The Mosley Review: Halloween Kills
Hmph. Well that was an interesting direction to this franchise. I honestly can't think of any franchise that has had so many sequels, retcons, reboots, re-imaginings, requels and is still thriving. This franchise is known for its creatively brutal kills and sometimes its decent stories. In 2018, the ultimate retcon/reboot of the franchise happened and I thought it was fun and an excellent new direction for our favorite killer to go on. What surprised me this time around is the consistency of keeping the same tone and reverence for the original in every frame. All the sequels that have been made with the exception of Halloween: H20, have been bland and couldn't truly live up to the standard set back in 1978. This film continues that same attention to detail and is also a welcomed treat for fans of the series. I liked that it picks up immediately after the events of the 2018 film and answers a question I've always had. What would the people of Haddenfield do if they knew Michael was walking around killing people again in this day and age? I did like that this film also had a morality tale amongst the carnage. Its stereotypically over acted and so cheesy in execution, but still fun. That's truly what you come to these films for and I had exactly that, fun.
Jamie Lee Curtis returns as Laurie Strode and she stills delivers a stellar performance. She still is the strong survivalist you know and love but following the events of the past film, she takes a side seat in this chapter. Judy Greer was still excellent as her estranged daughter Karen. She carries the emotional weight of the story throughout and that truly is her forte. Andi Matichak gives a knockout performance as her daughter Allyson as she gets into the action this time around. I loved her natural progression from being a scared teen to now taking action against her foe. She really reminded me of a young Laurie in many ways. Will Patton was great as Deputy Hawkins and I liked that he had more chemistry with Laurie. There is more to his story and Thomas Mann's performance as the younger version of him was great. Anthony Michael Hall swings for the fences as the older version of Tommy Doyle from the 1978 film. He opens up the fun aspect of the survivors of Michael's tyranny, but man does he has some truly over the top and very cheesy lines to deliver and it ranges from fun to parody. I still liked how he was the face of what ignorance and rage can cause a town to become. Alot of the original actors from the 1978 film and the now retconned Halloween II return, but there is one cameo that is amazingly done and I won't spoil it here. James Jude Courtney returns as Michael Myers and he was even more unstoppable and viciously creative in his ways of killing. You get a bit more in depth with the character and I loved that the film completely rewrites his origin and abilities as a human.
The score by the master John Carpenter, his son Cody and Daniel Davies was even more excellent this time around. It truly helped sale the scares and elevated the brutality with every murderous note. The amount of growing tension and dread was perfect captured in their sometime thunderous, whimsical and haunting score. The cinematography was gorgeous as we switch back and forth from the 70's film stock look to modern day. The only problems I had were with the obvious storytelling, beyond terrible line deliveries and heavy handed social message. Overall, its a Halloween film in the vein of the original and you know what you're getting into. I had fun with it and I think you will too. Let me know what you thought of the film or my review in the comments below. Thanks for reading!
