[Movie Review] David Gordon Green's ‘Halloween Ends’ (2022)
Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween Ends via IMDB
Fans of the Halloween franchise have been through a lot in 45 years. Including the non-timeline Rob Zombie remake films, there are now 13 entries sporting the “Halloween” title, 12 of which involve the deranged killer Michael Myers, a.k.a. The Shape.
So, it's not surprising that the most recent rebooted trilogy from director David Gordon Green has been met with wary enthusiasm. We’ve been here before. We’ve been told this was indeed the end a few other times, such as in Halloween H20 when Jamie Lee Curtis returned as Laurie Strode and again in Halloween Resurrection, where the original timeline ostensibly ended with Busta Rhymes karate fighting The Shape to his doom. And let's not even get started on the Jamie Lloyd trilogy in which Curtis’s Strode was killed offscreen and Paul Rudd gave one of the worst acting performances of all time as the first incarnation of adult Tommy Doyle. Many would argue that Anthony Michael Hall gave that performance a run for its money with his portrayal in Halloween Kills: “Evil dies tonight,” indeed.
Maybe it’s the weight of expectations or just general Haddonfield lore fatigue that made Green, along with his writing team of Danny McBride, Paul Brad Logan and Chris Bremier, throw out the basic rulebook when penning the supposed final edition of this iteration of the franchise. Yes, the team behind this film certainly opted to zig instead of zag when they brought us this entry in the story of Michael and Laurie. Indeed, this movie has very little to do with the original killer at all. Instead, it follows a brand new character named Corey Cunningham who becomes the town pariah after being responsible for the death of a child he’s babysitting. This happens in one of the most effective pre-credits sequences I can remember. And we’re off to the races following a nerdy 23-year-old kid who works at a junkyard and is bullied by everyone including members of the high school marching band. Laurie Strode is still here, of course. She's sober, living in Haddonfield with her granddaughter Alyson and writing her memoir.
Because the plot needs the two storylines to merge, Laurie takes an instant liking to the troubled Corey and even sets him up with Alyson. Alyson is smitten with Corey almost immediately, but Corey is already on a dangerous path. After getting in a fight with the aforementioned high school kids, he ends up under a bridge, kills a homeless man, and finds the hideout of Michael Myers. Once Michael and Corey meet, a change takes place—this is where things go a bit off the rails. Michael seems to see something in the eyes of Corey that reminds him of himself and spares his life. It's clear to us that Michael is a changed man—er—shape, since last we saw him mowing down half of Haddonfield like a super villain. He moves slower, only one of his arms seems to have its full strength and of course he seems to take pity or connect with Corey. This is not the Michael we know, for better or worse. Turns out serial killers, not just victims, can also show the signs of trauma and age in this sequel. He seems more than happy to train his replacement as the two go on a bit of a mini rampage together in a brutal second act. Corey Cunningham is basically Arnie Cunningham from Stephen King’s Christine and Michael Myers is his 1958 Plymouth Fury.
I won’t spoil the conclusion of Halloween Ends but suffice to say it's completely bonkers and as over the top as you might expect. If the first two-thirds of this movie is Corey’s, the final third is for Michael and Laurie, two boomers who are too old for this shit. This likely will seem off balance to many viewers and I completely understand feeling misled with the storytelling of the previous movies in this reboot trilogy or in the marketing for this one. And I’m not sure everyone is ready to see a weakened Michael; I even had a problem with one scene where he is overpowered easily for his mask. Even at 65 years old I expected The Shape to put up more of a fight. But overall, Halloween Ends was a refreshing change of pace and genuinely surprising. A slasher movie that focuses more on character and mood than fan service and jump scares is in short supply in the modern horror movie market. The director and writer made strong choices when so often those in their position feel comfortable just delivering more of the same.
So is this the end of the Halloween franchise? Probably not. While it would be tough to continue this particular story given some of the choices they made in the gory finale, at some point in the not-too-distant future, I reckon a new team of writers and directors will get their hands on the rights and take The Shape in a new direction. And like always, I’ll be there for it.
Article written by Brian Naccarelli
Born in late 1979, Brian is a proud member of the VHS generation of horror fandom. He developed a taste for zombie movies and slashers from USA Up All Night and TNT Monstervision in the 90s. Favorites include Dawn of the Dead, Halloween, Return of the Living Dead and all of the Nightmare and Friday series. Brian is a graduate of Edinboro University of Pennsylvania with a Speech Communication degree and works as a client success and implementation manager. Brian is also a diehard fan of music and a proud dad to Clara, 8.
