Halloween Kills: How Trauma Becomes Malicious

(Originally written on the 27th of November, 2021)

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The sequel to the 2018 soft reboot of Halloween has been almost unanimously agreed upon to be a failure of screenwriting, disliked by many of those who enjoyed the previous film as well as the 1978 original. Many of the common criticisms revolve around the pacing of the film and how the characters are introduced and developed. What many watchers failed to understand is that the writers were very aware of the decisions they made as it all worked towards the film's overarching theme of how trauma and fear lead to blind malice, as well as and different people choose to face it.

The film lacks a true central protagonist, instead choosing to follow a handful of major characters with Laurie's daughter Karen and survivor of the original Halloween Tommy Doyle being the two central characters. The opening flashback establishes Frank Hawkins' personal experience with the shape and lulls the audience into expecting Hawkins to be our protagonist, the transition to the present showing him swearing vengeance on the shape. His gripes stem from his failure to stop the shape on Halloween night of 1978 when his fear caused him to accidentally shoot and kill his partner. However, Hawkins spends the entire runtime in recovery with Laurie, never managing to fulfil what was set up at beginning of the film. It is his place in the narrative structure that makes it so significant for him to be present in the final scene when Laurie gives her speech that encapsulates the film's theme.

This is all the audience sees of Hawkins in the main plot as the film's focus is instead on the town as a whole. The couple we follow in the bar serve as audience surrogates to introduce the legacy characters. The two learning about the experiences of the legacy characters with the shape through Tommy's recount paints depicts the original night in an almost legendary manner, emphasising how the terror still lingers in the hearts of town. Even those who were not present (the couple) still feel the impact of the shape. Immediately after, the bar patrons rally behind Tommy Doyle who is convinced, along with the rest of the mob, that the shape is in the couple's car. What highlights the mob mentality even more so is the fact the one to rouse the crowd is the wife who was only recently introduced to the legend of Michael Myers, making it impossible for her to be a reliable source.

While the incompetence of the characters is, of course, a trope of the horror genre, it is also evident of the fear that the shape inspires. It was prevalent in the flashback of the very first scene with Frank Hawkins. The first scene displaying mob mentality, despite them being in the wrong, was still framed as empowering as the audience was unaware of the man not being the shape. The dramatic irony created at the end of the scene challenges the audience's previous conceptions which only makes the second mob scene at the hospital even more disturbing with the audience empathising with the mob while also recognising how their fear has corrupted them as they push a mental patient into suicide, believing him to be the shape.

Karen was the only person in the hospital who understood and attempted to help the man, demonstrating her character progression from the previous film. Much like the rest of the town, she too suffered from trauma pertaining to the original Halloween night. However, this was brought on by the borderline child abuse she suffered at the hands of her mother who believed that the training for Michael's return was all for Karen's own good. This demonstrated the 2018 film's theme of overcoming one's trauma with the help of loved ones. Karen rejected Laurie during their reunion when Laurie was showing clear signs of distress and PTSD but it was only by coming together could the family overcome the shape.

This theme of familial bonds overcoming trauma is present in Halloween Kills with the original audience surrogate, Frank Hawkins, being the one to hear Laurie's final speech condemning the mob succumbing to their fear. Not only does she confess her feelings for him earlier in the film, but he is highly implied to be the biological father of Karen. Their spiritual recovery is made even more blatant to the audience with the setting that they find themselves in for the majority of the film, that being a hospital room where they undergo physical recovery.

A common annoyance amongst audiences was the overuse of the phrase "evil dies tonight," however, this was the exact mood that the filmmakers intended. The first mention of Michael dying was from Frank in the opening scene, the second time when the mob first begins the stir in the bar. Much like the mob itself, this way the audience views this mantra changes as those who chant it become more malicious. Laurie uttering the phrase to Tommy comes after she learns that the shape is still alive. Tommy reaffirms their bond when he enters the hospital room, saying that he would protect her as she did him. This, along with the overwhelming guilt and despair, creates a moment of weakness. However, she does not take part in the mob's malicious chanting as they hunt the mental patient in the hospital.

The 2018 Halloween and its 2021 sequel Halloween Kills have clear thematic cohesion as a two-part story. They explore both sides of trauma, with the first being an uplifting journey of how family and forgiveness can help overcome one's demons, and the second being a grim cautionary tale about the dangers of mob mentality and how unhealthy methods of coping with trauma can corrupt not only yourself but those you hold dear. While there is still an entire year until the final film, Halloween Ends, there is no doubt that the surviving characters understand the true terror that they have to face. Whatever the final film's night shall bring, it is almost certain that evil will finally die.