Halloween Kills

I loved the recreation of 1978, it’s one of the best aspects of Halloween Kills. The flashback showing Hawkins apprehending Michael feels so authentic that it could have been seamlessly edited into the original film. Even the colour gradient has that same grainy texture and orange hue that defined late ‘70s cinema. The lighting, camera angles, and costume design perfectly capture the era, creating a nostalgic bridge between Carpenter’s original and David Gordon Green’s continuation. It’s a bold and impressive way to start the movie, reminding fans exactly where this story began.

After that flashback, the film wastes no time picking up right where Halloween (2018) ended. Laurie’s house burns as Michael emerges from the flames, and the brutality that follows is relentless. The sequence of him tearing through a team of firefighters is pure chaos and sets the tone for what’s to come. It’s one of the most savage openings in the franchise, and it immediately tells the audience that this film is not holding back. The first act, in general, is very strong, it’s intense, confident, and doesn’t let up.

This sequel leans more heavily into the idea that Michael Myers might be something beyond human. It never outright says it, but it certainly hints at it. Whether it’s the way he survives every brutal attack or the eerie stillness after each massacre, there’s an unspoken supernatural undertone running through the movie. It raises that classic Halloween question again, is Michael just a man, or something much worse? The film doesn’t give us an answer, but it keeps that mystery alive in an intriguing way.

Bringing back more characters from the original, such as Tommy Doyle and Lindsey Wallace, adds an extra layer of nostalgia. Seeing the two now as adults, the same children who were being babysat that fateful night in 1978, gives the story a sense of continuity and legacy. They carry the trauma of their childhood encounter with Michael, which fuels their determination to stop him once and for all. However, the execution isn’t always perfect. Tommy, played by Anthony Michael Hall, delivers some lines that border on cheesy, especially during the crowd scenes. The repeated chanting of “evil dies tonight” quickly wears thin and becomes unintentionally funny rather than inspiring. It’s a good idea taken too far.

What Halloween Kills absolutely nails, though, is the brutality of its deaths. The kills are more gruesome, lingering longer on the violence and showing Michael at his most vicious. The special effects are disturbingly realistic, adding a rawness to the carnage that makes it hard to look away. But beyond the gore, the film also explores how Michael’s presence infects Haddonfield with panic and paranoia. The sequence involving the escaped inmate mistaken for Michael is tragic and unsettling, a chilling reminder that fear itself can be just as destructive as the killer they’re chasing.

One of the more interesting moments comes when Judy Greer’s character, Karen, takes Michael’s mask to lure him out of the Myers house. The tension in that scene is incredible, and I genuinely thought we might finally see his face. The franchise has always treated Michael’s mask as sacred, and Halloween Kills continues that tradition by never giving the audience the full reveal. When Michael retrieves it and emerges into the street, there’s a sense of inevitability, the calm before the storm.

The mob’s confrontation with Michael near the end is easily one of the film’s highlights. Watching a group of enraged citizens attack the shape feels satisfying, especially after everything he’s done. But even after enduring a vicious beating, Michael rises once more, as if fuelled by something unexplainable. It’s a chilling moment that cements his mythic status and leaves you questioning what he truly is. The resilience he shows in that final sequence is both terrifying and fascinating.

The ending left me with so many questions. How can he endure all those gunshots and stabbings and still get back up? Is he something beyond human? The final moments are gut-wrenching and brutal, delivering one last shock before cutting to Laurie’s defiant line: “I’m coming for you, Michael.” It’s the perfect setup for what feels like an inevitable final showdown between Laurie Strode and The Shape. After everything that’s happened, that promise feels earned, and it leaves you ready for the conclusion that must surely follow.