THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
John Carpenter’s Halloween franchise has had its up and downs like any other slasher franchise. And while it can be fun to debate on the quality of a movie, I never thought I’d find myself in such a debate with the final chapter in Blumhouse’s trilogy, Halloween Ends.
PLOT
The sequel takes place four years after serial killer Michael Myers (James Jude Courtney/Nick Castle) returned to Haddonfield and killed more innocent people including Karen Nelson, daughter of surviving victim Laurie Strode. After overcoming the attack of a mob, the living boogeyman disappeared without a trace. During that time span, Laurie has made a change by trying to move on from the trauma she's been carrying since first encountering Myers in '78. She has been working on a memoir based on her past and living with her granddaughter Allyson who now works as a nurse. Despite living together, Allyson feels estranged with her grandmother. One day, Laurie meets a young adult named Corey Cunningham get bullied by school bullies. The bullying originates from how he accidentally killed a child he babysat in 2019 named Jeremy Allen (Jaxon Goldberg). Although he was cleared of manslaughter, the town chooses to not believe it was an accident. When she sees his hand injured, she takes him to the hospital where Allyson works, which sparks a relationship between the two. The latter ends up inviting Corey to a party and he ends up enjoying himself until being confronted by Jeremy’s mother (Candice Rose). After that uncomfortable encounter, he leaves the party only to be harassed again by the bully group from before. This time when he tries to defend himself, the ringleader Terry (Michael Barberi) takes things too far by throwing him off a bridge. Corey survives the fall, but is pulled into the sewers by the Shape himself whose been hiding there this whole time. Myers almost kills him, but spares him instead when sensing the darkness within him. Once let go, Corey chooses to embrace it by killing a homeless man that attacks him. When he sees Allyson, he admits to what he did and shows her the house where Jeremy died. When they later go out, they get harassed by Allyson's ex boyfriend Officer Doug Mulaney (Jesse C Boyd). After dropping her off, Corey lures the cop to the sewer, allowing him to be killed by himself and Michael. Feeling satisfaction from this, he vows to kill everyone that's wronged him and Allyson. He continues by killing her boss Dr. Mathis (Michael O'Leary) and her co worker Deb (Michele Dawson) who are having an affair that prevented Allyson from getting a promotion; He commits this murder with Michael's help as well. As the relationship between the young adults grow stronger, they consider leaving Haddonfield. However, Laurie does not feel uncomfortable of this as she starts feeling suspicious of Corey's behavior. Wanting to protect her granddaughter, she insists on Corey to cut ties with her in exchange to find help for him. Of course he dismisses her as he believes no one can have her if not him, further taunting Laurie to end her life as she still feels haunted by Myers. After this conversation, he returns to the sewers to steal Michael's mask from him. He then stirs up the pot between both Strodes, telling Allyson that her grandmother wants to kill him. Choosing to believe him rather than hear out both sides, she doesn't hesitate preparing to leave, blaming her grandmother for Michael's actions. By Halloween night, Corey continues his murderous rampage by killing local radio personality Willy the Kid (Keraun Harris), his unnamed receptionist (Diana Prince) and his own mother Joan (Joanne Baron). When he kills Terry and his group, it inadvertently gets his step dad Ronald (Rick Moose) killed. As Allyson waits for him, his final target is Laurie. With the original final girl waiting for him, she stages a suicide attempt to lure him out. This would work because when he appears in her home, she shoots him down the stairs. He survives the shot and the fall but rather than fighting her, he stabs himself in the neck to frame Laurie in front of an arriving Allyson. Heartbroken to see someone she loved gone, she would drive away again. Just when she leaves, the boogeyman returns to take his mask back and finish Corey off by breaking his neck. He gets into another fight with Laurie, but she is able to pin him down to remove his mask and look into his eyes as she slices his throat. Allyson would return again when getting a call from Deputy Frank Hawkins (Will Patton) of the suicide called in. When she does, she breaks Michael's arm before he could try to strangle her. Unable to defend himself, Laurie finishes him off for good by slitting his wrists. With the Shape finally conquered, the Strodes are escorted by the police to dispose of his body in an industrial shredder, which attracts the residents. As the days pass by, the film ends with Allyson officially leaving Haddonfield and Laurie rekindling her romance with Hawkins, finishing her memoir as well.
THOUGHTS
Considering how different Halloween Kills was in comparison to the 2018 sequel, I chose to have the same low expectations as I would for past horror sequels. With that appropriate mindset, I honestly find myself impressed of what was shown. There is a lot of pressure for a filmmaker to wrap up a film trilogy and I personally believe Director David Gordon Green and the writing team of Danny McBride, Chris Bernier & Paul Brad Logan were able to create a departure that may not be 100% satisfying, yet still satisfying nonetheless. I'm not expecting the same carnage as before because that just means I'd rather just watch the prior film. I wanted something new and I got it. Of course this has its own fair share of issues, which I'll get to later, but I do respect what they were going for during this sendoff. Considering how this trilogy arc has fairly explored how trauma affects people, we get a new layer to explore: No matter how many times we feel whole when overcoming evil, it never goes away permanently because it always knows how to change its form or as Laurie puts it 'it changes shape'. I believe this to be true because when one boogeyman can be rid of, another can be produced without notice and the terror would resume. This movie shows that we can overcome oppressors, but the effect they put on us is a part of us in the long run and it depends on us on whether or not we want it to define us. It definitely was a surprise for Michael to be mostly dormant in this story, but it honestly made sense mostly because we needed to proven that he was never invincible like we imagined. Although this is true, it did not mean we weren't scared of him. Even when vulnerable, he still gave us chills for having enough strength to continue a reign of terror. Due to him becoming the face of this franchise, it is logical that his impact affected others in multiple manners. Enter Rohan Campbell who definitely shook things up as Corey Cunningham. Although his arc could've had a stronger delivery if first introduced during this trilogy's prior entries, it doesn't change that this arguably the most investing part throughout. From first glance, he was a sweet guy that had a decent future ahead of him, but one fatal accident changed things for the worst. With the town shook of Jeremy's death, no one wanted to believe his innocence. With the support of Laurie and Allyson not being enough for his innocence to be noticed, he would cave and become the new boogeyman chose to see him as. And with every life he took, they were all shocking to witness. I'm still trying to process that he killed Terry with a blowtorch. Seeing his actions prove how evil will always be a challenging obstacle and its torment will remain effective for generations. Knowing this, there always has to be a protagonist to take a stand. For the last time, Jamie Lee Curtis holds it down as the veteran final girl Laurie Strode. Ever since the beginning, it was a challenge for her to escape the fear created by Michael. She chose not to pursue him after killing Karen because she needed to stop letting that same fear keep consuming her. She tried to move on like many recommended from the start because she didn't want to feel so empty like her tormentor. Her playing matchmaker with Allyson and Corey was her way to encourage her granddaughter to continue living life like she chose not to. Little would she expect for it all to blow up in her face. Speaking of which, Andi Matichak definitely showed Allyson at her most complex. She does try to get by like her grandma does, but even she wishes that things were different and it hurts her how it was beyond her control. With her parents gone, she wishes she was able to finish Michael off. And she stuck around with Corey as long as she did because she felt that she related to his personal loneliness. Eventually, she accepted that he was in the wrong for his murder spree by the time she saw the radio station engulfed in flames. And luckily, she was able to do right by her grandma and return to her to kill the boogeyman once and for all. Seeing her leave Haddonfield for good establishes that she was ready to make adventurous paths she couldn't do then and I hope she enjoys every second of the new life she makes. The ending is bittersweet when you see Michael's mask in the living room. Originally I questioned why would Laurie keep it when the whole point was to eliminate decades of trauma, but this is her way to keep evil at bay and I'm sure she'll do a great job for the rest of her life. Having said what I said that makes the movie watchable, there were still many moments that confused me a whole lot where I understand why other viewers dislike it as a a whole. For instance, I was about as surprised as anyone when seeing the caretaker Sondra (Diva Tyler) to have survived Michael's attack, but what makes her sister think it is Laurie's fault? Who said she provoked him? He escaped and found her out of faith. I know people have that instinct to blame others for loss, but that didn't add up. I even wonder why it took so long for that confrontation to happen? She had a whole year to do it before the COVID-19 pandemic, so it's pretty baffling when you think about it. And why does it take until the end of the movie for Laurie and Hawkins to rekindle? There is nothing else that stopped them because they are both single and knew they loved each other. It should have not taken Michael's death to make it happen. And honestly, what excuse does Allyson have to avoid getting her muffler fixed? That could've broken down at random and there could've been a possibility for her to not reach Laurie in time. Again, Michael did not need to die to get a muffler fixed. That symbolized laziness instead of change. Also, I know Haddonfield is presented as a small community, but what are the odds of Terry going to the same salvage yard Corey works or Mrs. Allen going to the same party as him? If Allyson knew of Corey's past, she should've checked with the host Lindsey (Kyle Richards) on whether or not she would show. And if Laurie was talking to Lindsey about Corey from the get go, why didn't she introduce him to Mr. Allen before her suspicion arose? That would've saved a lot of trouble. She even messes up for telling Allyson she sees Michael in Corey. She could've bettered her chances by quoting what he told her "If I can't have her, no one can". It was definitely interesting that Michael was hiding in the sewers, but for what reason did he not kill the homeless man? I don't want that to happen but if he gets stronger from every life he takes, it's confusing that he didn't start there. I know we need and excuse for Corey to start his killing spree, but how did Allyson not notice Doug in the diner? That is another moment where they could've saved some trouble and it's more irritating than me trying to believe she owed him a call. If you have broken up with somebody, you don't owe each other a call. I appreciate the sentiment of Laurie making a necklace with the rings of Allyson's parents, but when exactly did she get Ray's? His body was burnt with the house trap and I don't think Laurie would have went back if she was trying to move on. If she grabbed it before she started that phase, then that should have been clear. And I can't be the only one asking how the hell does Haddonfield keep celebrating Halloween after Michael's second attack? The Shape left a massive body count and disappeared. And somehow, no one gets worried of him coming back? This town is nuts. You don't think so, then remember that the whole town went to the same garage where Corey killed his bullies. I almost lost my grip on taking this movie serious when the bullies are able to notice Corey from his back in the dark. I call bullshit on that. It doesn't look like he would take the route he did, so I refuse to believe the group knew who he was at that time. Corey makes a lot of mistakes and one of the most irritating has to be when he tosses the knife into the grass instead of a garbage can after killing the homeless man. I don't this guy to get away with murder, but he wasn't even trying to cover his tracks that time. Speaking of which, if Michael is killing people to maintain whatever strength he has before meeting Corey, where exactly are the bodies? If he ate them the way he ate the dog in the first film, I wouldn't mind the clarification because that would be another nod to how twisted Michael became. I'm even getting confused on how no one in the hospital, especially Allyson, wonders what happens to her boss and coworker being absent. They died and were unable to give notice of being absent. But if they really did, that's too damn convenient and should've been clarified because it's too weird of Allyson being nonchalant about this. And lastly, how the fuck does Sheriff Barker (Omar J Dorsey) still in charge? He didn't do jack shit when Michael returned and failed to calm the mob down at the hospital. He should've been fired after that and it's ridiculous for him to even be there. Even if he regrets it, he doesn't deserve that job. That should've been Hawkins' position and I'm sure some would agree on that case. Just seeing him pissed me off more than Allyson getting to save Laurie before Frank. If you are capable of ignoring all of these issues, then I respect your tolerance a whole lot. To wrap up, Halloween Ends is far from a great finale, but doesn't need to be to keep you as invested as possible. If you have been with this arc from the get go, I hope you find some kind of satisfaction with it. If you didn't like it, you should be grateful it ain't worse than Halloween Resurrection.
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