Evil is on the run again!

Halloween is around the corner, and in recent years, it was the period during which the inhabitants of Haddonfield took precautions to stay out of the hands of Michael Myers. However, not this time. No one has seen the killer in many years and even Laurie and her granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak) seem to have turned a leaf on the dark past. Laurie writes her autobiography while Allyson is a nurse at the local hospital. Allyson’s life is about to become much brighter when Corey Cunningham (Rohan Campbell), who injured himself after a brawl, enters the hospital.

Both take an immediate interest in each other, and soon they go on a first date. They realize that they have a lot in common, including what seems to be a dark past. When Laurie meets Corey, the anger, darkness, and emptiness in his eyes reveal more about him than she wants. While she wants to warn Allyson about it, the latter seems to have entirely fallen into Corey’s hands. Will Halloween once again be a dark day for Laurie, Allyson, and Haddonfield, or will they have a peaceful Halloween?

“When is someone going to get murdered?”

When reading the synopsis, you would think that Halloween Ends is one of those movies in which blood and murder fill the screen every minute. Even more so when you know that we didn’t describe the vicious murders that get this film going. However, apart from that murder, you have to wait for ages before another body turns up. When we watched the movie, an audience member shouted, “When is someone going to get murdered?” We fully agreed with his question. Most of the film is about Laurie writing her biography and Allyson finding the happiness she deserves. There are sinister figures, extremely recognizable masks and gruesome bodies, but those are rarities, especially during the film’s first part.

If you’re wondering when Myers appears for the first time (apart from during the flashback to the 2018 movie), be prepared, it takes a while before he makes his entrance. He’s not as present as he should have been, but when Myers appears, he’s as compelling and horrifying as always. It’s clear that director David Gordon Green (Halloween Kills, Stronger) and his writing team want to take the Halloween franchise in another direction for the last film, but was that a good idea?

Curtis is still the Scream Queen

While there’s a lack of Myers, blood and murder, there’s the usual amount of great acting performances. Curtis (Everything Everywhere All at Once, Knives Out) is still the Scream Queen, as her performance is spot on. As Laurie, she captures the perfect balance between being relatively at peace with life and being badass and determined to get rid of all the evil in the world. Matichak (Foxhole, Son) gives a captivating performance as the broken but still headstrong and hopeful Allyson. Campbell (Operation Christmas Drop, Diablo) makes an impressive impact as the innocent looking but with darkness-filled young man.

A bold decision that paid off or the wrong way to end a 40-year-old franchise?

Taking the Halloween franchise in a different direction is something to applaud, but it might have been better if Green and his team didn’t wait until the last film. While the movie introduces a fresh plot and brand-new characters, maybe people just wanted a two-hour slasher movie like the previous ones. Depending on what one you want, you will either love or hate Halloween Ends. But, no matter what you want, you still get a grand finale and stunning acting performances.

Rating: (3 / 5)

Halloween Ends is out now in U.K. cinemas

Also Read: Review: Halloween Kills

Also Read: Women In Horror: An Ode to Laurie Strode

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Michael Myers is back and in more than one way

For many of us, Halloween is the day we dress up, go trick-and-treating and indulge ourselves in special Halloween drinks. However, for the people of Haddonfield, the festive day will always be even darker. It’s the day that reminds everyone of Michael Myers, the murderer who went on a killing spree in 1978 and who’s been killing ever since. His murderous time almost ended when one of his surviving victims Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), caught him in a burning trap. However, he managed to escape. When trying to kill Myers once and for all, Strode, her daughter Karen (Judy Greer) and granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak) were severely wounded themselves.

While the three of them are rushing to the hospital, Myers keeps doing what he’s good at: Killing every innocent person who crosses his path. After learning that her trap was unsuccessful, Laurie is determined to kill her lifelong tormentor finally. So are the other villagers of Haddonfield. Amongst them are the parents of the victims and even survivors. They’re road to take the matter into their own hands. Will they finally be able to bring this monstrous murderer down for good, or will Myers keep causing destruction, death and a massive bloodbath every Halloween to come?

Is the success formula still a hit?

As mentioned before, Green is using the success formula of the previous films. Again, there’s the dark and sinister cinematography (this time provided by Michael Simmonds), many returning A-list stars and the eery extremely recognizable soundtrack from John Carpenter. However, does this successful combination still work after all these years? We’re not 100% sure anymore.

The biggest problem we have with this movie is the storyline. Yes, we understand that a slasher movie is about a killer that goes on a rampage, but if that’s the case, at least you have to make sure that the story during the non-killing moments can still captivate you. There should be a proper balance between the killings and the rest of the storyline. Sadly, that’s not the case in this movie. We get the feeling that this movie goes from one Myers murder straight to another. As a result, you don’t get the chance to process what just happened and to connect with the people. That latter is undoubtedly a shame because you could get such a deeper insight into the feelings of the Strode family and what the survivors go through. The writing team was clearly already thinking of the 2022 sequel while writing this film.

During Halloween Kills, it becomes clear that Curtis (Halloween, Knives Out) is still the queen of the horror movies. While we don’t see much of the Scream Queen in this movie, she again puts on a powerful, bad-ass and captivating performance. Her leading role is being taken over by Judy Greer (Halloween, Ant-Man and the Wasp), who shines extremely bright in this movie as Karen Nelson. It’s harder to connect with Allyson Nelson, daughter of Karen and granddaughter of Laurie. Still unsure whether it’s because of Andi Matichak (Son, Halloween) her performance, her lack of screentime or the wobbly script.

We’re also introduced to adult Tommy Doyle, and he comes in the form of Anthony Michael Hall (Foxcatcher, The Dark Knight). Hall gives an extremely enjoyable, strong and sometimes little exaggerated performance. Even some of the minor characters are well thought of and in particular Big John and Little John. This couple is portrayed beautifully by Scott MacArthur (The Babysitter: Killer Queen, Coldwater) and Michael McDonald (The Happytime Murders, The Heat), who bring laughter, fun and light to this movie.

We certainly also don’t have any complaints about the cinematography by Michael Simmonds (Halloween, Nerve). Halloween Kills is an extremely horror treat (or should it be a threat). As an audience, you will certainly feel the fear, the destruction and the darkness of Haddonfield, thanks to the dark, sinister and compelling cinematography. To counterbalance the pitch-black colours, there’s always a light source present. Whether it’s the torches, the police flashlights or the headlights of a car, this dark-light combination is exceptionally well.

While there might be a slight overuse of the mirrors and the ‘knocking on doors’ element, the creative team still succeeds in bringing unique twists to the scenes. If you combine this dark and cleverly done cinematography with a very effective and fear-provoking and an incredible score by Carpenter (all Halloween movies, Ghosts of Mars), you know the film might be worth the watch after all. There’s even a new rendition of the classic Halloween theme song, which will give you chills!

Ready for the next Michael Myers chapter?

Die-hard fans of Halloween and Michael Myers will love Halloween Kills. The movie is certainly a high-quality slasher film because it’s incredibly violent, explicit, and brutal. The dark and sinister cinematography heightens the evil of Michael Myers, the performances are still top-notch, and the music score from Carpenter certainly brings the nostalgic and diabolic vibe to the movie. The question remains whether you’re willing to accept the weak storyline or not?

Halloween Kills is out now in U.K. cinemas.

Rating: (3 / 5)

Also Read: Women In Horror: An Ode to Laurie Strode

Your contribution to Big Picture Film Club will allow us to continue to produce content. No matter the amount your contributions are greatly appreciated.

The post Review: Halloween Kills appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.