Picking up moments after the events of 2018’s “Halloween,” “Halloween Kills” is the twelfth installment in the long-running horror franchise. Directed and co-written by David Gordon Green, as well as being executive produced by series creator John Carpenter, the sequel stars Jamie Lee Curtis, James Jude Courtney, Judy Greer, Andi Matichak, Will Patton, Thomas Mann and Anthony Michael Hall. “Halloween Kills” is playing in theaters and streaming on the NBCUniversal platform, Peacock.
The story begins immediately after the fiery climax of the previous film, where original heroine Laurie Strode, played by Cur tis, successfully trapped the white-masked, knife-wielding serial killer, Michael Myers, played by Courtney, in the basement of a burning house to finally end his reign of terror.
In a twist of fate, however, Michael is given a “stay of execution” when he is inadvertently rescued by the Haddonfield Fire Department, whom he swiftly repays with a brutal massacre. With Michael once again on the loose and Laurie confined to the hospital due to the injuries Michael inflicted on her, returning character Tommy Doyle, played by Hall, rallies the people of Haddonfield into an angry mob to hunt down the Boogeyman and give him his final scare.
While there is a fantastic opening to the film, unfortunately this is also the film’s highpoint and everything swiftly goes downhill from there. How downhill? For the build up Hawkins gets in the first scene, he spends the rest of the film in a hospital bed, contributing as much to the plot as the similarly sidelined, Laurie Strode. Patton and Curtis’s engaging performances do little to blunt this sloppy screenwriting, but that is the least of the film’s problems.
While “Halloween Kills” has some moments of genuine atmosphere and suspense, much of the runtime is filled with slapstick comedy that would not be out of place in a “Scream” movie. Horror and comedy can be made to mix, such as in the works of Jordan Peele, but here the comedy only serves to extinguish any tension and fear brought upon by the scenario.
Speaking of which, to paraphrase a quote from Roger Ebert’s review of 1981’s “Halloween II,” “Halloween Kills” relies on the tried-and-tired Idiot Plot. That is, in order for the story to work, every single character has to act like a complete idiot and believe me, that is actually a kind word to describe the behavior of 90% of Haddonfield.
Ultimately, “Halloween Kills” marks a return to mediocrity for this horror franchise. A few good performances and some well-directed kills may provide some entertainment, but a lazy script mixed with a muddled tone, ultimately leaves this latest cinematic outing of Michael Myers a cut below the rest.
