Halloween kills is the latest slasher horror film in the Halloween franchise. The film stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, Andi Matichak, Will Patton, Thomas Mann, and Anthony Michael Hall and is directed by David Gordon Green.

The nightmare isn’t over as unstoppable killer Michael Myers escapes from Laurie Strodes trap to continue his ritual bloodbath. Injured and taken to the hospital, Laurie fights through the pain as she inspires residents of Haddonfield, Ill., to rise up against Myers. Taking matters into their own hands, the Strode women and other survivors form a vigilante mob to hunt down Michael and end his reign of terror once and for all.

Both Halloween 1978 and Halloween 2018 were fantastic horror films that took full advantage of the slasher genre. Halloween 1978 pretty much started the whole slasher genre craze. The film spawned multiple sequels and spinoffs and rose up to become one of the most influential horror films of all time. After 40 years Michael Myers returns in Halloween 2018. Although definitely not as impactful as the first Halloween movie, I think it was a great sequel that respected the source material and the fans. Now fast forward to 2021. Is Halloween Kills a worthy follow up?

One of the first things that must be talked about right off the bat is the kills. Halloween Kills has some of the most gruesome deaths in the entirety of the 40-year franchise. The deaths were very enjoyable to watch to some extent. In the original Halloween the deaths were brutal but clean. In this instalment some of these deaths could be found in something like “Final Destination.”

Another aspect of the film is the fact that some of the original cast is back. In the past Laurie Strode was the one hunting Michael but in this instalment, it’s most of the cast from the original. It felt like they weren’t just crammed in the film for fan service but they actually had a drive to kill the killer. 

Surprisingly this film had great commentary on mob mentality. The whole town is mad at Michael and is ready to strike back after 40 years of torment. In fact, in many parts of the movie there was a commentary on modern society.

Something that hinders the film is the fact that Laurie Strode is strangely absent for most of the movie. That simple fact cannot be ignored but then again it’s setting up a final climax battle for the final Halloween movie, Halloween Ends coming in 2022.

The film had great use of flashbacks that gave a much deeper dive to the characters’ connections with Michael Myers. It makes the characters seem more important rather than being fodder for Michael Myers to kill off. 

The climax of the film was a little underwhelming. I couldn’t help but feel it was so busy trying to set up plotlines for the future that it could barely focus on the climax that was right in front of them.

In the end, Halloween Kills is a fun yet underwhelming sequel that has great social commentary and fantastic death scenes. Evil dies tonight? … I don’t think so. 

Halloween Kills is in theaters as well as streaming on Peacock.

Score: 8/10.