Alright, beasties. It’s that spooky time of year again. For this edition of Spooktober, I’m going to do a post a day but, like a great haul after trick or treating, I’m hoping to mix it up and deliver some surprises. There’ll be reviews, new or old, seen/unseen, TV or film. Depending on my wicked mood, there may also be lists, audio, or video. I hope you’ll enjoy it and remember: stay spooky.
Erm.
Well, we got our finale to David Gordon Green’s Halloween trilogy with Halloween Ends. As someone who adores the original, and who thought there was something uniquely different about Rob Zombie’s takes, and even though Green’s first had some interesting ideas (also loved seeing Jamie Lee Curtis again), I must say, I’m really disappointed.
I will say it’s audacious, but I feel like it isn’t in the spirit of this series as much as I’d hoped. I’m not going to spoil, but I’ll try to wade myself through the murky waters that is Halloween Ends. Side note: this is just one humble critic’s opinion, if you appreciate the route this goes, I’m truly glad it worked for you and thus remains, the ever-strong beauty of film. One person’s letdown is another’s a pleasant surprise.
Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) is healing, writing a book about her experiences four years after the last movie and the disappearance of Michael Myers. Her granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak) is living with her, working as an assistant at a medical clinic. Things seem to be… okay. We know better.
Our intro scene features neither of these characters though, instead, it focuses on a Halloween evening when the accidental death of a child occurs, and his babysitter Corey (Rohan Campbell) is looked upon by the community as being at fault.
In many ways Corey, as he becomes introduced to Allyson and they begin what seems to be a sweet blossoming romance, is our main character. This is quite the direction to take, and one many of us did not see, as it takes the leads we’ve lived with and relocates them to the side. Except for the final act, which, had some satisfying conclusions to a degree, but still had some things to be desired. It wasn’t the fact that a new character took center stage, it was the character itself, and by extension his interactions that didn’t work for me. It also seemed this trilogy’s finale took notes from another past Halloween sequel, and despite my dislike of the last one, I had hoped for something more inventive.
I think all three of these films feel assorted and in many ways, like different intentions, as if trying on various horror costumes, and never fully finding the attire that works. I’ve seen every Halloween film in the franchise, and while I didn’t feel fulfilled, what was I really expecting? While this isn’t in the vein of Halloween Resurrection, this is most certainly not the movie it could have been. You have such an icon in the character of Laurie, that whenever she is in the film, there’s added pressure.
I feel like I went trick or treating and got three of my least favorite candies, but still felt a sense of glee because I am still very much the targeted audience.
Halloween Ends, well, it certainly does. This finality is most likely, if we can account for any horror trend, not truly dead and buried, but it leaves me yearning for a better send-off to this influential slasher.
Halloween Ends is currently in theaters and streaming exclusively on peacock.
Wonderfully Weird & Horrifying 