By Geno McGahee
I’ve said this before. The HALLOWEEN series was the strongest series of horror films in any franchise despite an H20 here and there. Now, I have waited a while before watching HALLOWEEN KILLS because I heard so much negativity about it. So when I found it for 9 bucks, I said what the hell and am now all caught up on the series.
In 2018, HALLOWEEN was released, bringing the series back in a much better way than Rob Zombie ever could. It wasn’t a masterpiece but I enjoyed it and looked forward to a follow up that understood the storyline and what the fans wanted. So, in 2021, we got HALLOWEEN KILLS, and it’s a definite mixed bag that I found terrible at times and enjoyable at times.
Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) is injured after her battle with Myers in the last one and is now finally content because Myers is going to die. As they drive away, Strode screams “let it burn” to the passing fire trucks. Who does she think she is? Those fire brigade members don’t work for her. Then again, she pays taxes. I guess they do.
I have to give some big points here to the film for bringing back Donald Pleasence in one way or another. They used latex prosthetics to recreate Dr. Loomis and I was certain it was CGI because it was pretty close but they went practical. Even though Pleasence is gone, this film was able to bring him back and that was pretty awesome to see.
Officer Hawkins (Will Patton) has a backstory about an encounter with Myers in the 70s and he has now been attacked again by the pale-faced killer. He’s made it and now shares a hospital room with Strode and they go down memory lane, but neither is too happy when they find out that the killer is still alive. It was those fucking firemen. They rescued Myers. I think they swear an oath and had to save him. Then again, I’m not sure if they swear an oath. At the least, they don’t want to fuck up their paycheck.
A big problem with this film is the random victims. They just aren’t believable. There’s an old couple that fly around a small drone and get butchered and then you have Little John (Michael McDonald) and Big John (Scott MacArthur), two gay guys that currently live in the old Myers house. The characters have no depth, outside of calling each other “Little John” and “Big John.” I would think that would get annoying. It annoyed me as Myers entered the house and they kept using their names. “Dining room is clear Big John.” “Bedroom is clear Little John.”
One of the characters I really hated at first was Tommy Doyle (Anthony Michael Hall), but halfway into the film, he became really funny. Doyle is the all grown up kid that was in the first film and is now somewhat obsessed with ending Myers that he calls “The Boogeyman” several times. I find that sort of silly. If there was a serial killer loose in the town and I had the community around me, I would not stand on stage and say that “the Boogeyman is loose!” They’d laugh at me.
Some more absurd funs when it’s determined that Myers is targeting the hospital. Doyle feels the need to rally all of the people in the hospital to become an angry mob, determined to stop Myers. He starts a chant that “the evil ends tonight” and it’s so funny. It’s really ridiculous and it amused the hell out of me.
Myers goes on a killing spree and finally comes face with the huge angry mob and they hand him his ass, but true evil never dies, and they fucked around and found out. (Spoiler) Myers took his lumps but came back swinging and started the biggest killing spree he’s ever done. It’s never good to be part of an angry mob. It never ends well.
HALLOWEEN KILLS is terrible for about an hour, but then, if you make it beyond that hour, you are in crazyville where everything is over-acted, overdramatic and hilariously absurd. That is how this film finally won me over. I suffered through the medicine and was handed the treat. The absolute amusement this film brought me during that time along with some amazing visuals makes this a winner. I want to go to the hospital and scream “evil dies tonight” but there are too many old timers on their last leg there and I don’t want to make them feel bad.
I recommend HALLOWEEN KILLS. I am still laughing as I think about it.
