4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Review: HALLOWEEN KILLS

Home » 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Review: HALLOWEEN KILLS

Jan 11, 2022 Posted by Kyle Nolan in DVD/Blu-ray, Reviews | Comments

Halloween Kills picks up almost immediately where the previous film, Halloween (2018), left off. It’s still Halloween night in 2018 in the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois. The Strode women have just had a brutal face-off with serial killer Michael Meyers. Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) had set fire to her home with Michael trapped inside, believing she had finally managed to kill the evil being who had been giving her nightmares for the past 40 years. However, as she is being rushed to the hospital by her daughter Karen (Judy Greer) and granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak), she has a sinking feeling when she sees the firetrucks rushing in the other direction.

Meanwhile, some survivors of Michael’s original 1978 murder spree have gathered in a local pub for their annual Halloween reunion and remembrance. The participants include Tommy Doyle (Anthony Michael Hall), whom Laurie was babysitting that night in 1978; Lonnie Elam (Robert Longstreet), who also came face-to-face with “The Shape” in 1978; Lindsey Wallace (Kyle Richards), whose babysitter was murdered by Myers; and Marion Chambers (Nancy Stephens), a colleague of Myers’ psychiatrist Doctor Loomis, who managed to escape when Myers attacked her in her car. As Tommy tells the tale of the Haddonfield Boogeyman, the patrons see a TV news report and learn about what has been happening that evening…that Michael Myers has returned and is on another killing spree. The survivors vow to take care of Michael once and for all, and start to rile up the other citizens of Haddonfield to their cause. Even former Sheriff Leigh Brackett (Charles Cyphers), now security guard at the hospital, joins in as a mob starts to form, chanting “Evil dies tonight!”. While Sheriff Barker (Omar Dorsey) tries to maintain order, there is no stopping this bloodthirsty mob. However, they may be severely underestimating who they are up against. While Michael Myers may walk slowly and not say anything, he is a ruthless, bloodthirsty, and almost supernatural and unstoppable killer!

Halloween Kills is very much a bridge for this latest trilogy of films, treading water while waiting for Laurie’s inevitable ultimate showdown with Myers in the forthcoming Halloween Ends film. Laurie Strode really doesn’t have a lot to do in this film, spending the majority of time laying in a hospital bed. Instead, the film is more focused on the other survivors and their pent up anger from the past 40 years. They are now looking to put an end to this evil that has haunted them for four decades. However, they are going into the fight halfcocked, running on emotion rather than thinking things out. There is a rising angry mob mentality, and in the process they make every obvious error and stupid decision in the scary movie playbook. Have none of them watched Scream in the past 20 years?! However, this leads to some great jump scares, and some pretty gruesome and amazing kills. There’s also some levity thrown in to give some moments to catch your breath before Myers is causing another bloody mess. A lot of the humor comes from various married couples. Joining the survivors on their quest to take down Myers are nurse Marcus (Michael Smallwood) and doctor Vanessa (Carmela McNeal), who are dressed as each other’s professions for Halloween. There’s also bickering married couple Sondra (Diva Tyler) and Phil (Lenny Clarke), who live next door to Laurie and are in Myers’ path back home. And now living in the Myers’ old house are married couple Big John (Scott MacArthur) and Little John (Michael McDonald), who find themselves constantly dealing with obnoxious young trick-or-treaters.

The film also jumps back to 1978, doing an excellent job of recreating the look of the original Halloween film to seamlessly fill in some missing backstory from the original movie that ties into this latest trilogy of sequels. This includes young Lonnie’s encounter with Myers, and the original capture/arrest of Myers with a then-rookie Officer Hawkins (Thomas Mann) and his partner Pete McCabe (Jim Cummings).

Compared to the previous film, the storyline of Halloween Kills feels a bit weak and even ridiculous at times—it’s a wonder how the people of Haddonfield have survived the past 40 years with the many stupid decisions they make. However, the film also has a lot of elements that make a great horror movie, from the genuine tension and scares, to the brutal and creative kills—some of which are way over the top. Halloween Kills also does a nice job of bringing in elements of humor while still maintaining the gravity of the situation. It is a lot of fun to see so many characters and actors from the original 1978 film return, both bringing nostalgia and also giving some extra legitimacy to this latest branch of the Halloween franchise tree.

This home video release offers a new Extended Cut as well as the original Theatrical Version of the film, which differ in runtime by about 4 minutes. Most of the differences are just a little bit of extra gore here and there. The two larger changes are an added scene where Karen visits the morgue at the hospital looking for her husband’s body, and another short sequence with Laurie just before the credits roll. There’s not really any reason to choose the theatrical version over this new extended cut.

Universal’s 4K Ultra HD release looks and sounds excellent. The picture remains clean and clear, even in the darker scenes, of which there are many! The filmmakers have also done an excellent job of blending the original 1978 film footage with the newly-constructed 1978 scenes—it’s difficult to discern the difference between the two. The level of detail is excellent throughout, and the Dolby Vision color palette provides a noticeable difference when compared with the Blu-ray, giving the film a general creepier tone, and enhancing the orange glow of Laurie’s blazing home. The Dolby Atmos soundtrack showcases the film’s wonderfully creepy score, and provides an immersive experience that adds to the on-screen tension—this is especially noticeable as the firemen make their way into Laurie’s house, with the flames crackling and smoke blowing. The audio track also captures every thud of Myers’ brutal and deadly blows, making the audience feel the power behind them.

The 4K Ultra HD release comes packed in standard UHD keepcase with a slipcover, and contains an insert with a code to redeem for a 4K Movies Anywhere digital copy of the Extended Cut of the film as well as a code for the Universal All-Access Rewards program. Both the 4K and the Blu-ray discs contain the same selection of bonus material—three deleted/extended scenes, a gag reel, a highly-entertaining audio commentary with the director and cast, and over 30 minutes of behind-the-scenes featurettes with the cast and crew.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:45:06 Theatrical, 1:49:07 Extended)

2160p / Widescreen 2.39:1
Dolby Vision, HDR10
Audio: English Dolby Atmos, Spanish Dolby Digital Plus 7.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

Blu-ray:

1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
Audio: English Dolby Atmos, Spanish Dolby Digital Plus 7.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1, English DVS (Descriptive Video Service, Theatrical Version only)
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

Digital (code may not be valid after 3/31/2023):

4K Digital copy of the Extended Cut redeemable via Movies Anywhere (Theatrical Version is included in the Movies Anywhere Bonus features)
Universal All-Access Rewards Code (Offer may not be valid after 12/31/2025)
Code can be redeemed for points towards a free digital movie or other items in the Universal All-Access Rewards program. The selection of 5-6 free digital titles usually changes around the first of the month.

Extras:

All bonus material can be found on both the 4K Ultra HD disc & Blu-ray disc, as well as Movies Anywhere (except commentary). Play All, or select from:

Gag Reel (3:12)
The cast laugh, crack each other up, and have fun on set.
Deleted/Extended Scenes (3:21)
Collection of three scenes. Play All, or select from:
- Allyson Meets Brackett (:31)
  Allyson meets Sheriff Brackett (now just a security guard) in the hospital
- Sondra’s Drone Finds The Shape (1:48)
  Sondra is using her drone in the house, talking with Phil, when “The Shape” swats it down in the bathroom.
- Protestors Rock Outside Hospital (1:00)
  Protestors outside the hospital chant “Evil dies tonight!”.
Haddonfield’s Open Wounds (7:15)
The cast and filmmakers discuss what the other Haddonfield victims of 1978 are going through 40 years later, selecting and casting the returning characters, reuniting original cast members, and more. Includes some fun behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director/co-writer/executive producer David Gordon Green, co-writer Scott Teems, co-producer Ryan Turek, producer Jason Blum, co-writer/executive producer Danny McBride, make-Up FX designer Christopher Nelson, and stars Jamie Lee Curtis (“Laurie Strode”), Andi Matichak (“Allyson”), Anthony Michael Hall (“Tommy Doyle”), Dylan Arnold (“Cameron Elam”), Robert Longstreet (“Lonnie Elam”), Kyle Richards (“Lindsey”) & Charles Cyphers (“Leigh Brackett”).
The Kill Team (11:02)
The cast and filmmakers discuss how the crew works like a well-oiled machine while also allowing everyone to express their own voice and ideas, coming up with creative ways to kill people, finding the right ways to pull off the bloody effects, and more. Includes lots of behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director/co-writer/executive producer David Gordon Green, producer Jason Blum, make-up FX designer Christopher Nelson, co-writer/executive producer Danny McBride, co-producer Ryan Turek, director of photography Michael Simmonds, script supervisor Ronit Ravich-Boss, co-writer Scott Teems, first assistant director/co-producer Atilla Salih Yücer, and stars Andi Matichak, Jamie Lee Curtis, Robert Longstreet, Anthony Michael Hall, Lenny Clarke (“Phil”), Carmela McNeal (“Vanessa”), Michael Smallwood (“Marcus”), Michael McDonald (“Little John”), Scott MacArthur (“Big John”) & Charles Cyphers.
Strode Family Values (3:37)
The cast and filmmakers talk about the relationship between three generations of Strode women and what they go through in the film. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director/co-writer/executive producer David Gordon Green, co-producer Ryan Turek, co-writer/executive producer Danny McBride, producer Jason Blum, and stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Andi Matichak & Judy Greer (“Karen”).
1978 Transformations (5:50)
The cast and filmmakers talk about filming the new 1978 footage to fill in the gaps of the backstory between the original film and the 2018 sequel, from painstakingly recreating Michael Meyer’s house and mask, the cop uniforms, and resurrecting Donald Pleasance. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with co-writer/executive producer Danny McBride, producer Ryan Turek, director/co-writer/executive producer David Gordon Green, production designer Richard A. Wright, costume designer Emily Gunshor, director of photography Michael Simmonds, make-up FX designer Christopher Nelson, and stars Anthony Michael Hall, Jamie Lee Curtis & Andi Matichak.
The Power of Fear (4:28)
The cast and filmmakers discuss how fear brings about this dangerous mob mentality among the people of Haddonfield. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with co-writer/executive producer Danny McBride, director/co-writer/executive producer David Gordon Green, and stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Kyle Richards, Anthony Michael Hall, Judy Greer, Andi Matichak, Robert Longstreet & Dylan Arnold.
Kill Count (:53)
A countdown of Michael Myers’ many kills from the film.
Feature Commentary (1:45:07 Theatrical Version, 1:49:09 Extended Cut)
Director/co-writer David Gordon Green and stars Jamie Lee Curtis & Judy Greer provide an extremely entertaining commentary throughout the film. The trio shares lots of fun stories, point out some interesting Easter Eggs (including some for the upcoming third film), and more. This is a really fun commentary track.

Final Thoughts:

My Rating

Film:

Video:

Audio:

Extras:

Recommended

Halloween Kills is missing some of the deeper character drama of its predecessor, and the story seems to be treading water a bit while waiting for the final film of this latest Halloween trilogy. However, if you just sit back and enjoy the experience, and don’t take things too seriously, it’s actually a highly-entertaining and fun ride. I found it a little less over-the-top while watching it the second time around (though I still couldn’t believe the stupidity of these townsfolk—have they never seen a horror film?!). Universal’s 4K release looks and sounds great, and includes an excellent selection of bonus material. I recommend this release for any horror fan, especially those of the Halloween franchise. However, new viewers should really check out the original 1978 film and 2018 follow-up first to fully appreciate this latest installment.