There is one thing we can all agree regarding this movie. That the title isn’t a lie. Yes, it takes place on Halloween. And yes, there is a lot of killing. But back on that former comment, this movie picks up right where the previous left off. Laurie is being taken to the hospital by her daughter and gran-daughter. But as firemen go to Laurie’s home to put out the fire, Michael Myers emerges and begins to take on all of them. And he makes his way through Haddonfield, killing those he comes across. Meanwhile, word of Michael has spread and a mob has formed to take on the Boogeyman once and for all.
A lot of criticisms have been thrown at this movie. First of all, the marketing made it seem like there would be another Laurie & Michael showdown. But that doesn’t happen. In fact, Laurie doesn’t really play much of a role in the movie. Another major criticism is that this mob that’s being formed is confusing. By that, I mean the script is confused about what it is trying to say by including a mob like this. I think it’s supposed to be against this kind of mentality. But then there are scenes where it seems like it’s supporting the mob and their actions. This won’t be the first time a Halloween sequel has seemingly supported the idea of a militia group. And that is a weird thing to say.
As far as human characters go, most of them just aren’t that interesting this time around. The two best ones are Laurie and Deputy Frank Hawkins, both of them on hospital beds following events from the previous film. Characters like Karen & Allyson aren’t bad, but nothing is really done to develop them or make them stand out in a significant way. And somehow Allyson’s boyfriend didn’t die last film and he’s a main character in this one! In other words – good characters have little screen time, previously good characters are average, and unlike-able characters get more screen time. Another major criticism is that this movie has tonal issues. There were moments from the last one that sort of had that issue. But it is amplified in this one and it occurs throughout the entire story.
I will admit there is stuff I still liked. Michael kills a lot of people. And all of those kills are enjoyably brutal. Some of the best moments in this movie involve Michael just tearing into someone with no restraint. There is still some atmosphere that helps elevate the darker or suspenseful parts of the movie. Not enough to put them on par with what was seen in the last film. But make them enjoyable. There’s also this one section of the film that plays out almost like it’s a separate short film. In the old Myers home, it’s occupied by a gay couple and they are known as Big John & Little John. That’s actually how they refer to each other and it’s funny while not being too against the darker tone. They have a little fun telling a couple of kid tricksters about the story of Michael and the old house. But then Michael sneaks in and the two try and find him to take him down. There’s a moment between one of them and Michael where you feel like there is just as much being said in silence as in the actual dialogue. And the way Michael places both bodies together afterwards does kind of make me think he didn’t really hate them or disliked them. That’s he more sorry that they got in his way.
But the issues in this movie are far more noticeable than in the previous one. It seems to imply Michael might truly be a supernatural killer in the climax because he somehow survives a beat down from the mob and takes out everyone there. I think he even survived being shot at point blank. And the ending leaves us with this jump scare that raises more questions and confusion as opposed to scaring us. This is an unfocused and uneven film. But I’ll say that this isn’t the worst Halloween film, not by far. If your looking for a Michael Myers film where you don’t mind the characters being stupid and just want some violence, well…this might be the flick for you.
