A few days ago, some folks informed this writer they had witnessed Halloween Kills in theaters. And the consensus was that it felt like an insult to audiences for wasting their time and money to see more of the same rehashed nonsense that has impaired the Halloween franchise for decades. The film was devoid of narrative substance and instead relied on flashy kills and a bloodthirsty (yet dull) atmosphere that had no apparent purpose. Hence, the result was a slasher movie with contemporary “pablum” and nothing uniquely frightening about it.

And as explained in our review, the reason why the foreboding tone is nonexistent in Halloween Kills is not solely because of the (false) marketing but because some knew a trilogy became announced with Halloween Ends releasing in October 2022 (barring any other future delays). And if history has taught us anything regarding film trilogies, it’s that it is near impossible to craft a great movie twice (let alone three times).

For example, let’s take a look at Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy to comprehend this issue. The first two films were terrific in both storytelling and action, particularly the 2004 sequel, thanks to Alfred Molina’s compelling acting (and complex character depiction). The stories even brought up other issues about how one man could protect NY while understanding that extraordinary power must come with responsibility. It is a crucial detail that both films prided themselves on, leading to exceptional success upon execution. Spider-Man 3, though, erased all that wit and warmth and interjected large-scale action and an overabundance of stories. And it led to a crumbling second-half of a movie that lost sight of its intentions and kept plodding along until the final battle where guys were fighting because of insipid reasons.

And other trilogies have had disappointing third entries like The Godfather Part III, X-Men: The Last Stand, Matrix Revolutions, Iron Man 3, Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker, Taken 3, and many more.

In Michael Myer’s case, this is a bad sign. Coupled with the poor final product of Halloween Kills, Halloween Ends almost stands no chance next October.

This franchise started incredibly with the 1978 Halloween, which set the template for many horror films to come as memory serves. It was visceral and nail-biting from start to finish, a rare feat to accomplish in the genre today. Then, nine sequels came within thirty years, and they sucked the soul out of Michael Myers and his victims. The scares became cheap, and the plots went nowhere, settling for a tiresome atmosphere instead of a dark one.

2018’s Halloween tossed aside all those dreadful sequels and opted as a forty-year sequel to the original (like the stunt Jurassic World and Terminator: Dark Fate pulled). It gave fans a respectful homage to the 1978 version while giving a plausible story with some effective kills. And the story could’ve wrapped up here nicely by providing a proud sendoff for Jamie Lee Curtis’s attachment to this series. But after the massive success of 255.6 million at the box office, Universal announced a trilogy, meaning that two more sequels (Kills and Ends) were to come after this.

And this could’ve continued the standard for a better story to wrap out the franchise. Unfortunately, Halloween Kills deeply botched the reason for its existence and served as an irritating filler before we get to Ends next year. Instead of doing acts one, then two, and three, the public received act one, the crummy remnants, and now have to kill time before act three comes along. Funnily enough, it sounds reminiscent of WWE professional wrestling faulty creative.

Act three (or Halloween Ends) must work upon release next year, even if we all know it’ll make some money at the box office. Director David Gordon Green needs to justify it, even when he explained (in an interview) that it will take place four years later and address the pandemic. Otherwise, this “recalibration” of a trilogy for Michael Myers will kill it in stone and leave it lying in a garbage pit.

For some of us, though, this horror series is already decomposing in one.