We Need To Talk About ‘Halloween Ends’
Michael Myers is almost synonymous with Halloween. The franchise has been stalking and scaring viewers for the better part of 40+ years.
With three different and sometimes confusing timelines and two other universes (Halloween 3: Season of the Witch and the Rob Zombie versions) -- Michael Myers is a staple in the October season.
'Halloween Ends' Movie Review
Halloween Ends (the third of the final trilogy of movies that started in 2018) was released Friday. This movie marks the end of Jamie Lee Curtis' run as the best final girl in the Horrorverse a.k.a Laurie Strode.
This was a highly anticipated movie. As far as we know, this is the end of Michael and the Halloween franchise altogether.
The reviews rolled in...and it wasn't looking great. After watching this one over the weekend...I can't say I disagree...or agree, for that matter.
Let's get into the Halloween Ends discourse.
Okay, let me start by saying this: I don't think Halloween Ends was a bad film. I think it had its moments that called back to the original movies, but I do think something was lost in translation with the overall plot. Choices were made.
The movie begins with a 21-year-old boy babysitting for his neighbors as they go out to a Halloween party (sound familiar?) -- the little boy being babysat ends up catching a gnarly accidental death after taunting the babysitter and locking him into a room.
However, it doesn't look that way as the parents come home just in time to see the kid fall three stories to his death as the babysitter is leaning over the edge of the staircase (with a knife because he was scared, duh)
This is where the unique plot choices I was talking about earlier come into play. The movie follows the babysitter in the following months after the kid's death -- and he becomes ostracized in Haddonfield, even after the kid's death was proven to be an accident.
But that doesn't matter, right? People will talk, This is how the movie chose to portray how evil is made, in a sense and in my opinion. I know it's a tired choice these days, but you can't deny what's true.
So the babysitter, a.k.a Corey ends up getting pushed to his "death" by high school bullies. (Corey is 21, by the way)
He survives...only to end up in a sewer tunnel where apparently Michael Myers lives in the off-season of killing? Weird. That was never explained.
This is where a weird friendship is formed between Corey and Michael -- because, of course, Corey was revenge and to "burn it down". Who better to do that than the maniac that's been slashing throats since 1978?!
Here's the kicker: Corey meets Laurie Strode's granddaughter. They become a thing. It's strange. But hey, this movie is made of strange choices.
Corey begins killing, there's a shoving match between him and Michael at one point and then we fast forward to the third act: the final showdown between Michael and Laurie. The long-awaited main event... was done far quicker than anyone wanted. It felt cheap after being teased with this for decades.
I will say, the ending was perfect. Just everything that led up to it was...messy? I can't fully grasp the choices that were made here. Again, I didn't hate it at all. I guess after years of seeing slasher, no mercy Michael Myers...it took a second to adjust to this new way of telling his story and what could transpire from it.
The most notable thing that was said in the entire movie was this great line from Laurie Strode:
I guess that's how they chose to "end" this franchise. Does it ever really end though? If you saw the movie, you saw Michael die in the best way possible that was fitting to the years of torture wreaked upon Haddonfield, Illinois. That I won't spoil.
....but is this the actual end? Or will there be another timeline added to the madness? Only time will tell. Until then...Michael Myers forever.