‘Halloween Kills’ doesn’t belong in the iconic franchise, says Petaluma critic

‘Halloween Kills’

In Theaters/Peacock Network

Amber-Rose Reed

Every Halloween, I watch a “Halloween” movie.

Generally, I put on John Carpenter’s original 1978 “Halloween,” but I will sometimes switch it up with one of the sequels. Director David Gordon Green’s “Halloween Kills,” the latest in the long-running franchise, will not be making it into the rotation.

“Halloween Kills” picks up where 2018’s “Halloween” leaves off, continuing the interminable 40th anniversary night of the last Haddonfield massacre. The last film introduced Laurie Strode’s daughter and granddaughter (the three generations played by Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer and Andi Matichak), and this one continues their long, no good, very bad night, as the audience learns Laurie’s plan to burn Michael alive in her death trap house has failed.

I mean, honestly, did she really think that burning down her house would be more effective than a head shot or two?

“Halloween Kills” does not have so much a plot as it has a series of vignettes about those whose lives the madness of Michael Myers has touched. I could have been very into that concept, if it had not been executed in the slap-dashed, near parodic way it is here.

I will give “Halloween Kills” this: it is rare that I hate as many characters in a movie as I do in this one. These people are mostly horrible or stupid or both. The script is random, bloated, and messy, and tries to be relevant and metaphorical, but is honestly just meaningless. For all the overwrought pronouncements in this movie, I found there were only one or two truly effective scenes.

At least the musical score was still nice and creepy.

If you’re in the mood for Halloween (the holiday), do yourself a favor and re-watch the original “Halloween.” Or even “Halloween 3: Season of the Witch,” which is a bizarre, not good movie — but is more interesting than whatever “Halloween Kills” is.

But you know what? There will definitely be another one sooner or later, and I will probably watch it.

[Suggested emojis: thumbs down, pumpkin]

‘Seance’

Shudder

Katie Wigglesworth

“Seance,” written and directed by Simon Barret, is a chilly, heady blend of ghost story, slasher, and murder mystery that twists and turns at most of the right moments.

Following the tragic death of a student named Kerry, Camille Meadows (Suki Waterhouse) arrives at the snow-laden Edelvine Academy for Girls as a last minute addition to their highly competitive senior class roster. Almost instantly, Camille finds herself butting heads with the group of girls closest to the student whose spot she has taken. Things get freaky — spiritually and socially — pretty quickly, with ghost stories and long-buried anxieties working their way through the emotionally distressed student body.

Haunted or not, Edelvine girls begin to drop like GPAs.

“Seance” plays out more like a Gothic murder mystery than a horror movie, with a hefty dose of symbolic retribution stitched throughout the cashmere-clad caper.

Those looking for fright inducing spectacle probably won’t fall in love with the frosty atmosphere and tense relationship dynamics in “Seance.” There are ghosts, masks and murders aplenty among the girls of Edelvine, but it’s really in the final act that things go from spooky to bloody in a jaw-dropping way. Even suspecting what the twists might be, I sat through the last 25 minutes with rapt satisfaction.

“Seance” has an explosive, stylized, gripping, and cathartic finale that cinches the slow-burning film as a worthwhile addition to a cold October movie night. Streaming for free to Shudder subscribers, you can and should give this “Seance” a watch.