After getting delayed last year due to the pandemic, Michael is finally back in Halloween Kills, which takes place immediately following the events of the last movie. I didn’t think the title would be taken so literal, but it was clear from the start of the flick that it was going to be a nonstop ride of Michael killing his way through Haddonfield. Unfortunately, that’s about all the movie is, which may or may not divide fans, depending on what you came to see.

The last film ended with Michael supposedly burning up in the basement, but naturally it’s gonna take more than fire to end ol’ Mike and it’s not long before he makes short work of a group of unsuspecting firemen simply trying to put out the flames. Meanwhile, Laurie and her family are on their way to the hospital thinking they’ve just ended Michael’s reign. Around the same time Tommy Doyle, Lonnie Elam, Lindsey (Kyle Richards reprises her role), and Marion (Nancy Stephens reprises her role) are all at the local bar getting drunk and sharing stories of how they survived Michael back in ‘78.

It's all fun and games at the bar until a local broadcast detail how Michael is on the loose again after murdering several firemen at Laurie’s compound. Tommy decides that he’s had enough and declares that “evil dies tonight” by enlisting able bodied townspeople to help hunt Michael. This proves easier said than done, especially when certain characters do encounter Mike and quickly forget how to shot guns, unlock doors or simply defend themselves in general, which of course is standard for slasher films.  

In fact, this movie is chock full of horror tropes, almost to a fault, but it’s clear early on that the filmmakers weren’t going for originality here. Instead, it seems like they’re just attempting to make up for the somewhat limited body count in the last movie by nearly killing the whole town in this one. Michael is definitely a force to be reckoned with and if you came to see The Shape slash his way back home then you’ve come to the right place. The movie not only offers a hefty body count, but also a nice assortment of gory deaths, which should please viewers looking for nothing but lots of mayhem and fan fair.  

However, if you’re hoping to see the expansion of certain characters or any kind of story progression, you’ll be sorely disappointed, because you get neither here. Actually, the movie almost seems to exist just to get to the next film, at least story wise, because there’s no advancement in any way. Laurie is also wasted since she spends the whole time in a hospital bed, but I suppose there’s only so much she can do at this point.  

While the story is severely lacking it does still deliver some interesting aspects like the return of certain characters (Tommy, Lindsey, etc..), the vigilante-turned-unruly mob, and we also get an interesting flashback to ‘78 that shows a young Officer Hawkins' first encounter with Michael and how he was ultimately apprehended, in an alternate end to Carpenter’s original (where a CG Loomis also makes an appearance).

Either way, depending on what you came to see, viewers may be a bit split on this sequel. I personally liked all the deaths, but still acknowledge that it doesn’t quite live up to the previous entry, mainly since the last movie at least tried to be different, where this sequel was simply a straight forward slasher and nothing more.