Halloween Kills

They shot him and set him on fire: Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), her daughter Karen (Judy Greer) and granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak) are certain they've finally killed merciless killer Michael Meyers. But evil is not so easily defeated: Meyers has survived and continues his bloody campaign through Haddonfield. As Laurie fights for her life in the hospital, an angry mob forms in the small town around Tommy Doyle (Anthony Michael Hall), who once survived Meyers' first murderous Halloween attack as a young boy along with his then-babysitter Laurie. The outraged people of Haddonfield no longer want to live in fear and terror. Michael Meyers must die tonight - no matter what...

In 2018, director David Gordon Green and co-writer Danny McBride brought their "Halloween" to theaters as a direct sequel to John Carpenter's original. They completely ignored the numerous sequels and Rob Zombie's reboot. This went down well with fans, the film grossed a more than respectable $255 million worldwide at a production cost of just $10 million. So it was no question that David Gordon Green was given the green light to direct the next two installments of his planned trilogy. The middle chapter, "Halloween Kills", is now finally running in our cinemas with a year delay, 2023 is then "Halloween Ends" to follow.

In terms of content, Green's second film directly follows the events of the predecessor. It's therefore worth re-watching 2018's "Halloween" - but equally, a look at Carpenter's original is also recommended, as characters from back then also reappear, and direct references to the events of 1978 are made again and again. The idea of placing the trauma that has since been experienced by the people of Haddonfield at the heart of the film is, at its core, very interesting. Especially when it becomes clear how easily a mob formed out of hysteria can get out of control, the story fully plays to its strengths.

In addition, Michael Meyers is allowed to get down to business quite a bit more brutally than in the previous film, which should definitely please fans of classic slasher fare. And the film also offers a successful flashback to the past, which is really well implemented. But unfortunately, there are also some criticisms that detract a bit from the enjoyment of the flick. These are especially related to the last act and can not be explicitly named here without spoiling too much. Only this much perhaps: One has the feeling that the story could have been told to the end here. The way the foundation for "Halloween Ends" was laid here feels forced, even for this franchise that is really not characterized by logic.

I quite enjoyed "Halloween Kills", however I kept getting the feeling that a lot more could have been pulled out. The finale didn't work for me and didn't necessarily make me want to read the next part. Still, I'm excited to see what David Gordon Green comes up with for his third film, which is supposed to take place four years after the events of parts 1 and 2. For his second chapter - despite some weaknesses - I still give it a decent: worth seeing!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp