“Evil Dies Tonight!”
*Laughs in Michael Myers*
It’s no secret that Halloween (1978) is my favorite horror film of all time. Michael Myers has always been the OG slasher icon. It’s the horror franchise I go back to time and time again. I’ll watch any Halloween sequel, good or bad, simply because Michael is present. With that being said, Halloween Kills falls flat for me. Believe me, when I say I REALLY wanted to love this new, modern Halloween trilogy. I’m not being negative just to be negative. I go into every Halloween movie extremely excited. The trailer for Halloween (2018) had me pumped. This time around, I ignored the trailer at all costs (and screamed every time it played in the movie theater previews, tv commercials and YouTube ads LOL). I wanted to go into this film with a blank slate, and genuinely believed this film would overtake Halloween (2018).
Positives:
- Micheal Myers looks amazing in this film. Every time he appeared on scene was pure excitement for me. The half burned mask is one of my favorites of this franchise. I think James Jude Courtney killed it in this role, and if anything, saves the film for me.
- The score to this film is phenomenal. Of, course it is. John Carpenter was involved. Halloween’s unique score is arguably the best among any horror film ever produced. The chords are simplistic, yet effective in striking terror among the audience throughout Halloween’s 1978 debut. Thus, I really enjoy hearing these reworked and updated versions of the classic score in this trilogy.
- The opening sequence of the film that takes us back to Haddenfield on that very Halloween night in 1978 looks like it was taken right from the classic. Michael again was flawless. He looks exactly how he did in the original film, if not better. I was also very impressed with their recreation of Dr. Loomis. It looked as though Donald Pleasence himself was there to film this scene. They managed to find someone with an uncanny resemblance to play the part with the help of prosthetics. The cinematography, special effects and costume design in this film were impressive.
- Many of the actors from from the original Halloween reprise their role. I totally forgot Kyle Richards from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills portrayed Lindsey in 1978… I almost didn’t recognize her in this movie.
- I appreciate the homage to Halloween III: Season of the Witch, in which the three kids were donning the masks from Silver Shamrock Novelties. There are actually a lot of homages in this film to the previous Halloween sequels if you pay attention closely.
- It is a very gory film, but I wouldn’t say it matches the brutality of Rob Zombie’s Halloween and Halloween II. I did, however, winced quite a few times throughout the film, so they most certainly got a reaction out of me.
Negatives:
- There was no clear direction for this film. It was pure chaos. It feels as though the film is trying to balance too many plot lines and characters. At times, there is a poor attempt at social commentary in regards to mob mentality. These scenes were ineffective though. I’m not saying I’m against social commentary in horror films, but it doesn’t really have a place in a movie like Halloween Kills. I also felt at times certain storylines, like Tommy Doyle leading the lynch mob to capture Michael, were only there for fan service. I much rather there be a clear purpose for bringing back original characters from the classic film than just trying to appease Halloween fans.
- The script to this film was absurd at times. The weird monologues they wrote for Laurie and Officer Hawkins were corny, and unnecessary. I remember thinking to myself throughout the film that I really missed Dr. Loomis LOL. It’s like they don’t know what to do without his character in the script. “Evil dies tonight” was repeated so many times that it was cringeworthy.
- A lot of information is spoon fed to you throughout this film. The amount of times characters will explain to you what happens in 1978’s Halloween is ridiculous. I’m pretty sure most of the audience has seen the original movie. WE KNOW. They even spoon feed you metaphors throughout the story. For example, characters will blatantly explain to the audience the symbolism of the window Michael looked out of in his childhood home all these years. It’s as if they believe the audience is incapable of coming to such conclusions on their own.
- I’m sorry, but Judy Greer doesn’t belong in this trilogy lol. She always looks so out of place in this film. I think another actress would have been better suited for the role of Laurie Strode’s daughter.
- The gore. I know, I put this as a positive, but the kills could have been more creative. It’s nothing we haven’t seen from previous Halloween films. I mean, maybe I’m too desensitized nowadays, so take my opinion with a grain of salt lol.
Overall, the chaos took me out of this film at times. Halloween films (for the most part) have always had a more simplistic, yet effective storyline. When things got more convoluted in Halloween Kills, I felt a disconnect from everything I ever loved about the Halloween franchise. I mean, comedy in a Halloween film? Michael Myers was always an inescapable being filled with rage that terrorized this small town of Illinois. How can you emphasize this when the serious tone of the film is being undermined by jokes? The comedy in Halloween Kills never lands, because it’s out of place in a movie involving Michael Myers.
Sometimes, it is difficult to remove yourself from the Halloween sequels. I had to constantly remind myself that this storyline continues directly after the first film. Every time a character said they were going to hunt down Michael Myers, I laughed. Don’t you know, you can’t kill the bogeyman? However, the residents of Haddenfield are just starting to realize that he’s an unstoppable force. They didn’t see this monster take out a whole team of firefighters on his own. As great as that scene was, sometimes, I feel like Michael doesn’t need a super high body count to be effective as a terrifying killer though.
For now, I am forced to wait for Halloween Ends for all my unanswered questions. What role does Laurie Strode play in this future storyline? Since Halloween II has been erased from the plot line, she has no family connection to Michael Myers. Halloween Kills explains Dr. Sartain purposely led Michael back to Laurie in his sick fascination to understand the man behind the mask. With her storyline very much sidelined in the newest installment of the trilogy, will Laurie and Michael face off one more time? Or will her granddaughter, Allyson, take the mantle? Allyson lost everything the night he came home, and thus, her need for revenge seems inevitable. Halloween Ends is set to be released in 2022 with the storyline jumping ahead four years later.
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