Halloween ends, as its title suggests, features the final chapter in the saga between Laurie Strode and evil incarnate himself, Michael Myers. However, before we can know if evil really dies tonight or if he almost dies tonight, David Gordon Green delivers what is undoubtedly the most ambitious and daring Halloween movie again – and he will be polarize the public.
In a sense, Halloween Ends is the complete antithesis of what we saw in halloween killsand that’s not really a bad thing. Kill was a substanceless two hours of Michael Myers being a relentless killing machine, but Ends takes his time building, with the first hour being almost all character work. There’s ultimately not much action until the film’s final act, which may leave some viewers frustrated and bored if they can’t fit into Green’s unique character take.
And an unorthodox take on the character he indeed is. The direction the filmmakers are taking with Michael Myers in this film is so radically different from anything we’ve ever seen before that it’s sure to disillusion some die-hard fans who will leave the theater wondering why their precious intellectual property was ruined. But really, it’s the first in the new trilogy that really understood Michael Myers and really brought substance to both the character and the franchise.
Jamie Lee Curtis manages to give what is probably his best performance as Laurie Strode despite the character being sidelined for much of the movie. How did the character come out of his state in Kill to his state in Ends receives very little explanation, but it still feels like the natural conclusion to the arc she’s had over all the Halloween movies (or at least the ones that are still canon).
Also Read: New ‘Halloween Ends’ Trilogy Ender Release Poster and Update
Instead, this film largely focuses on Laurie’s granddaughter, Allyson, who was featured in the 2018 film, and her new love, Corey (Rohan Campbell). Corey is unquestionably the most complex character introduced in this new film trilogy, and while it seems like he shouldn’t be working as the protagonist, David Gordon Green and co. really engaged with the character’s role in the story and the wider implications he had on the themes of the show.
Of course, the reason many fans come to see a Halloween movie is to see some gnarly slasher kills, and they won’t leave disappointed… so long as they stick through the largely bloodless first act. This movie’s finale is quick, but it contains some of the franchise’s most viscerally brutal shots, culminating in a most impressive finale. Halloween set piece never.
Naturally, many fans are going to find themselves frustrated with the amount of changes the filmmakers have made to the property with Halloween ends. It’s not a finale that’s supposed to tie it all together nicely with a little nostalgic arc – it’s a film that will provoke and perplex viewers, much in the same way John Carpenter did with the original film in 1979. 5/5
Also Read: ‘I Never Realized What That Name Was’: Jamie Lee Curtis Reflects on Halloween’s End as the Franchise Comes to an End
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