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In movie trilogies, the sequel is often revered and the third one appears to not stick the landing. I have hope for the third film in the revitalized Halloween series because this sequel, Halloween Kills, left a lot to be desired. The ideas are all there but there were several distracting moments that kept it from being tight and efficient. If you simply are looking for fan service then you may enjoy this film, but as a fan, I have to be honest. The honest truth is this movie is a mish/mash capable of great fun and missed opportunities.  Picking up directly after the events of the 2018 Halloween, we watch as more and more bodies are discovered and Michael Myers escapes from the fire set by Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her family. She is rushed to the hospital to recover from her wounds and sadly that’s where she stays. Her character is physically sidelined which makes sense, but doesn’t match with sneaky marketing to draw in an audience. I had a feeling she wouldn’t leave the hospital in this film and we instead follow a collection of characters , including several from the original Halloween films such as Tommy (now played by Michael Anthony Hall), and Lindsey (Kyle Richards), who are all trying to hunt Michael down.. Fans of blood and violence may enjoy this film and I’m not knocking it on that point but I will ding them on marketing. Yes, this review is about the movie itself, but my enjoyment of it was greatly hindered by the constant need by Blumhouse to share most of the scares and fun moments in trailers that aren’t easily avoided, nor should they be. Trailers are supposed to excite moviegoers, not give away half the fun. The body count is high but when I can start counting the named characters' deaths on both hands from your marketing then you went too far. Blumhouse needs to start having faith in their audience. This is one of the most iconic horror characters out there.  I understand the idea that many things can set a crowd off and they don’t have to always be logical. A friend and mentor, upon knowing I was writing this review, recommended watching an episode of The Twilight Zone titled, “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street,” which deals with a peaceful street where citizens begin turning on and ostracizing one another. A superbly done look at turning on your neighbors that has the sort of energy I wish Halloween Kills could’ve summoned. Although filmed before the event, Halloween Kills reminds us of the fools on January 6th who displayed pure idiocy with no moral ground to stand on. But this is different. Myers is a homicidal killer and the issue isn’t being addressed by the police, who throughout this movie haven’t summoned any sort of SWAT team or the national guard. Bodies are wheeled into the morgue and Tommy works up a crowd in the emergency room.  Good idea but badly executed. A poor stooped man in a mental institution uniform shuffles into the emergency room and many turn their heads, assuming he’s Michael Myers. I can’t fathom how Tommy’s rants about evil would incite a crowd that includes doctors and other hospital employees, who suddenly swear off their oath to destroy their own hospital doors and want to attack a stooped man in mental institution garb. Have these people been in an emergency room? Halloween Kills is a mish/mash. At its center is a good fan service dosage of nostalgia and brutality but that can only carry a film so far. There is a lot of clunky dialogue. I didn’t feel the weight of the long-lost characters returning because not a lot was done with them. I maintain that David Gordon Green is a good person to lead this franchise but there are always many things that can go wrong with a film and many are on display here. Is there fun to be had as well? Definitely. A callback to the original film will surely excite fans but this entry still deserves a middling score. Follow HorrOrigins on Social Media
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