The Rise and Fall of Halloween Kills: A Controversial Chapter in Horror Cinema
In a bold move, the creators of Halloween Kills (2021) decided to ignore most of the established Halloween franchise and craft a direct sequel to the original. And boy, did it pay off! With a box office haul of nearly $260 million, it seemed like the creative team, led by David Gordon Green, had struck gold. But little did they know, a controversial catchphrase would soon echo through the horror community.
Initially, Halloween Kills was envisioned as a back-to-back production with Halloween 2018, but the creative team realized they had enough material for a trilogy. Writer Danny McBride wanted to proceed with caution, ensuring they didn't get ahead of themselves. They wanted to gauge the audience's response to the 2018 film and make sure it resonated with fans before moving forward.
Once Halloween 2018 proved to be a massive success, the green light was given for the second installment of the proposed trilogy. Joining McBride and director David Gordon Green was Scott Teems, who had been working on multiple scripts with Blumhouse Productions. Teems developed a script based on an idea from McBride and Green, and they collaborated on rewrites.
The returning cast included Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, and Andi Matichak, who reprised their roles from the previous film. An announcement video released in July 2019 revealed not only the title of the sequel, Halloween Kills, but also its companion, Halloween Ends.
It was originally planned to film both sequels back-to-back, but the production team decided to focus solely on Halloween Kills due to the intense nature of the shoot. The original plan was to film in Charleston, South Carolina, but they ultimately moved to North Carolina, where tax incentives were more favorable, and the Screen Gems Studios offered massive soundstages ready for use.
To maintain continuity with the original Halloween 2, the film was set on the same night as its predecessor, resulting in a reunion of returning characters. One surprising return was Will Patton's Hawkins, who seemingly met his demise in the previous film. Green enjoyed working with Patton and wanted to bring him back, despite his character being bedridden for much of the film, mirroring Laurie Strode's situation.
The creative team also looked to the original Halloween film for inspiration, reaching out to Paul Rudd to reprise his role as Tommy Doyle from Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers. However, Rudd had prior commitments with Ghostbusters: Afterlife, so the role went to Anthony Michael Hall, who impressed Green during a productive meeting. To complete the reunion, Kyle Richards, who played Lindsay Wallace in the original, returned to the franchise.
The film also featured the return of Dr. Samuel Loomis, portrayed by Tom Jones Jr., who bore a resemblance to the late Donald Pleasance. Jones Jr., who was also the head of carpentry on the films, had his voice dubbed over by Colin Mahan. James Jude Courtney and Airon Armstrong, a stuntman, returned as The Shape and handled the flashback scenes, respectively. Nick Castle, considered a "good luck charm" by producer Ryan Turek, made a special appearance in a select scene.
Halloween Kills delved into the aftermath of the original film, with a scene depicting the police hunt for Michael Myers. The original script featured more scenes set in 1978, including a prominent role for a young Laurie Strode. However, due to budget constraints and the importance of Curtis' portrayal, the decision was made to cut these scenes. Nonetheless, several scenes set in 1978 remained, requiring the construction of the original Myers house in a warehouse, with six houses built in total.
The recreation of the classic Myers mask was a meticulous process, with FX guru Christopher Nelson using the original Don Post mask as a reference. Nelson created an almost identical replica, while also adding fire damage to the present-day mask, maintaining the look from Halloween 2018. Only two masks were used during filming: the hero mask and the one for the fire scenes.
Despite Michael Myers' fiery encounter at the end of Halloween 2018, the film revealed that he had escaped relatively unscathed and taken out several firefighters in the process. The production team had to burn down a different house for this scene, and they recruited real-life firefighters from the area to play the unfortunate victims, who were thrilled to be killed by The Shape.
The mantra "Evil Dies Tonight" became a divisive element of the film, as it took the focus away from the community's reaction to Michael's rampage. Green wanted to explore the impact of Michael on the town and the mob mentality that ensued. A broadcast shown in the film listed Michael's victims from '78, including Annie, Lynda, and Bob. Interestingly, the production team had difficulty finding a high school photo of actor John Michael Graham, who portrayed Bob, and instead used a photo of actor Bob Odenkirk, which bore a striking resemblance.
The Silver Shamrock masks made a comeback, worn by a group of kids and later used in one of Michael's sinister creations. During the car attack sequence, the production team employed an unorthodox filming approach, using two separate units to capture the actors in the front and back of the car. This allowed for a faster shooting pace but was challenging to execute.
For the hospital surgery scene, the filmmakers hired an actual surgery team to perform a fake operation on Curtis' prosthetic stomach. Green took a documentary-style approach, allowing the real doctors and nurses to shape the scene based on their expertise.
The final major sequence, featuring Michael's confrontation with the angry mob and his subsequent retaliation, was shot partly on the streets of Wilmington and partly on a soundstage. Performers were placed on a turntable, creating a dreamlike effect.
The night shoots presented a challenging filming schedule, leading to Director of Photography Michael Simmonds experiencing vertigo and requiring a wheelchair for a week. Fortunately, camera operator Paul Daley stepped in as DP, maintaining a consistent look until Simmonds' return.
Universal's home video department requested an Extended Cut of the film, featuring more violent kills and an alternative ending. Originally, the film was to end with Laurie taking a knife and heading out on a mission, but Green opted for a different conclusion, leaving the theatrical version with Laurie in her hospital room and Michael staring at the camera.
John Carpenter, along with his son Cody Carpenter and Daniel Davies, returned to score the film, infusing familiar beats from Halloween 2018 with fresh elements.
Halloween Kills was initially scheduled for release on October 16, 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed it by a year. Additionally, the film was released simultaneously in theaters and on Peacock, which may have impacted its box office performance. The film ultimately grossed $133 million worldwide, significantly less than its predecessor. Critical reception was also less favorable, with a 38% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, compared to the 79% Fresh rating of Halloween 2018.
Despite the mixed response, Halloween Kills left a lasting impression with its high body count and emphasis on delivering a bloody good time. The Carpenter score added an extra layer of excitement to the experience. And that, my friends, is the story of Halloween Kills, a controversial yet entertaining chapter in the Halloween franchise.
