The Halloween Kills reviews show that critics are torn on the new sequel in the long-running horror franchise. A direct follow-up to 2018’s Halloween, Halloween Kills is directed by David Gordon Green and stars an ensemble cast led by Jamie Lee Curtis and featuring Judy Greer, Andi Matichak, Will Patton, Antony Michael Hall, and James Jude Courtney. A third entry in the reboot trilogy, titled Halloween Ends, is already in development.
After helping to create the slasher genre in 1978, the Halloween franchise has seen a series of ups and downs. Rob Zombie’s 2007 Halloween remake found some notable success, as did the 2018 film, which served as a direct sequel to John Carpenter’s original movie, ignoring the many sequels that followed it in the 1980s and 1990s. Because 2018’s Halloween was seen as such a return to form for the series, hopes have been high for another great entry in Halloween Kills. The actual result, however, seems to have fallen far short of those hopes.
At the time of writing, the Halloween Kills reviews have earned the film an unimpressive 46 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Some critics have praised the classic horror style of the film, and it’s received a number of positive reviews. Despite those bright spots, however, most critics have taken issue with the messy structure of the film, which attempts to balance too many characters and plotlines, and a lackluster attempt at social commentary. Check out some of the more positive Halloween Kills reviews below.
“It’s complete chaos in Haddonfield across the board, making for a wild ride that brings no shortage of memorable moments of suspense and visceral carnage. As part of an overarching narrative, Halloween Kills makes for a sloppy and uneven entry without much to say. Even still, the cast fully commits to this lean, mean, and downright savage entry, carving up an effective and engaging old-school slasher.”
“And yes, the ending will anger audiences unaware that, when they bought a ticket for this film, they effectively signed on for Halloween Ends, too … at least if they want any sense of resolution. But there is something entertaining, or maybe just enjoyably puzzling, about what Gordon Green and McBride think a Michael Myers movie could or ought to be. If it ain’t dead, don’t kill it.”
“Halloween Kills knows how to jolt an audience into fits of giggly yelps of fright, and watching this iconic villain do his thing with such calmly calculated ferocity is oftentimes bone-chilling.”
“As gruesomely brutal as a night spent with Michael Myers should be, although the horror sequel loses some of its skull-crushing effectiveness juggling rampant carnage and social commentary.”
Clearly, Halloween Kills isn’t all bad. There seems to be notable merit in its adherence to the style and viciousness of its classic slasher roots, and Curtis is still a commanding performer, despite being underutilized. Unfortunately, the bad seems to be outweighing the good overall in Halloween Kills, and a number of the reviews that have gone up are far less kind to Green’s latest entry in the series. Check out some of the harsher Halloween Kills reviews below.
“As far as improvements go, Michael Myers's revitalized brutality is arguably the only successful one that Halloween Kills makes.”
“It's a mess - a slasher movie that's almost never scary, slathered with "topical" pablum and with too many parallel plot strands that don't go anywhere.”
“Green has made so many interesting movies, from “George Washington” to “Snow Angels” to the best bits in “Pineapple Express” and more recent genre exercises. “Halloween Kills” settles for the reductive, distressingly anonymous hackwork of its title.”
“An indolent, narratively impoverished mess that substitutes corpses for characters and slogans for dialogue.”
“Halloween Kills is a mess. Its hero barely appears for the first hour of the movie, and the new characters introduced to take her place act like dummies and/or lunatics.”
Hopefully, Halloween Ends can deliver a satisfying conclusion to the franchise, but it sounds like it has a lot of work to do to turn the story of Halloween Kills into a coherent middle chapter. Michael Myers is still scary, and the movie keeps a lot of the effecting atmosphere of the 2018 Halloween, but a lot of potential seems to have been squandered along the way by sidelining the series’ best characters, spreading the story to thin, and failing to deliver any truly powerful message beyond the simple tropes of the genre. Halloween Kills may still be a fun and satisfying sequel for dedicated fans of the franchise, but for other moviegoers, it may not be worth the price of admission.
