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MOVIE REVIEW
'Halloween Ends' Takes Unnecessary Risks That Worsen An Already Disappointing Trilogy
By Sal LoCicero | October 19, 2022
It has been almost 45 years since Michael Myers returned to Haddonfield and killed three people on Halloween night, leaving Laurie Strode as the only survivor. Forty years later, a fifty seven year old Laurie prepares for Myers to return home (again), and as she predicted, Michael escapes from a mental hospital and goes on a hunt to kill her. Once Laurie traps Michael in the basement of her burning house, firefighters come to the rescue, only to end up slaughtered. As Michael continues to terrorize the town, more and more residents begin to team up to put an end to evil. But, as you might’ve guessed by now, it does not go as planned.
Now, with her daughter dead, it’s just Laurie and her granddaughter Allyson who live together. Haddonfield - and its residents - has been trying to recover from the events that took place in the last film. However, Halloween is coming again, Michael Myers is still alive, and a former babysitter Corey Cunningham, who is continuously beaten down for his past mistake, slowly turns towards evil.
With all of the many possible ideas that were on the table to conclude this decades long story, writer/director David Gordon Green and co-writer Danny McBride have decided to focus the narrative on a new character instead of Michael Myers. Corey Cunningham, who’s backstory has no relevance whatsoever, is one of the most overused - and clique - characters who turn into a killer because society has made him suffer relentlessly. Whenever a franchise overstays its welcome, most likely the finale will not satisfy and that is exactly what the case is here. Jason Blum must have forced Green to do a third film because the end results show just how exhausted he has now become of his own work.
Throughout most of ‘Halloween Ends’ length, Michael Myers’ screen time is almost as scarce here as it was in ‘Halloween III: Season Of The Witch’. If this third and (doubtfully) last outing was inspired by ‘Season Of The Witch’, then their attempt at paying homage has completely backfired. When we first see “the boogeyman”, he is depicted in just as bad a condition as “Old Man Logan”. Not until the last 15 minutes is when we witness the final showdown between Laurie Strode and Michael Myers, and (for the good news) it exceeds expectations. It is intense and pretty zany in all the right ways. Despite not being the lead, for the second time, Jamie Lee Curtis is still a badass.
Ever since the original, ‘Halloween’ has always made Michael Myers the symbol of evil and with an abundance of sequels that add to the quote “Evil never dies”, it is the reason why “the shape” is unkillable. This movie takes that phrase and uses it to make a social statement, presenting us with the Walmart version of ‘Joker’ (2019) - which nobody asked for.
Jamie Lee Curtis’ performance, Laurie vs. Michael, and John Carpenter’s classic score are the only strong moments to ‘Halloween Ends’. If you’re celebrating the spooky season this month, just stick with the first one that started it all.
Grade: D+
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