Halloween Ends is a 2022 slasher film directed by David Gordon Green, starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Andi Matichak, Rohan Campbell, Will Patton, and James Jude Courtney. Serving as a sequel to Halloween Kills (2021), the film revolves around Corey Cunningham, a young man who falls in love with Laurie Strode’s granddaughter while a series of events, including crossing paths with Michael Myers, upend his life and render him a murderous outcast.
This has to be one of the worst stories in the series. And it’s not because of the premise but because of how poorly executed it was. This time around Michael has been MIA for 4 years so the story shifts to a new character, Corey, who accidently killed a kill and is dealing with the social and emotional ramifications. This has left him broken but also is used as a catalyst to develop a relationship with Allyson, Laurie’s granddaughter. It’s not particularly original but it does bring something different. Unfortunately, the focus away from Michael and placed on this new character started off as interesting but devolved into something quite frustrating.
Any thoughts of character development are quickly washed away with contrived conveniences in the narrative. Don’t get me wrong, the previous two films suffered from a series lack of storytelling, and despite these being slashers, can actually have deep stories. And I’m a fan of the passing of the torch concept but for a Halloween film it’s not a good way to go.
And the characters are just as dumb as in previous films. Not only that but they’re just as unlikable. Corey could’ve been a good character but bad writing brought him over the edge. Allyson, Laurie’s granddaughter is an idiot. The story tries to build this relationship between the two and because it’s so forced that comes off as wasted potential. And the biggest question that I have for the main characters is why don’t they freaking leave? If all this crap is happening and it’s so traumatic why not leave, if not for yourself for your family. They have no real reason for staying there. Not to mention, if Laurie and Allyson had left then the film could’ve focused more on Corey as a protagonist. And really, the supporting characters are given nothing to do. And for some reason these random characters keep blaming Laurie for Michael’s killing spree. Had they not watched the same movies I watched. Literally, nothing Laurie did antagonized Michael and in fact, she was the one who nearly killed him. So what are they talking about.
I think it’s safe to say that the story and characters could’ve been much better, specially for a conclusion. (2 out of 5)
Visually the film looks okay, there are some good cinematic shots, some decent set pieces, and good practical effects when it comes to the kills. A lot of the kills (what little kills there are) are very tame, shot in these weird ways so that the focus isn’t directly on them. Fights happen at far angles, deaths are offscreen or not focused on properly. But for the ones that are shown, they’re decent. Even with Michael’s overall design. He’s still wearing his outfit and mask, it’s old looking and worn. Atleast they took that into consideration.
I will say that sound design is rather decent. Even though I’ve been crapping on how bad the series has been I can’t really deny how well the music. There’s almost a hollow, isolating feel to it that makes the suspense more impactful. The remixed theme at the beginnins I really liked.
Overall, the look and feel are probably the best part, but that isn’t saying much. (3 out of 5)
The casting is good but the performances are so so. Jamie Lee Curtis is great as Laurie Strode, of course, she’s who you go to see this movie for. I liked Will Patton (who plays Hawkins) and thought they had good chemistry although he was given nothing to do. Andi Matichak (who plays Allyson) and Rohan Campbell (who plays Corey) are decent. There’s so depth here and there but also some corniness (which is probably due to the script). Other performances include Kyle Richards, James Jude Courtney, Jesse C. Boyd, Keraun Harris, Michael Barbieri, Michael O’Leary, and Rick Moose.
Good God, the writing and direction are piss poor. I don’t know what David Gordon Green was smoking when he directed this travesty but damn was it some good stuff, because I was tripping with him. The cahracterization is terrible, the dialogue is terrible. And the kill count is significantly lowered from the previous film. Then the film tries to preach about how society potentially creates these types of people.
There was only one scene in the entire movie that did it any kind of justice. And that was the confrontation between Laurie and Corey. It was a good scene, tense, with atmosphere. You never get another moment like that again. And I’m happy to say that the writing holds up to the previous films. It’s complete and utter garbage. It’s not good and it doesn’t make any sense. And I walked away having so many questions. Why was Will Patton’s character still alive? Why didn’t Michael kill Corey when he dragged him in the sewer? Why did Michael drag Corey in the sewer? Why did Michael go into hiding?
Then there’s the characterization of Michael Myers. What was his purpose in this movie? He didn’t do anything for almost in entire movie. In fact, the only thing he did was show up and die. You get the sense that in the previous film that Michael’s supernatural. Afterall, he takes several fatal injuries and walks away as if waking up from a nap. It was even stated in the previous film that he gathers strength from every kill, and the film seems to support it. So, what happened? At the end of the film, he kills a bunch of people so why did he disappear? He could’ve just kept killing people. And even when he kills a guy in this movie, he seemingly grows stronger from it. And nothing comes of it.
Overall, the acting is decent, but the writing and direction is garbage. (2 out of 5)
The Verdict: In the end, Halloween Ends should do what its title says and end. This is one of worst sequels, horror films, conclusions; just bad. And with all the hype, all the potential, this has the worst script, direction, dialogue, story, and characters. Halloween Ends is without a doubt one of the worst films of 2022. Halloween Ends gets 2 out of 5.
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