Michael Myers has gone through multiple incarnations for over forty years now, yet the citizens of Haddonfield still attempt to find a logic behind his humanity. He has been burned so many times, beaten, and had his head hacked off, but the narrative feels the need to explain how he gets away. The same logic doesn’t seem to apply to other famous slashers like Jason as fans come to expect that he simply just can’t die. They are monsters and are meant to haunt us for eternity. One can argue their immortality is based on box office numbers, but both franchises have seen their financial disappointments, and that only lets evil sleep a little longer. Eventually, someone comes around and tries to revitalize the franchise. The 2018 Halloween was the most recent attempt, gaining credibility by convincing Jamie Lee Curtis to resurrect a character that’s been dead for years and also recast in the Rob Zombie versions. Of course, we are to ignore the many sequels and reboots as this is an alternate timeline. Fortunately, that film worked and gave us a vengeful Laurie Strode and an even more sinister Michael Myers. It was a huge success at the box office and with fans, leading to a not so surprising new trilogy, with the next being the much delayed HALLOWEEN KILLS.

HALLOWEEN KILLS picks up exactly where the 2018 film left off, Laurie and her kin being driven away to safety, leaving behind a burning Myers. Unfortunately, emergency services are a little too good at their job and unleash Myers from the fire who continues his wrath on Haddonfield. Fans who have been around the original 1978 film will enjoy all the fan servicing as old school survivors are back in business. The two most high-profile ones are Tommy Doyle (Anthony Michael Hall) and Lindsey Wallace (Kyle Richards). Both live with the trauma they encountered when they watched Strode fight off the boogeyman and are ready for his return. The town, in general, seems to have experienced a shared trauma and team up to do whatever it takes to finally kill off Myers.

The digital and home video releases of HALLOWEEN KILLS are marketed as an extended cut with an alternate ending. The extended sequences are small, but notable and successfully add a bit of tension, especially to a younger Lonnie’s encounter with Myers. The alternate ending plays more like an extended sequence that actually plays better as it gives a more enticing promise for what HALLOWEEN ENDS has in store.

A handful of short featurettes and deleted scenes are included, but really don’t add too much to experience minus an alternate sequence involving the drone that Michael smacked offscreen in the theatrical cut. The main prize here (which the 2018 lacked) is a commentary with director David Gordon Green, and stars Curtis and Judy Greer. They have an incredibly fun conversation, but it’s interesting to take notice that Curtis clearly does not agree with how extreme the movie went. Greer sounds like she’s just excited to be a part of an iconic franchise and takes note often of her now-infamous Christmas sweater. The commentary is included on both the theatrical and extended cuts, but is the same track, edited to accommodate both running times.

HALLOWEEN KILLS came with a lot of criticism from fans, but also some praise in its ability to just suspend disbelief that not a single person in this movie knows how to shoot a gun. However, it has a unique style when it comes to embracing the violent sequences and delivering gruesome kill scenes. The film definitely feels more like filler to get us going to the next one, but it has fun with some old and new memorable characters. Fans of HALLOWEEN KILLS will be satisfied with the new home video release which is a step above the 2018 release.

HALLOWEEN KILLS is now available on Digital, 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD. Want a chance to win a Blu-ray copy? Enter our giveaway here that ends January 14, 2022.