A curious entry in the retconned Halloween franchise, Halloween Kills explores a community under siege by monsters real and not in a horror movie that fleshes out its world building yet does little to move the story of Michael Myers forward.
From Frankenstein to Mother! mobs have been a vital part in the history of horror movies. They often represent a community under siege from a threat macabre and murderous, only for they themselves to be swept up in a wave of fear and paranoia and hatred. The vigilante justice that follows can backfire.
This is where we find the residents of Haddonfield, Idaho, mere minutes after mask clad serial killer Michael Myers returned to his old stomping ground to kill again. Left to burn to a crisp by adversary Laurie Strode (Jamie Leigh-Curtis), Michael – of course – survives and recommences his killing spree. Meanwhile, a group of survivalists from Michael’s 1978 killing spree form a vigilante mob to hunt Michael down.
Director David Gordon Green continues to establish his imprint on John Carpenter’s classic horror creation, this time with a keen focus on the residents of a suburban town darkened by the shadow of a killer who was once a part of their community. It is an interesting idea, yet once that doesn’t have the same stakes or momentum as the superior previous entry.
With Leigh Curtis’ Laurie sidelined through much of the film, it is left to Andi Matichak as Laurie’s granddaughter Allyson, and Anthony Michael Hall as the leader of an extreme version of neighbourhood watch, to play the protagonist yet neither prove to be compelling in the role.
What doesn’t disappoint is the true star of the Halloween series, Michael Myers. Portrayed by James Jude Courtney and Nick Castle (respectively), Michael continues to live up to his reputation as a movie monster unlike any other, a lumbering mass of death laying waste to the residents of Haddonfield with extreme prejudice, Green featuring numerous gory kills that will make even the most fervent horror fan flinch.
Halloween Kills is by no means a highlight of the franchise, yet it does give opportunity to establish more of the world building in Green’s version of the Halloween saga. Hopefully the eventual third and final act of this new trilogy will get things moving again.
