It’s the thirteenth installment in the “Halloween” franchise and the final film in the trilogy of sequels that started with the 2018 film. Our JP reviews “Halloween Ends,” starring Jamie Lee Curtis, James Jude Courtney, and Andi Matichak.
Halloween Ends
Universal Pictures
- Directed by David Gordon Green
- Written by Paul Brad Logan, Chris Bernier, Danny McBride, and David Gordon Green
- Based on Characters by John Carpenter and Debra Hill
- Produced by Malek Akkad, Jason Blum, and Bill Block
- Starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Andi Matichak, James Jude Courtney, Will Patton, Rohan Campbell, and Kyle Richards
Studio Synopsis:
In this unexpected final chapter, set four years after the events of last year’s “Halloween Kills,” Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) is living with her granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak) and is finishing writing her memoir. Michael Myers hasn’t been seen since. Laurie, after allowing the specter of Michael to determine and drive her reality for decades, has decided to liberate herself from fear and rage and embrace life. But when a young man, Corey Cunningham (Rohan Campbell; The Hardy Boys, Virgin River), is accused of killing a boy he was babysitting, it ignites a cascade of violence and terror that will force Laurie to finally confront the evil she can’t control, once and for all.
J.P’s Take
Although I am a true fan of the “Halloween” film series, admittedly, I was finally ready for it to end. “Halloween Ends” closes out the David Gordon Green iterations of the John Carpenter and Debra Hill brainchild with a human story that hinges on a mythical figure.
While I anticipated the conclusion of this chapter, I became more intrigued by the story arc Blumhouse would impart with us. The juxtaposition of stories involving Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her granddaughter Allyson Nelson (Andi Matichak) centered around the affects of Michael Myers.
“Halloween Ends” begins in 2019 on Halloween night and involves a young man named Corey Cunningham (Rohan Campbell), who was babysitting a rambunctious kid named Jeremy. As Corey and Jeremy strike up a conversation about horror movies, which turns to talks about Michael Myers, Corey sends Jeremy to bed. Not before Jeremy plays a little Halloween prank on Corey first. Pretending to be held against his will, Jeremy flees upstairs, where he yells for help while Corey follows suit. Corey enters a room where he believes Jeremy is held only to have Jeremy slam the door shut and locking him inside. Not realizing Jeremy is behind the door, Corey feverishly kicks the door open…. inadvertently sending Jeremy over the stair rail and plunges to his death. All the while, Jeremy’s parents return home to watch in horror as their child comes crashing to the floor with a gruesome thud.
It’s a shocking way to set the tone for the return of Laurie Strode, which spirals out of control from there. The story flashes forward to 2022 as Laurie and Allyson have rebuilt their lives together in a new home: Allyson is a nurse at Haddonfield Hospital and Laurie continues with her hobbies like knitting and baking. Laurie is also writing her memoirs chronicling her life spent living in terror. To this day, she suffers from post-traumatic-stress disorder, which she soothes with an alcoholic beverage from time to time. Yet underneath her meek, mousy exterior, she remains the paranoid renegade who put a beat down on Mike Myers once before. Both Laurie and Allyson’s life is turned upside down when introduced to Corey Cunningham.
“Halloween Ends” is a hybrid of genres, pairing 80s psycho/thriller/slasher vibes with young adult drama. It’s complete with a modern synth-wave motif and a motorcycle-riding youngster who becomes the pariah of Haddonfield. It draws out the perilous love affair between Corey and Allyson, based on obsession and the deep seeded pain of youth. The dialogue even feels quasi-80s, with insipid banter from the supporting cast and the generic characterizations of abusive parent figures and townsfolk. Even the school bullies, who picked on Corey, were cheesily portrayed.
Also, you’ll notice far less bloodshed here than its first two siblings. However, this chapter is not without its grizzly kills and offers slow churning tension with grueling results. Story wise, “Halloween Ends” doesn’t feel formulaic since much of the heavy lifting falls on Corey and his suspicious motives. Ever since that day he accidently killed Jeremy, the town of Haddonfield has been keeping an eye on him. It becomes more about the effects of evil stemming from a supernatural source rather than just the mythological Michael Myers. Don’t worry, Myers is in the movie, you’ll just have to wait a bit longer for his time to shine. There is comical bit where we see Corey in an unlikely shoving match with Mike Myers, which feels offbeat but breaks the monotony.
The cast is what held everything together, as newcomer Rohan Campbell lived up to his role as Corey Cunningham. He felt like the perfect fall guy when things went wrong in Haddonfield, I felt his despair. Jamie Lee Curtis reimagines Laurie Strode as both broken and fierce. You know she’s been through hell and back, while living to tell her story and fight another day. Andi Matichak had a simmering rebel in her as Allyson Nelson. Other returning castmates are Will Patton as Frank Hawkins, Kyle Richards as Lyndsay Wallace and James Jude Courtney As Michael Myers (aka The Shape) . Also, Omar Dorsey as Sheriff Barker and Diva Tyler as Sondra are back, even though those two characters were presumed dead in “Halloween Kills.”
Alas, there is an ending where, if you’re a diehard fan, you’ll be the judge in discerning whether or not the means justify the ends. I felt a since of closure with “Halloween Ends” when it was all said and done.
