The rebooted Halloween (2018) was a sturdy continuation of the original Halloween (1978) with a demonic Michael Myers, a cynical town and a vengeful Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis). There were flashes of #MeToo, some good scares, a great score by John Carpenter… how did this sequel screw all that up?
Directed by David Gordon Green and written by Green, Danny McBride and Scott Teems, Halloween Kills picks up immediately after the events of Halloween (2018). Laurie is rushed to the hospital by her daughter, Karen (Judy Greer), and granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak), suffering a deep wound from the conflict with Michael Myers. But Michael isn’t dead. With Officer Hawkins (Will Patton) similarly wounded, a group of concerned citizens led by Laurie’s brother, Tommy (Anthony Michael Hall), seek to stop Michael’s reign of terror. Well, reign of somewhat spooky moments.
Simply put, Halloween Kills straight up sucks. The screenplay is absolutely atrocious with cardboard characters, muddy themes, no ingenuity and just general apathy all around. It seems like a fourth grader wrote it. It’s mind boggling just how empty the entire film feels.
There’s literally nothing of merit in the movie. I’m struggling to come up with any positives; it wasn’t too long? It’s not the only terrible sequel in the franchise? I don’t know.
It’s a real shame because the 2018 reboot had so much going for it; it seems that all the ingenuity that Green, McBride and Teems could muster went into that venture. Halloween Kills is devoid of ingenuity and dead on arrival.
Hardwired for Film 
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