Halloween Ends Movie Review

“Halloween Ends” is a violent end to a violent film franchise. Way back in 1978, John Carpenter created a scary little slasher/horror movie. Just like his main character, Michael Myers, this franchise has taken on a life of its own. For the past 44 years, nothing, and nobody, has been able to kill Michael Myers. The same goes for this franchise. But now it Ends…

But first — a little History. The first movie in this timeline is “Halloween” (1978). The world was introduced to “The Shape” (known as Michael Myers — then played by Nick Castle). He was a deranged killer and psychopath. He killed many people on Halloween in Haddonfield, IL – after escaping from a mental institution. One of the people Myers attacks is a young babysitter named Laurie Strode (played by Jamie Lee Curtis). From this movie, a huge number of sequels were born.

Then in 2018, there was a reboot sequel that tossed out all of the other sequels and variations. “Halloween” (2018) — what an original name! — came out with an older and wiser Laurie Strode (still played by Jamie Lee Curtis). Laurie has a daughter and a granddaughter. There is an encounter with “The Shape” once more. This time Michael Myers (played by James Jude Courtney) comes back after forty years to finish off Laurie. This new iteration of Halloween was followed by “Halloween Kills”, in which Michael Myers does what the movie title tells him to do.

“Halloween Ends” takes up around four years after the prior movie. Laurie is peacefully living with her grand-daughter named Allyson (played by Andi Matichak). But Laurie’s daughter was the final victim of that terrible incident. Quite a few people perished, because the town rose up and attempted to trap and kill Myers.  “The Shape” was not seen since then for four years, since that night of terror. Laurie is writing her memoirs now. Occasionally, she sees Deputy Frank Hawkins (played by Will Patton) — now retired. Her other good friend (one who has survived) is Lindsey Wallace (played by Kyle Richards). She was one of the girls that Laurie babysat back in 1978.

A local kid in town is named Corey Cunningham (played by Rohan Campbell). A year ago, on Halloween night, he was babysitting a young boy. Due to a bad prank the boy pulled on Corey, there was an accident. The young boy wound up dead. The police investigated everything, and found that Corey did not do anything bad on purpose.

But that night still haunts him, and he has become an outcast. The local people of Haddonfield have a new psycho (Corey) to replace Michael Myers. But people keep pushing Corey away. Except one day that he meets up with Laurie. She helps Corey after he has injured his hand. Her daughter Allyson works in a local emergency care clinic. Corey and Allyson meet, and they start to have a relationship. But that is bad news for Laurie. She starts to see the signs in Corey that she heard about in Myers.

In fact one night, Corey is bullied and pushed down into gully. He is rescued by nothing more than a ‘Shape’. Yes, it is that same Michael Myers who is alive and kicking. Corey finds a new ‘friend’ in the sewers under the city. And it is not a nice sewer resident, like a Mutant Ninja Turtle…

Corey has a list of people that need killing. His new friend, Mr. Myers, is more than happy to help a friend in need. Soon, there are dead people showing up all over Haddonfield again. From the bad boyfriend who was mean to Allyson, to the teens that bullied Corey, to the nasty Doctor at the Clinic where Allyson works (and his perky nurse) and there is a local annoying DJ, and then they proceed to Corey’s own mother and father.

Corey is able get revenge on all of these people, using the skills of his special sewer buddy. Leading up to Halloween, Corey and Michael Myers plan a special treat – murder Laurie Strode. Allyson has been blinded by her infatuation with Corey that she does not see what he is turning into.

There are scores to settle, and debts to pay. For over forty years, Laurie has been careful in everything that she does. She is always on the alert, and always ready to go ballistic if needed. Allyson thinks that Grams is getting to old for that way of thinking. She should just hook up with her old friend Deputy Frank and go traveling. Or Laurie should just jet off to Vegas with Lindsey for a weekend to get drunk. But Laurie is single-minded. Writing down her thoughts has her more focused on what she needs to do. She needs to find “The Shape” and put an end to this once and for all.

But how does Corey enter into Laurie’s plans? Does Allyson know that Corey and Myers are playing a real-life role-play of the movie “Scream”? Are there any residents who are not scarred out of their wits already? What about the rumors of Corey Cunningham getting away with a murder a year ago, or the recent accounts of people who have gone missing? Can the end of the story mean that one of them must die? Michael Myers has proven to be unstoppable in the past. Can Laurie, and a few of her friends, actually get the job done?

“Halloween Ends” – yes it does, but with more of a Whimper than a Bang. The initial movie in 1978 set the stage for the perfect horror/slasher movie. People are in peril, with an unstoppable force of evil coming to get them like the boogeyman. But forty plus years put a strain on the terror. The kills are slow in coming, and they do not stand out as they once did.

At times, this movie plays like a poor version of a doomed romance, and then like a pale copy of “Scream”. The relationship between Allyson and Corey is not believable. The way that Corey and Myers ‘team up’ is ridiculous. This movie wanted to take all the ‘knives out’ (so to speak), but their blades have all become dull. This movie does not make the ‘cut’. Too bad, they try to take a ‘stab’ at it…

Jamie Lee Curtis is a Force of Nature in any movie. Here, she is back in full ‘Final Girl’ mode, playing Laurie as true bad-ass. But even Michael Myers is not as devastating as the force of forty-four years. Even she knows when it is time to bury the hatchet. But where on Michael’s body can she bury it?

“Halloween Ends” is fitting finale to the film franchise that first found fame in the frightful feature – John Carpenter’s “Halloween”. May Michael Myers rest in pieces…