The Halloween movies involving Michael Myers are spooky season classics. This 13 film series has come to completion this month with the 2022 Halloween Ends, concluding the series with the final killing of Michael Myers. The story surrounds Laurie Strode (portrayed by the incredible Jamie Lee Curtis) and her granddaughter Allyson as Laurie finishes her memoir and tries to let go of the ghost of her past, Michael Myers. This treacherous monster hasn’t been seen in years, but the absence of his face doesn’t stop speculation that his killings haven't stopped and he still lurks in the shadows. After a young man named Corey Cunningham is involved in a deadly accident, tensions heighten and come to a critical head in this sequel.
Overall, this movie was met with overwhelmingly bad reactions and low reviews. Rotten Tomatoes gifted this movie a score of 41 percent, and the average review score on IMDb was 5 out of 10. User travisvincent comments, “I'm not sure who thought this script was a good idea because it's not…As a lifelong die hard Halloween fan I have a love for the good ones and the bad but this along with Halloween Kills is just a no. So much potential was wasted and im not even going to mention the plot or any details…While Halloween Kills has redeeming values Ends just screws it all to high heaven. The final insult is that Michael Myers has been reduced to a couple cameos in his own film,” (IMDb). Another reviewer, BA_Harrison noted, “I think I threw up in my mouth a little bit,”(IMDb). However, not all are reacting this way. Pumpkin_Man was pleasantly surprised and stated “I've been a fan of the Halloween series since I was eight years old, and…I was very happy and satisfied with how it all ended. I was intrigued by Rohan Campbell's character, Corey Cunningham,...Corey is basically the main character of the movie. Jamie Lee Curtis is great as always as Laurie Strode, the OG final girl….Just turn your brain off and don't overanalyze it,” (IMDb). Although this reviewer claims to be satisfied with the ending and rated this movie a 10 out of 10, they are also recommending viewers avoid overanalyzing the movie and enjoy it for what it is (IMDb). Because of the variety of commentary, I decided I needed to see Halloween Ends for myself.
The following paragraphs may contain spoilers for this movie.
The opening scene of this movie shows the night of Corey Cunningham’s accident in which a child he is babysitting is killed and immediately made me hopeful. Although it was only the beginning, I can honestly say it was the best part of the movie. The pacing felt correct, the details were clear, and although death is something one expects when watching a horror movie, the entire theatre gasped at what had happened. As the movie continued however, I asked myself when Michael Myers was going to show up. If I had gone to the theatre to watch this movie with the expectation of a classic Michael Myers Halloween movie, I would be sorely disappointed. Instead of MIchael, Corey Cunningham became the main character as he grappled with reality and disappeared into the dark. Although the plot was not stellar, the jump scares and fear factor was still adequate. It was incredibly gory, but the gore was well done instead of just being disgusting.
If you are interested in watching a fun Halloween movie that has a bit of gore and some decent jump scares, I would recommend Halloween Kills. However, if you are in search of a good plot, I would suggest looking elsewhere.
Works Cited
“Halloween Ends.” Rotten Tomatoes, https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/halloween_ends. Accessed 30 October 2022.
Huddle, Jack, and Jim Robinson. “Halloween Ends (2022).” IMDb, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10665342/. Accessed 30 October 2022.
“Michael Myers (Halloween).” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Myers_(Halloween). Accessed 30 October 2022.
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