Since his ominous debut in 1978, Michael Myers has been a central fictional figure of fascination and fear within the horror genre.
Halloween Ends is the final movie in David Gordon Green’s trilogy, and these three movies overall have really built upon the initial legacy of the original Halloween movie created by John Carpenter and Debra Hill in 1978.
Halloween Ends is set four years after the eventful excitement and carnage layered throughout the previous two movies in this timeline. The movie briefly begins in 2019, as we are first introduced to Corey (Rohan Campbell) who is babysitting a young boy on Halloween night. But due to an unexpected and horrific accident that occurs, the child dies under Corey’s watch. This results in Corey becoming a Haddonfield outcast.
Viewers are pleasantly reacquainted with Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), since her previous encounter with Myers (James Jude Courtney) and the death of her daughter four years ago, Laurie is now living with her granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak) and is writing a memoir as she declares “not to let fear rule [her] life any more”.
As the movie progresses, we are first re-introduced to Michael Myers when Corey is dragged into the sewers, revealing where The Shape has been hiding for four years. We first see Michael approximately 40 minutes into the film, he seems weaker and surprisingly lets Corey live and depart his hidden haven as a solitary survivor.
This interaction is a key scene in the movie’s narrative, not just because of Myer’s withered appearance but the haunting affinity that is teased throughout the second half of the movie between Corey and Michael. This movie centres on Corey’s struggles and spiralling storyline that reflects the kind of ‘evil’ he is consequently choosing to inflict on a town that made him an outcast.
Halloween Ends as a stand-alone movie provides an engaging and entertaining story, with great characters, and with many funny and horrifying moments. However, this movie as the ending to a great horror trilogy is both a divisive and obscure choice to finish on.
Overall it is easy to sympathise or agree with Halloween fans who wanted to see more of Myers in this final movie. Michael Myers is physically downgraded from his brutal status at the end of Halloween Kills, and while this is demonstrated well within the film, the creators really made a daring decision to relegate Myers in favour of Corey’s twisted but engaging story arc.
While we get a relatively satisfying ending (in this timeline) with Laurie and Michael having one final epic battle, although the long awaited clash and resolution is shorter than we expected.
Halloween Ends is a movie worth watching at least once, but it is not the strongest movie amongst Green’s trilogy.
Jack Redmond