Halloween Ends

There are people out there who are filled with so much hate and darkness that you can not change them. It is almost as if they have a demon inside of them, with extremely evil intentions. These people have no remorse, have no compassion for anyone, and they don´t function in an ordinary society. A perfect example of a person like this, is the iconic horror character known as Michael Myers. If you have seen a lot of horror films since the 70´s, you know that Michael Myers was seen for the first time in the 1978 film Halloween, from legendary director John Carpenter. This is one of the greatest slasher classics of all time, and even if the film is almost 45 years old, it is still a very effective horror film. Halloween tells the story of 6 year old Michael Myers, who on Halloween night in 1963, stabs his own teenage sister Judith to death. For 15 years Michael is incarcerated at Smith´s Grove Sanatorium, during wich time he never speaks a word. On October 30, 1978, Michael´s psychiatrist Dr. Samuel Lewis ( Donald Pleasence ), arrives to the sanatorium to escort Michael to a hearing. Michael manage to escape, steal knives, rope and a mask from a hardware store. He is going home, no matter what it takes. It is quite incredible what a great looking film Halloween is, considering the budget. On a budget over 300.000 dollars, the film made 70 million dollars at the box office, wich is incredible numbers in ticket sales. If you are a slasher horror fan, you have to see this film. My suggestion is that you pick up the Blu Ray release and check out some really nice special features, or the 2 disc DVD release from Anchor Bay Entertainment. The sequels that followed have some good ones, and then you have the really horrible film known as Halloween Resurrection ( why was this film even made ? ) The 2018 film Halloween from director David Gordon Green turned out to be a pleasant surprise, that actually moved the franchise in the right direction. The sequel Halloween Kills had some fun kills, but i didn´t like the story or some of the characters. So here we are with the last film in the latest Halloween sequel, also directed by David Gordon Green. If this is the final Halloween film ever ( wich i find hard to believe ), is this a worthy final goodbye to Michael Myers legacy, or is Halloween Ends a big disappointment?

On Halloween night in 2019, 21-year-old Corey Cunningham ( Rohan Campbell ) babysits a young boy named Jeremy Allen ( Jaxon Goldernberg ), who pulls a prank on Corey by locking him inside the attic. Just as Jeremy´s parents come home, Corey kicks the door open and accidently Jeremy over a staircase railing to his death. Corey us accused of intentionally killing Jeremy but is cleared of manslaughter. Three years later, the town of Haddonfield, Illinois, is still reeling from the aftermath Michael Myer´s ( James Jude Cortney ) latest killing spree in 2018. Laurie Strode ( Jamie Lee Curtis ) is writing a memoir, having bought a new house and living with Allyson ( Andi Matichak ), her granddaughter. Allyson falls in love with Corey, but does not know of his dark past. As Corey struggle with his inner demons, he is about to let them all loose as he meets Michael.

When you read the title of Halloween Ends, i think most of us fans of the original film was hoping for a big epic battle between Michael Myers and Jamie Lee Curtis classic character Laurie Strode. At least that is what i was hoping for with this film, as well as a better story than in Halloween Kills. I will say this, that the story of Halloween Ends is definetely deeper than i expected, and that part does not really include Michael Myers himself. There is another story in this film that is not focused on Michael, but a new character known as Corey. If you were hoping for a traditional Halloween film, i guarantee you will be disappointed. It takes quite a long time before Michael shows up in the film, so we get to know the character Corey and his background story. Actor Rohan Campbell plays Corey, and i don´t think he does a bad performance, it´s just that this become a whole different film than a Halloween film. I do not blame him for it, since he is just portraying his character. I think it might have been better to let Corey have his own film, since i do think he is an interesting character. When you mix him into the Halloween franchise, you loose some of the classic elements from the films of the past. We do get like a final stand off towards the end, but maybe not in the epic way i was hoping for. What about legendary actress Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode? She is definetely the highlight of this film, and even if her character is not as effective as she was in the 2018 film, there are a few scenes i especially enjoy. What about Michael Myers played by James Jude Courtney? I do think he manage to portray Michael, and still manage to bring in some changes without hurting the film. As a Halloween film, i feel that Halloween Ends could have done something much more effective with the source material. It does not feel like the end that i wanted, so i don´t feel pleased about certain details. One positive detail though, Corey´s stepfather actually watch Hard Target with Jean-Claude Van Damme in a scene, who would have thought we would ever see this in a Halloween film? Is Halloween Kills a bad film? No, there are parts of the film i enjoy. Director David Gordon Green try and finish his third Halloween film what he believe´s is a worthy end. I disagree, and i actually feel disappointed. It might be a good time to end this franchise ( even though i have a feeling Michael will return ), everything does not last forever, and Halloween Ends is a perfect example of that.

Rating: DD