesn’t scare you like its predecessors, Halloween Kills sticks to the script and keeps the momentum created by the reboot going strong. Fans of the franchise will appreciate the infusion of creativity for Michael’s kills, social commentary, and continuity from the past films it previously ignored. Newcomers are also welcomed but should watch the 2018 film to understand better where everything is going. Regardless of the group you’re in, Halloween Kills is a must-see.
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