HALLOWEEN KILLS

As with the original sequel HALLOWEEN II in 1981, HALLOWEEN KILLS picks up immediately following the events of the first part of this new trilogy. Laurie Strode, her daughter Karen, and granddaughter Allyson are in the back of a pickup truck as Michael and Laurie's home are burning down. However, the local fire department attempts to put out the blaze and in the process, allow Michael to escape. Some of the local survivors from the original 40+ years ago (Tommy Doyle, Lindsey Wallace, and one other that I won't spoil here) gather at a local bar for a Halloween talent show. When they hear of Michael's escape, they gather as many of the townies as they can in order to hunt and kill Michael. In addition to these characters, the story also goes back to 1978 to paperclip a few additional characters into the story who play substantial parts in this film. The dynamic and volatile relationship within the Strode women is what keeps the story going as Tommy Doyle's vigilante arc is a hot mess, involving a very messy hospital sequence, which allows Laurie's and Tommy's paths to finally cross all of these years later. This is by far the most violent Halloween film of the franchise. It is the most gory film to have the name Halloween attached to it and in some ways, some of the deaths could be considered unnecessarily over-the-top. A disappointing sequel in my eyes and we can only hope the third film is able to redeem it. 5.5/10