For anyone who has been reading posts on social media or wherever, it’s no secret that Halloween Ends is getting a lot of bad reviews. When both Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB have you rated at 5 out of 10 stars, that can say something (2022). I have disagreed with some of their judgements in the past, but I don’t this time around. Halloween Ends is about to get another bad review, let’s get started.
Before I express my disinterest in this movie, let’s talk about some of the good things. First and of course, they left it somewhat open so that the story can pick up again. I think that the Jamie Lee Curtis cannon might be over. Halloween fans are probably going to want another installment (I do) in this franchise. That’s a money-making opportunity which means someone will eventually do it. The movie does not show that Corey is alive in any way, but him returning as Michael Myers would not surprise me. Someone mentioned on Facebook the possibility of Allyson being pregnant with his child which could start a new series of movies featuring the child chasing after her. These guys are not stupid and always leave a path forward. Except in the case of Michael Myers.
Michael Myers as we know him is officially dead after this film and, I like this. The only way that Michael Myers can return as himself is a throwback film or a sci fi film. He’s been burned, shot, stabbed, whatever and still comes back. When you run a person through a grinder at a junkyard, only science fiction can bring them back. Something like this or an explosion of some sort was the only way that he could be destroyed. This part they did right. But what about Laurie?
I expected the movie to kill them both and it didn’t. Although they chose to let Laurie live, she alluded to him killing her, if I understood correctly. When she had him pinned to the table, she was saying “Do it” and I think this was the implication. Even though Laurie wasn’t the apocalypse training commando we saw in the previous films, she was still a bad lady. Even though she is more prepared than she appears, both her and Michael Myers should have died in this movie. This would have been right but, the heroine must survive. Good always must win. Why? Why couldn’t you have done what made sense and what was right? I don’t understand.
The overall action in the movie was great. Michael Myers is a savage but not that active really. The scenery is very well done. There are scenes of kids trick or treating and just general Halloween excitement. All of this is great. There is a Halloween party scene that is very impressive. It is one of those Halloween parties that everyone wants to go to but most question if they really exist. I only remember two in my life that were close but, neither were like this. The houses used were great. They had an old eloquent feel to them which think went well with the story. This makes sense though as this movie was filmed in Savannah, GA. Everything in Savannah, GA is old and awesome. In one scene, you see the knife Laurie is holding pass over Michael’s face and his reflection on the blade. This was a hint at some of the art from the original film which was cool to me.
Now, let’s talk about why this movie sucked and the fans feel, as so many people have said on social media, “disrespected.” As I said earlier, they did this movie all wrong. Everyone was ready for what we expected to happen – Michael Myers and Laurie Strode both die. That’s what makes sense and was the only right way to close this story out. I was ready for it and had accepted it. I cannot understand why we must always let people live on. Game of Thrones got this, and they are still popular. Why can’t Halloween do the same? Maybe a hero’s funeral for Laurie and an obscure grave shot for Michael? I don’t know but anything other than “Let’s go to Japan together” now that I finally killed this guy following a ridiculous parade through town with a corpse strapped on the roof of my car. Really? This is how Halloween ends?
I got a lot of vibes from this film that I am seeing consistently from the film industry right now. There is no creativity remaining. In the last film, they clearly borrowed themes from previous Halloween movies (particularly Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers) rather than creating new ones. It was no different here. It is like what Disney is doing with Star Wars. They essentially have remade the original three films but changed character names. They took a lot, in my opinion, theme wise from Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers in Halloween Ends. By this I mean the idea that Michael Myers was some sort of evil spirit that could possess people. This is at least how I have interrupted some parts of this final film. “Evil doesn’t die, it just changes forms” was their excuse for this. While I think this is a set up for future films and an overall cool line, please come up with something original.
Another part of this movie that I didn’t understand and certainly didn’t like was the sewer dwelling. Michael Myers would not have lived in a sewer for 4 years. He’s not Pennywise the Dancing Clown. In their defense here, I will make some positive comments. Something else I liked about this movie was that they showed how people are people. In real life, I can see a few things here being accurate. People would have blamed Laurie and would have given her and her family grief for the killings committed by Michael. When Corey kills the kid he is babysitting by accident, they then have a new “evil” to shame in their community. I think this is accurate. People really act this way. I also think that if a person was continually coming into a town and killing people, that community would come together to do something about it. This would lead Michael Myers to have to hid but, it’s a movie not a documentary. This could have been improved upon somehow for sure.
Overall, I think the rating of 5 out of 10 stars is fair and here’s why. If you are a Halloween fan, you should watch this movie for two main reasons. One, it is a milestone in that Michael Myers is really done. It is stupid how so, but he is finished. This is part 12 of a franchise (Part III excluded because Myers is only seen on a TV screen) and all fans that have followed this should see it. Second, the action from Michael Myers, when it’s actually him, is good. There’s not a lot but, what’s there is worth seeing. Just don’t go into it thinking that it will be done right. If you’re new to the Halloween franchise, your opinion may be different. I recommend though, to the new fans, that you find someone who has been with this since the beginning and talk with them. Also, be sure you sit down and watch Halloween (1978) and Halloween II (1981) back-to-back and get a real feel for what Michael Myers is before thinking this is the greatest thing ever.
You can read more reviews at the links below:
Halloween Ends (2022) – Halloween Ends (2022) – User Reviews – IMDb
Halloween Ends – Rotten Tomatoes
References
International Movie Database. (2022). Halloween ends. IMDB.com. Halloween Ends (2022) – IMDb
Rotten Tomatoes. (2022). Halloween ends. Rottentomatoes.com. Halloween Ends – Rotten Tomatoes