Halloween Kills Movie Review

By: Justin Hopkins

**SPOILER WARNING**

Well, here we are, in the heart of the spooky season and the newest entry into the Halloween Franchise has arrived and… had very little interest going into this flick. 2018’s Halloween left me disappointed. H20 being the last one I actually enjoyed, but nevertheless. I try not to let the past effect my opinion so, open mind as I could get and after two viewings. Lets dive in and discuss shall we.

**SYNOPSIS**

The movie kicks us off with Cameron, on the phone. Trying to find Allyson. When he finds Hawkins, who is still alive. Running to his aide, calling for help, with Hawkins saying he needs to die and he needs to be the one to kill him. When we jump back to 1978 and a young Hawkins trying to track down Michael after Loomis shot him. We see young Lonnie getting bullied till cops stopped to ask if they saw anyone. Telling them to get home and a murderer is on the loose. When Lonnie runs away. He has an encounter with Michael after he tripped, but Michael disappears when the cops arrive, Hawkins and Pete. Finding out that it is in front of the Myers house. Going inside and Pete gets grabbed upstairs. Hawkins rushes in, but Myers has Pete held in front of him, with a rope around his neck. scared and trying to do something to save him. Hawkins takes a shot and shots Pete in the neck. Taking the moment of shock, Michael attempts to leave. Hawkins stays to check on Pete while more cops arrive and we see Loomis rush in. Wanting to know if Michael killed again and we jump to today. We meet Marcus and Vanessa at the bar. Who asks a rowdy group to be a little quieter, the group turns out to be Tommy, Lonnie, Lindsey, and Marion. Drinking in the memories of the nightmare that happened to them forty years ago. Tommy even gets on stage to recount the tale. After we jump to Laurie, Allyson and Karen in the back of the truck they were in at the end of the last movie. The Firefighters speeding by to their chagrin. Going along with the Firefighters. As they try to put out the fire. One of whom, falls through the floor. Getting taken out by Michael and the next guy who tries to help and Michael gets free. Killing the rest of the Firefighter on his way. Catching back up with Laurie arriving at the hospital. Seeing one of the guards is Brackett, Cop from the first movie, now Hospital Security. Allyson goes to clean the blood off her hands and Karen breaks down while Laurie is in surgery. When Karen finds Allyson in the Stairwell, telling her the surgery was a success. Mourning the Dad and allows us to go see Michael take out two more people, before going back to the bar. Marcus apologizing for earlier and liking Tommy for telling his story. Him and Vanessa joining he group. When Lonnie gets a call from his son, Cameron. Asking for help. Leaving the bar briefly to see the Sheriff arrive at the compound and back to the bar for them to get the alerts and see the story breaking on the news. Tommy connecting it to Myers, while Marcus and Vanessa just want to get home. Heading to the car, when he goes back to get his stethoscope. Vanessa goes to start the car and startled to find someone is in the back seat. Rushing back in and Tommy gets the Old Hickory bat off the way. Leaving with a big group to go take out ” Michael.” When he attacks the car with the bat. The person drives off and crashes half a block away. Gone by the time they get there. Tommy, gets everyone to agree to round up and go after Michael and that is where I will leave it for now.

**Review**

The best part about this is the carnage and the placements. The kills were plentiful and Myers at perhaps his most brutal. From knives and fingers to eyes. Had a real fun scene where one of his early victims wasn’t dead so he put him over a counter and just started sticking knives from the counter into his back. While his wife watched helplessly. Suffering herself from being stabbed with a light tube. Cameron’s death was especially brutally, cause Allyson was trying to divert him, but he couldn’t be bothered with her at the moment. As much fun as that was, how he placed them was even more interesting. My favorite was him staging Big John and Little John in the position they were in in the photograph. The brutality was on point here.

James Judd Courtney does an excellent version of Michaels Myers. Bringing in a fair amount of intimation to his pace and menace in his body language. Plus, big props to the mask. Loved Scott MacArthur and Michael McDonald as Big John and Little John. Great chemistry and spent enough time with them to make their deaths hit you a bit harder. Andi Matichak was alright as Allyson and Judy Greer was better this time around as Karen. Jamie lee Curtis didn’t do much as her return as Laurie Strode, but was good at what she was asked to do and it was nice to see Kyle Richards return as Lindsey. Wish she had more to do, but nice to see her.

Alright, so this movie had a fair amount of good ideas and doesn’t really deliver on most of them. Lets start with the mob. I like the idea of the town turning into mob justice and can see why they would stamped the wrong guy. Large groups of people overwhelmed by emotions and not thinking, but they don’t let the aftermath mattered. Tommy, the ring leader in all of this just moves on. Moment could have been so much bigger, but they just move on to the next group of kills. The little things like Brackett saying he is turning them into monsters and Laurie saying it’s his masterpiece are dumb, because no. They did that themselves.

The end sequence is terrible. Opting for him to kill the mob and Tommy in these weird slow multi cut sequence. That was more off putting then good. Along with him just killing Karen in an anti-climactic way. Just killed her and cut to black and.. I think he killed the wrong Strode. Allyson is better then Karen, but story wise, seeing the aftermath of losing her child and what she would do in Ends, made Allyson the option to kill then what will Allyson do now. Not a full on negative, but nitpick.

Alright, I understand bringing original characters back and all. As someone who screams about wanting Jaime Lloyd back. My negative isn’t about that, but the way they used them. Brackett could be replaced by anyone. Only here to say the everyone deserves one good scare line. Had Nancy come back to replicate the same scene from the first Halloween with the ending where she dies this time. Tommy is here to say bad lines and pump up the mob. Lindsey was really good and pretty sure most of her screen time was in the trailer. Really wished we got something more meaningful for them.

So, this movie had a good idea and interesting approach, but fail to live up to it. What it does have is some really solid kills, brutality and a few good characters. So, not a complete bust. If you are into carnage candy or a hardcore Michael fan, would suggest it. Can have some fun but would only suggest stream it. Final Grade – C

As always, I hope you enjoyed and….

Thank You For Reading!