Film review: Michael Myers at his murderous best in ‘Halloween Kills’

This sequel to the 2018 movie ramps up the blood and gore to such high levels that even the ‘Friday the 13th’ franchise would be impressed. This middle entry of a trilogy of films (‘Halloween Ends’ is due for release on October 2022) sees the unstoppable Michael Myers (James Jude Courtney) break free of the inferno at the house of Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), in which he was left to die in the last movie, to return to the town of Haddonfield and continue his bloody rampage. Again.

He has a helping hand from a group unfortunate firefighters, but seeing the masked psychopath emerge from the flames is sure to put goosebumps on top of your goosebumps. The scene is incredibly tense and Green and his co-writers, Danny McBride and Scott Teems, deserve credit for thinking big, not just for this particular sequence, but the entire movie.

This is a ‘Halloween’ sequel which has several layers to it; it isn’t just about Myers stalking the townsfolk and finding imaginative ways to dispatch them, it’s about the dangers of misinformation, mob mentality and humanity being the true monsters on earth.

With the town up in arms over Michael’s continued assault, they form an offensive and try to hunt him down and kill him. Sadly, it is this element which Green seems to struggle to convey due both to poor acting and a terrible script. There is a long hospital sequence that the movie really could have done without. Certainly, it could have been handled better in perhaps more capable hands but as badly as it is done, it’s still good to see the movie branch out the way it does. And, it isn’t as bad as ‘Halloween 5’…

A criticism I had with the 2018 movie rears its ugly head here once again — the film seems to abandon any suspense or scares for extravagant scenes of gore. There are some great moments aside from the aforementioned fire scene, such as the fascinating flashback where Green takes us back to 1978 and Myers’ first rampage. Fans will appreciate the classic look of the boogeyman and we also have a return of his psychiatrist Dr. Loomis (played by a lookalike actor). Indeed, the flashbacks are the most interesting scenes in ‘Kills’ and they are handled with respect in case you were worried about the John Carpenter classic being altered.

Another issue with the film is the pacing. It tends to jump from scene to scene, which disturbs the narrative. It also reintroduces several legacy characters only for them to have no real input before they meet their demise and this is a real disappointment. Curtis, meanwhile, spends most of the time in a hospital bed and is wasted here while Green tries to introduce humour to the movie via a homosexual couple who now live in the old Myers house, but this falls flat and feels totally out of place.

It is all saved by Myers, and he is the creepiest we have ever seen him. Courtney has nailed down the part of the Shape as he is known and even though ‘Kills’ feels like a dithering entry that’s passing the time until the big third act arrives, fans will get a real kick out of watching the knife-wielding maniac do what he does best.

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Don’t miss it!

‘Halloween Kills’ is out now in UAE cinemas.