‘Halloween Ends’ Movie Review

Rounding out David Gordon Green’s Halloween sequel trilogy, Halloween Ends picks up four years after the previous two films. Michael Myers (James Jude Courtney) has seemingly vanished without a trace, following his prior massacre of the angry mob in Haddonfield. Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) is living with her granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak) and working on her memoir. But when Corey Cunningham (Rohan Campbell), a troubled young man with a tragic past, begins to take a liking to Allyson, Laurie senses a familiar darkness in him and worries that the boogeyman might still be here after all.

If you thought Green’s other two Halloween films were divisive, my god, you ain’t seen nothing yet! This movie already has some audiences fuming about its bold decision to introduce and focus on a totally new character. And while many despise this movie, some even calling it the worst of the franchise (which, objectively speaking, is just total bullshit), I actually found it quite compelling. I’ve got my issues with it, and I will get to that shortly, but I really respect the fact that it took such a big risk, and I think it paid off. All of Green’s legacy sequels have been examinations of the trauma caused by Michael’s infamous 1978 killing spree and the power of fear, peeling back a new layer each time. With Halloween (2018), we got to see the emotional and psychological toll that the events in ‘78 took on Laurie, and the subsequent effects it had on her family. In Halloween Kills, we saw how the Haddonfield locals who grew up in the shadow of said events had been forever scarred by them and the dire consequences of allowing fear to control the masses. Halloween Ends sort of brings things full circle, detailing how evil is constantly shifting and evolving, and fear is its most powerful weapon. And when unchecked, it becomes a vicious cycle. It’s a surprisingly character-driven movie, and after the all-out slaughterfest that was Halloween Kills, it was a staggering and very commendable change of pace. While many people are lamenting Michael’s reduced screen time (he’s in the movie, just not as much as one might expect), I wasn’t as bothered by it because I genuinely appreciated the attempts to shake things up a bit. Regardless, whether or not you hate this movie doesn’t determine if you are a “true fan” or not. F*ck that noise.

This is Jamie Lee Curtis’s last hurrah as Laurie Strode, a character that horror fans have cherished for nearly 45 years, and Curtis puts everything she’s got into this performance. It’s an emotional sendoff that I found very satisfying, and that aspect of the film is quite possibly its strongest. She does get a final showdown with Michael that, again, might not be what you’re expecting, but it packs a punch. Andi Matichak continues to be great, and she has excellent chemistry with both Curtis and Campbell, our newest addition. Rohan Campbell’s character, Corey, is involved in a shocking tragedy in the opening scene (seriously, my jaw was on the floor), and he ends up being part of a sort of Faustian tragedy. I’m guessing that his name is intended to remind us of Arnie Cunningham from Christine, another classic John Carpenter flick, and the characters are somewhat similar in other ways, too, even down to Corey working as a mechanic. If this wasn’t intentional, it’s a hell of a coincidence. I won’t spoil anything beyond that.

When trying wrap up a franchise this monumental, and with a fan base this enthusiastic, there’s no way to please everyone, and it can be a bit of a no-win situation in some ways. I think David Gordon Green’s finale does a fairly decent job bringing the story to a close, although there are still plenty of questions left unanswered. Again, I won’t spoil anything specific, but don’t expect to walk away with a thorough understanding of Michael’s power(s) or origins. I suppose that’s better than being stupid and/or convoluted, but Halloween Kills alluded to potential answers we never get, and I can’t act like that wasn’t somewhat disappointing. But the biggest thing that most people seem to be up in arms about is actually one of my favorite things about Halloween Ends: how different it is. This entire trilogy has been about the ripple effect that Michael Myers has had on the residents of Haddonfield, and now we’re seeing what happens when the cycle begins again (or tries to). Was introducing an entirely new main character jarring? Absolutely. I’ll-advised? Possibly. But I can’t help but respect and admire the commitment to an original direction.

Halloween Ends is destined to be a divisive finale to a genre mainstay, but I found it to be mostly satisfying and effectively intense. Jamie Lee Curtis brings everything to the table for Laurie Strode’s swan song, and Matichak and Campbell prove they are more than capable of picking up the baton as the next generation of horror stars. It’s decidedly different, but it’s also solidly entertaining and sufficiently brutal.

SCORE: 4/5