If one were to think of one of the most recognisable horror franchises of all time, then Halloween will certainly be high up on that list. In a sea of horror films that are either bad, average or just about good, the original Halloween stands far apart from the rest as is an excellent horror film. When it came out in 1979, audiences were amazed by the special effects and the scare factor of the film. However, what stuck in people’s minds the most was the idea of Michael Myers himself. It is hard to find a character like him in all of fiction as most other slashers are typically supernaturally enhanced.
In the case of Michael Myers case, he is just a man, which makes him so scary. Michael Myers questions the whole nature vs nurture argument and suggests that people can be born evil, as Michael Myers was. This is the crux of his character, though more recent films have tried to suggest that Michael is the embodiment of evil itself. What is clear is that the original Halloween is a masterpiece, and the ‘sequelboot’ of that film also impressed audiences when it came out in 2018. This continued the story established in the original Halloween, retconning all the questionable sequels that succeeded it.
Most people will be aware that another sequel came out recently that follows up the sequel that was released in 2018, Halloween Kills. Now that the world has had a chance to see the film, there will be many left wondering just why it was needed in the first place. It is hard to see anything of substance that has been added to the story and it is certainly not better than the film that preceded it. This is not to say that the film does not do anything right. On the contrary, there are some moments of genuine horror when it comes to the brutality that an older, experienced Michael exhibits. When it comes to presenting Michael as a future of nature, the film is simply brilliant. When it comes to everything else, the film fails.
Fans of the franchise were excited that Jamie Lee Curtis, the original actor for Laurie Strode,
returned to reprise the role. However, in Halloween Kills, she simply does nothing for the majority of the film, which is confusing seeing as it is essentially Michael’s story first, and Laurie’s story second. The film also suffers from the standard tropes of horror, which include jump scares and the fact that many of the characters in the films are some of the stupidest people that have ever been written. The decisions they make leading to their deaths are simply incomprehensible, and even laughable at some points. While diehard fans of the franchise may enjoy it just to see Michael do what he does best, more casual watchers are advised to do other entertaining activities. Many would probably enjoy gambling at a casino more, and those who are interested can play options here, a much better choice than watching Halloween Kills.
After the first modern Halloween was such a hit, it is disappointing to see that its sequel missed the mark. Fans of horror can still look forward to Scream though, another ‘sequelboot’ following along the lines of the new Halloween films.
