Was Halloween Kills a letdown?

Michael Myers returns in Halloween Kills, the much anticipated addition to the Halloween franchise. When Michael escapes from Laurie Strode’s trap, he continues his murderous rampage on the people of Haddonfield. As Laurie heals at the hospital, she inspires others to hunt down Michael and end his carnage. When the film trailers were released, people’s expectations and anticipation for the Boogeyman’s revival skyrocketed. But in the end, why were so many upset by the final product? Halloween Kills should satisfy the fans’ thirst for blood, but does it fall flat in terms of continuing the Michael Myers legacy?

It should be noted that Halloween Kills leaves off on a cliffhanger. With a third movie in the works, it may upset people to learn that the saga continues. However, as a sequel to Halloween (2018), it does many elements right. For instance, it continues the story. It answers questions unanswered by the previous movie and continues character arcs. This new film succeeds at connecting each movie. In addition, Halloween Kills is faithful to John Carpenter’s original Halloween (1978). There are several flashbacks throughout the film highlighting Michael Myers’s earlier spree. The lighting and colors in these scenes are loyal to the original. Not to mention, past characters come back in this current film. Characters such as Tommy Doyle, Lonnie Elam, Lindsay Wallace, and Sheriff Leigh Brackett, all characters from the original, make an exciting comeback in Halloween Kills. Clearly, effort was made to make this movie deserving of its place in the franchise.

Even though Halloween Kills brings back original characters, their return to the spotlight is anticlimactic. Although the trailers build up a showdown between Laurie Strode and Michael Myers, that is not the case. Laurie doesn’t even leave the hospital bedroom. This is a massive upset because all the action comes from new characters. Additionally, most returning characters are murdered. They are axed off without any resolution rather than kept alive to retain an interest in their struggles and the franchise itself. The deaths of these characters are also meaningless. Their deaths could have fueled Strode’s revenge arc or represent Myers’s paranormal strength, but that’s not the case. The audience knows Strode will battle Myers anyway and is aware of Myers’s unbeatable power from previous movies. In the end, the swift killing of these new and familiar characters are only frustrating, upsetting and leaves no anticipation for the rest of the franchise.

Halloween Kills uses practical effects for all its shocks: the gore comes out as cliched and predictable. John Carpenter’s Halloween slowly built up Michael Myers’s rampage. Most of the movie creates tension by showing Myers sneak around and disappear. This made the movie unique by holding off on the blood and scares until the second half. This newest film feels cliched in its horror. The bloody kills are similar to other horror movies. Halloween Kills is also terribly predictable. It’s boring to count how many homes Myers invades to murder its residents. Overall, the movie is formulaic in its scares and reflects nothing of the previous suspenseful atmosphere the original film set up.

Halloween Kills delivers as a sequel but fails at fulfilling fans’ expectations. Although paying homage to the original’s story, it loses its sense of identity.