Not only can you watch Halloween Kills, but now you can read and listen to it as well because the official novelization by Tim Waggoner is available in print, eBook, and audiobook formats. Read on for my thoughts on this book and whether or not it’s worth your money.

If you read my review of the Halloween (2018) novelization by John Passarella, then you know how much I enjoy these kinds of books. Novelizations provide readers with a way to further immerse themselves in the fictional world of their choosing, and Halloween by John Passarella did just that.

Tim Waggoner, a skilled author who’s been writing for 20 years and has penned numerous tie-in fiction for pop culture franchises, such as the X-Files, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Doctor Who, is at the helm for Halloween Kills, and I think he did a fantastic job. His command of descriptive language and ability to create succinct, emotionally charged sentences makes for a wonderful reading experience.

You might be wondering, why should I read the book when I can watch the movie and save myself several hours of time? Here’s why — because doing so provides you with information and character development not present in the film. Movies need to adhere to a specific time limit. Books, on the other hand, provide more freedom to flesh out the story and the characters contained within.

My favorite part of this novelization is that we get to know Tivoli — who was masterfully played by the late Ross Bacon in the movie — on a much deeper level. In this novelization, we hear all of his inner monologue, providing us with a fuller grasp of Tivoli’s innocence, hopelessness, and confused mental state. It makes his death that much more tragic and profound.

I chose to listen to the audiobook for my first read-through, and it is exceptionally wonderful because of the sublime narration by Bronson Pinchot, who is best known for playing Balki on Perfect Strangers from 1986-1993. I was blown away by the fact that the same actor who played Balki killed it when it came to providing this book with the deep, serious tone necessary for the subject matter. He performs the words on the page to perfection. I sincerely can’t wait to listen to it again, and I encourage you to do the same.

Halloween Kills is a very good movie, and it’s novelization is even greater. Tim Waggoner succeeded on every level, and Bronson Pinchot took the author’s work and elevated it to a level of heavenly splendor that is an astounding aural achievement.