With Halloween being an all time franchise for me, I had high expectations going into this movie, and as a fan of the previous two films in the Blumhouse trilogy, I wasn’t going to settle for anything below average, and I never had too! As despite the clear divisive drive this movie will flood word of mouth with, I walked out having had one of the best movie experiences of the year.
‘Halloween Ends’ takes the series to its conclusion & with it offers up both the most creatively brave entry in the multi-timeline thirteen film universe & the years ultimate slasher thrill ride that is non stop engagement from beginning to end. The movie boldly takes the risk of shifting away the main story’s focus from Laurie & Michael to instead offer an insight to the wounded & forever changed Haddonfield after the residents numerous encounters with The Shape…
Enter Corey Cunningham…
Rhoan Campell strikes an outrageously good performance as Corey Cunningham, becoming an instant franchise standout in Ends and is arguably the highlight of the movie. Corey is a broken character, accused of intentionally murdering a young boy he looked after one night, As a result, he’s shunned by Haddonfield folk & the results of their actions is something that directly impacts his own as the movie goes on. What follows is a fascinating tale of how evil can plague an entire town.
Laurie Strode, unlike many of the town, is attempting to move on & let go of the hold evil has had on her since that dreadful night in1978. Jamie Lee Curtis once again delivers a fantastic performance as the character & despite it being an odd creative choice considering ‘Halloween Kills’ ended with Laurie tracking Michael down for revenge after he slain her daughter, Karen. Nonetheless it felt great & fresh to see this character in a new light, Doing ordinary things, Shopping, establishing friendships & one even a borderline relationship. Celebrating Halloween & preparing dishes for her granddaughter, Allyson, portrayed by Andi Matichak who reprises the role once again with equal greatness like before. Laurie has been Essentially living a life she had lost out on for so long! And to the film’s credit, it never makes her forget what she has been through & there are some emotional moments touching on Mental Health and what the impacts of past experiences can have on that.
Evil was never too far from Laurie however as Michael Myers, despite a severe lack of screen time, had a much felt presence throughout the film & over the story. When we first see him, it’s in a light we have never seen him in before, and to refrain from spoilers I will simply say it may be the most striking execution of his character in a long time. In an interview for the movie, Director David Gordon Green referenced how Michael for the past four years had, long story short, fled to rot away like a wild animal, That is very clearly made within the film & translated across the screen to the audience. However, you can’t keep a wild animal down for long and the moment the movie has promised does come to fruition, Michael Myers & Laurie Strode’s final confrontation, and what a brutally delightful watch it was that appears to leave no room for a rematch.
The film does run into it’s problems, At times it feels like the ideas of two blended into one And the script during moments & decisions set by the writers and creatives makes you tread over questioning the logic set by the movies and moments that came before. It’s by no means a perfect movie but that doesn’t mean it isn’t at the very least a more than enjoyable time.
It’s near impossible for me to truly talk about the climax to the Halloween saga without getting into spoilers, and you’ll see why after you see the film, and if you’ve already seen it, you likely understand why. Regardless, to me Halloween Ends is a killer filled fun time topped with great performances, a strong story even with its issues & questionable story choices as briefly mentioned & an expectedly elevating score by John Carpenter that is sure to cause quite the talk online as it serves as both a fresh telling of this world while also closing it off a sage 40 years in the making…
Rating: 85%
‘HALLOWEEN ENDS’ IS IN CINEMAS NOW.
