4/10 I had only seen the original two “Halloween” movies from 1978 and 1981 but missed the 2018 reboot in theaters. So in preparation for this, I watched all 11 “Halloween” movies, even though the 2018 reboot ignores every film except for the original. After now having watched all 12 movies in this franchise, I can say that while progress has been made with this latest soon to be trilogy, there isn’t a single great “Halloween” film in existence. The original 1978 movie is probably the best of the bunch but even that movie is pretty dumb with a ridiculously laughable ending. Ignoring the God awful sequels was smart but 2018’s “Halloween” was riddled with issues such as Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) going from terrified, PTSD stricken recluse to brave, courageous hunter/fighter from scene to scene depending upon what the script needs her to be in addition to some of the dumbest decisions made humanely possible for someone who has supposedly been preparing to fight Michael Myers for 40 years. Which brings us to “Halloween Kills”, another entry that does have some redeeming qualities but ultimately falls apart like a smashed pumpkin. As for what works, after having watched so many garbage sequels, even getting some high production values feels refreshing here. The score is the perfect combination of classic John Carpenter but also updated to modern times to feel original and creepy. This movie also succeeds by focusing on making the kills themselves violent, gruesome and hardcore, as they should be. The pacing worked well and Laurie had a realistic part in this movie as opposed to having major surgery and then running out to fight Michael Myers again, which would have been stupid. The movie uses some footage from the original “Halloween” film and its inclusion here felt natural and nicely tied everything back to the events of 40 years ago. The cinematography gets the job done but was nothing game changing. While the kills were fun to watch and the score rocked the entire way through, the script once again lets us down and brings about most of the movie’s stupidity. The movie takes place right when the previous one ends so you will need to have seen the previous movie before digging into this one. One thing that has bothered me throughout the entire franchise has been that Michael Myers is a normal, human serial killer. He isn’t a demon or a mutant with some special powers. Add to that the fact that he has been locked in an asylum for his entire adult life meaning he isn’t getting an all you can eat buffet of protein and 24/7 gym time to bulk up the way he has. So ignoring the fact that he acquires super human strength in prison, in this timeline he is also now well into his 60s, an old man having sustained multiple injuries. At the beginning of this movie he lifts up a firefighter wearing his full, heavy gear with one hand (after having been injured) like he weighs nothing. It always felt stupid that he could take such a beating and somehow keep going. The end of this movie tries to enter in the idea that he is supernatural and the more he kills, the more strength he acquires. The problem is that this just seems to be a theory as there is no proof of this and even if it is true, it kind of feels like a cop out to retcon the plot to explain why this guy won’t die. It didn’t feel earned and was disappointing for me. While the movie had some great kills, the movie also has a subplot straight out of “Beauty and the Beast” with the town villagers angrily out for blood, chanting “Evil dies tonight” which felt cheesy and ridiculous, especially considering that none of them knew what Michael Myers even looks like since he always wears a mask. It felt like the film makers were trying to make a statement about the dangers of group think and herd mentality but literally no one comes to a “Halloween” movie for some vague political commentary. If what I’ve heard about the final movie in this trilogy, “Halloween Ends”, is true, then get ready for this to only be a taste of the trilogy going far left and completely woke to end things on a flaccid note. Characters continue to make brain dead decisions as people pass out guns to civilians who have never held a gun before and of course, the consequences are predictably abysmal. Anthony Michael Hall’s character goes to a talent show with his talent being “becoming a Debbie Downer” as he makes a speech about the Halloween killings from 40 years prior. Seems like a talent show isn’t the proper venue for that kind of thing but what do I know? Karen (Judy Greer), who is a total Karen, goes from anti-violent, hippie pacifist to brave, badass fighter with absolutely no transition which was completely unearned and out of place. Characters always show up at the most convenient times to find or save someone or get murdered and it all just feels so tired. Despite rebooting and updating this franchise with this new trilogy, there is really nothing new offered as the “Halloween” franchise has been worn out for decades now. While Blumhouse is making great money off of this new trilogy, ensuring another reboot within the decade, I just wish they would focus on some original horror content and let this franchise die. With how politically correct the next movie sounds, my expectations couldn’t be lower moving forward. If you need a film or film series to watch every Halloween for some scares, look elsewhere.
#IveHaddonoughOfThisFranchise / #gLoomisAndDoomis / #TheFranchiseDiesTonight / #KnivesOut2 / #SlayingWithFire / #MeMyersAndTheDyingFires
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