I’m not going to lie. “Halloween” (1978) is one of my favorite movies of all time. And while the sequels have been hit-or-miss slashers, I was not exactly wowed by the 2018 ‘sequel’ “Halloween” directed by David Gordon Green. There were many reasons for this, which you can read in my review here. But the biggest complaint was the film’s skip and jerk pace, and how it often didn’t feel scary or authentic. Sometimes, it didn’t really even feel like a horror film at all.
But maybe I was too harsh. Maybe, like Marvel’s “Infinity War” set up “Endgame,” Green’s “Halloween” was setting up the 2021 sequel “Halloween Kills.” The film’s trailer, which dropped five days ago, is prolific, and seems to take everything that bugged me about its predecessor and throw it out the window. As the original’s director John Carpenter said months ago in an online article, the new film excites for its scope, its range, and its basic idea: a town haunted by Michael Myers that has finally had enough and decides finally to fight back.
This is thrilling for several reasons. Firstly, one can’t help but note the absurdity of Myers returning again and again, with seemingly only his victims aware of his presence.But secondly and more importantly, this movie feels like a war, a war to stop Evil, which has been brewing for decades. How many corpses must lie in Haddonfield’s wake for the people to rise up? While the exact body count is missing, in the film’s new trailer, it seems David Gordon Green has the answer. The glimpse shows an exasperated Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), her daughter, Karen (Judy Greer), and the reappearance of both Lindsey Wallace and Tommy Doyle, the latter played by the iconic Anthony Michael Hall. Death is looming, Myers is alive, and the whole town seems armed to the teeth. Wow.
“It is so intense…oh my god…it even stuns me how incredible it is.”‘halloween’ director JOHN CARPENTER
I think it’s a testament to the spirit of horror and slashers that baddies like Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger, and Michael Myers just won’t die. But it also seems that Director Green is setting this one up to be the ultimate fight; and, if delivered as promised—even as one of the franchise’s biggest fans—I think I’d be alright with putting Myers to rest once and for all.
What are your thoughts on the trailer? Watch in the window below, and let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
“Halloween Kills” is slated for an October 15 cinematic release.
