Review: “Halloween Kills” is a slasher rehash

This movie is going to be divisive among audiences depending on their expectations for the film. 

Fans of the 2018 film may be disappointed to find that the slow burn of that film has been replaced with more frequent scenes of Myers attacking the citizens of Haddonfield. The 2018 film approaches the villain with an approach reminiscent of Steven Spielberg’s “Jaws.” The film runs nearly two hours but Myers only appeared on screen for roughly 12 minutes, giving a sense of dread as anticipation builds and characterizing the villain as an unfeeling force of nature rather than a person at all. However, “Halloween Kills” has a lot more Michael as he slashes his way across town, leaving bloody bodies and elaborate setpieces in his wake. Most of the movie focuses on him and the townies as Curtis is relegated to a hospital bed to nurse her wounds from the previous movie. Even her daughter Karen (Judy Greer) and granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak), the other protagonists of the previous film, take a back seat for much of the film. It’s like if “Jaws” had decided to focus on the two guys who throw the holiday roast off the pier instead of Chief Brody. 

Keeping that in mind, anyone expecting a “Halloween” movie to be an action-filled slasher film will get exactly what they came for with “Halloween Kills.” Pitting Myers against residents of the town rather than the main characters of the last film provides a lot of fodder for him to slice and dice in increasingly creative ways. Some of the kills border on absurdity and others seem to suggest that Myers has a sense of humor. It’s grisly fun for fans of bloody slasher flicks but ultimately feels like filler before the final showdown with Strode in next year’s trilogy finale, “Halloween Ends.” The film’s attempt at its own self-contained narrative about mob mentalities feels equally undercooked. The notion that paranoid mobs are the real monsters is a great concept in something with a degree of social commentary like The Twilight Zone, but just doesn’t hold up to scrutiny in a story with an actual monster attacking innocent people.

“Halloween Kills” is the middle child of Danny McBride’s reboot trilogy and it shows. The movie trades its predecessor’s slow burn story for a chance to let l Myers cut loose with a bloody killfest as it treads water before the finale. The franchise continues next year with the third installment in the reboot trilogy, appropriately titled “Halloween Ends.” If it’s anything like this movie, one can only hope that the title is a promise.

“Halloween Kills” is rated R and is now playing in theaters and on Peacock. 

Final verdict: C+