By Skylla Mumana | Reporter
If you’re looking for an exciting, thrilling, scary movie to watch, do yourself a favor and pass on “Halloween Kills.” While I have always been a fan of horror movies, especially with this series, overall this movie was a letdown.
“Halloween Kills” is an American slasher film that came out on Oct. 15. The film is a continuation of the 2018 movie “Halloween,” and is the 12th installment of the “Halloween” franchise. The movie stars Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode and James Jude Courtney as Michael Myers.
“Halloween,” the first installment of the franchise, is centered around the small town of Haddonfield, Ill., and the menacing figure of Michael Myers. Myers, a mental patient in a sanitarium, was committed for murdering his teenage sister on Halloween night when he was six. Fifteen years later, he returns to his hometown of Haddonfield and stalks a female babysitter and her friends, all while running from his psychiatrist.
First off, the plot was scattered. While it may have flowed at certain parts, at others it seemed rushed and uncoordinated. There were a few awkward moments within the movie that left it feeling more comical or humorous rather than scary or frightening.
While gore is to be expected within a horror movie, I felt that the gore within the movie and the death scenes gave no justice to its characters, main or side. There’s typically a lot of death in slasher movies — to no one’s surprise — however, there’s generally a certain amount of suspense and buildup that makes slasher movies interesting and frightening. “Halloween Kills” lacked a lot of that.
The ending also seemed rushed, leaving a lot of room for confusion. There never seemed to be any resolution of any kind, which left me frustrated, but not in the cliff-hanger type of way. It left me with more of an unsatisfied feeling and it didn’t leave me feeling excited for any future installments of the series.
One main thing that also struck me as odd or unfortunate was how Curtis’ character, Strode, was utilized in the plot. Strode is notably the primary protagonist of the “Halloween” franchise and is the subject of Myers’ obsession.
Throughout the entire movie, Strode was seen sitting in a hospital room flirting with another character, and even when it seems like she’s about to jump into the action, she gets taken out of the plot early. This was extremely disappointing to me, even if it meant setting up for the next installment. Regardless, I felt as if her classic, tough-as-nails heroine character was portrayed as more of a side character, even though she’s perceived as the protagonist of the series.
Although there were also really interesting, commendable parts in “Halloween Kills.” If I have to commend one thing, it would be the cinematography. I think the paneling and the closeups were reminiscent of the 1970s “Halloween” movie and other horror movies during this era. I thought that this made the movie more enjoyable as a whole.
I also enjoyed the music. A lot of songs, especially the theme song from the original “Halloween” movie, were a nice addition to chase scenes, dramatic entrances and character deaths.
Overall, this movie felt incomplete, rushed and messy. I had high hopes for this film, but unfortunately they didn’t meet my expectations. I hope future installments will be more thought out, more direct and will flow better as a whole.
