The views expressed in this article belong to the reporter, and do not reflect the views held by Rockbridge County High School, the Prowler Staff, and its members.

As a fan of October, I patiently waited for all the elements of fall to start showing. From the orange and yellow leaves, Halloween decorations, and watching scary movies, I was excited for the fall season to set in. But one thing that elevated my excitement was the release of a new installment to one of my favorite horror movie series. 

“Halloween Kills” was released on Oct. 15, 2021. “Halloween Kills” is the twelfth installment in the “Halloween” franchise to be filmed. As a long time fan of the franchise, I was excitedly awaiting the release of this new movie. I have always been entertained by past “Halloween” movies as they scare me, as well as provide a good story. It is important to note that this article will contain information about the movie, so in order to prevent spoiling the movie I suggest not reading any further if you have not seen it. If you have seen any of the past “Halloween” movies, then I definitely recommend going to watch this new installment. 

“Halloween Kills” was directed by David Gordon Green, and follows the story of the citizens of Haddonfield, Ill., who try to band together to fight off Micheal Myers. Myers, who has been terrorizing the town of Haddonfield for over forty years, is the villain of the movie series that goes around killing citizens of Haddonfield on Halloween night. 

“Halloween Kills” is an one hour and forty five minutes of terror and is subsequently rated R for bloody violence, strong language, and drug use. It is important to watch the 2018 version of “Halloween” before watching this new one, as the story line picks up from the end of that movie.

 It is also worthy to note that if graphic violence scenes are not your thing, then I recommend not watching this movie. As someone who is easily startled by horror movies, I went into the theater knowing that I could potentially be frightened. I have to say that I was absolutely terrified throughout the whole movie, as the scenes were filmed in such a frightening, yet cinematically brilliant way. 

The acting, music, and plot flowed together in such a way that made the whole movie suspenseful and intriguing, causing me to be on the edge of my seat the entire time. Along with terrifyingly amazing scenes, the roles in this movie were casted perfectly. Like past “Halloween” films, Jamie Lee Curtis starred as Laurie Strode, and James Jude Courtney and Nick Castle both share the role of Micheal Myers. I found the characters in this particular movie extremely interesting, as some of the characters from the original “Halloween” film come back to try and fight off Myers. 

One aspect of the movie that I liked is that the story did not solely focus on Laurie Strode, who has been the main focus in past “Halloween” films. The movie revolved around multiple characters and showed each of their fights against Myers, as well as their demise. 

One thing that I found particularly interesting about the movie was it’s ending. When I first heard about it’s release, I figured that this would be the last installment in the franchise. Mainly because of the movie trailer, I had assumed that Micheal Myers would finally be taken out when a mob of people hunting him down was shown.I was wrong, as at the end of the movie, Myers ends up defeating everybody else. Because of this suspenseful ending a thirteenth film entitled “Halloween Ends” will be released in 2022, and is expected to finally wrap up this thrilling series. 

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, and rate it a ten out of ten. “Halloween Kills” was an excellent addition to the franchise, and I am looking forward to the next movie, “Halloween Ends,” being released. If you are a horror fan, I absolutely recommend going out to see this movie. It will leave you terrified yet curious about the next movie, leaving you hoping for next Halloween to come quicker. 

Currently, “Halloween Kills” is being shown in the local State 3 theater in downtown Lexington at 7 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. In addition to in theater showings, “Halloween Kills” is also available to be streamed on Peacock.