Halloween Kills

Producer Jason Blum and director David Gordon Green at the US Premiere of Halloween Kills at The Hollywood Legion Theatre by Jacob Alvarez

It’s Called Halloween Kills right? It Has To Live Up To It.

Arriving very late to this screening, I was a little more than anxious and worried we wouldn't be able to find seats, let alone seats together. Luckily, we found a pair in the second to last row which I didn’t really mind since it’s difficult to actually meet some of the guest speakers. In our cupholders sat plastic cups from sponsor Rucking Fotten with special VIP laminates that read “Halloween Kills” on them. I thought we were in the VIP area for those who worked on the film but a fan behind me assured us we were okay. We actually sat just one row behind director David Gordon Green!

The theatre was magnificent and it was my first time in this little gem of a place, hidden between a church and The Hollywood Bowl. Once the clock struck 8PM, the good people at Beyond Fest (now dressed as pumpkins) did their thing and threw out shirts to the crowd as well as held a pumpkin holding contest to give out limited edition Halloween posters. We thought the movie was going to get rolling after this, but one of the hosts suddenly said that they would need a few minutes to get the projections functioning which I 100% believed. However, this was no technical issue. It was a gimmick which allowed them to welcome special guest Jamie Lee Curtis to the stage. As soon as the crowd assumed who it was, everyone rose to their feet. Curtis was welcomed by a five minute ovation to which she replied “Happy Halloween mother fuckers.”

Curtis was seeming to have a grand time, joking with fans and offering tidbits about the Halloween franchise, even going as far as to explain how the new trilogy came about. It appears that Jason Blum sent an email one night to director David Gordon Green asking him if he would be interested in having full creative control of the Halloween franchise with Blumhouse and original director/creator John Carpenter backing the project. Green replied with “Let me drink my morning coffee first,” and needless to say, the rest is history.

SPOILERS. As for the movie itself, it was great but I do have my issues with it. I am a fan of the original of course and I did enjoy the 2018 sequel which I got to watch at Beyond Fest in 2018. That movie brought back original characters and actually built on the lore and backstory of them, unlike the latest Star Wars trilogy. With this follow up, it builds on the idea that Michael Meyers is somewhat of a supernatural being. He is not just a man with psychological issues and brute strength. He can outlive gunshots, blows to the head with wooden planks and baseball bats, and even a few stabs to the back. He gets up without question to retort his anger. I know this has always been somewhat of the case even with the original, but with this film, he really is played off as more of a Jason Voorhees. The whole point of this movie is that the town of Haddonfield that has been plagued with Meyers for over 40 years is finally coming together to try and stop him, and they come pretty close, yet the typical horror trope of being stupid and not making the best decisions (or having great aim) come to plague our story. I am more fascinated with the idea of this demented man not saying a word, not showing any emotion, and no one understanding him deliver brutal kills, but still being a man that can be killed. Luck just happens to be on his side, not a ghost or demon.

Despite those remarks, the film does live up to its name. The body count is higher than the last, with the kills being much more brutal. Almost every kill is done untraditionally (not just a stab or being thrown out a window). You see eyes get gorged out. A woman is stabbed in the throat with a light stick while her husband is literally put on the chopping block where he is stabbed several times so that Meyers can determine what knife is best. The most brutal killing had to have been saved for last which features a stabbing with a knife, staircase, and a pity neck snap. The movie offers a lot of character development, yet I have to agree with IGN in that it really only goes as far as to set up the concluding chapter in this trilogy, Halloween Ends which Green confirmed is coming 2022.

The film is worth a watch and fans of the original as well as the 2018 sequel will enjoy, but they may be left wanting more as if they filled up on a kids meal rather than adult combo.