By Keith Walther | Rose Law Group Reporter
If there was a statistic for audiences requesting refunds, “Halloween Ends” would certainly be leading the way this year. This is the 13th and supposedly last film in the “Halloween” franchise, and 13 proves to be very unlucky indeed.
Set four years after “Halloween Kills,” Michael Myers (James Jude Courtney) has vanished and Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) is attempting to move on with her granddaughter, Allyson (Andi Matichak). This means the audience gets subjected to an odd and prolonged romance between Allyson and the town pariah, Corey (Rohan Campbell), who accidentally kills a young boy he was babysitting in the opening scene of the movie. As this awkward relationship blossoms, so too does Corey’s dark fantasies.
When Corey stumbles upon Michael Myers living in the town’s sewers like a ninja turtle, they become fast friends maybe due to Myers’ long established outgoing personality and need for companionship? Whatever the case, these bosom buddies paint the town red together, resulting in an absurdly ridiculous ending.
David Gordon Green once again helms this horror film, having previously directed “Halloween (2018)” and “Halloween Kills,” both well-made and successfully reinvigorated this horror franchise. That work was completely undone by “Halloween Ends,” the horrific culmination of his trilogy.
For the past 44 years, Michael Myers has plagued nightmares, and has been the face of evil. David Gordon Green bafflingly chose to make him look weak and pathetic in this final installment, instead making this Corey character the real antagonist of the film. Spending an obscene amount of time to build a romance between the antagonist and protagonist was pointless idiocy. Maybe he watched “Natural Born Killers” before making this film and thought he could capture the same idea. In any case, it failed on a laughable scale.
As for the horror element, it was completely non-existent and negated by the head scratching plot that made all the main characters unlikable. Green neglected rule number one in generating fear and suspense, establishing characters in which the audience can be invested. The only fear Green successfully creates is the thought of what the inside of that 44-year-old mask smells like.
Jamie Lee Curtis reprises the role from 1978 that not only ignited this franchise but catapulted her career as the ultimate scream queen. Her performance was tired and ineffective and is a sour note on which to end this franchise. Her long career will survive this debacle, but the same can’t be said for her co-stars. Andi Matichak and Rohan Campbell were atrocious, and “Halloween Ends” might have effectively ended their acting careers, neither of whom have booked any work following this film thankfully.
The real crime is not only the fact this film was made in the first place, but also that it’s taking up multiple screens at most theaters, while powerful dramas like “Till” have only been distributed to select cities. Phoenix is not one of those cities and must wait until 10/28 for a chance to see what looks to be an Oscar hopeful. Thanks a bunch Hollywood.
To put it bluntly, “Halloween Ends” is a frontrunner for the worst film of the year and doesn’t deserve your attention and certainly not your money. If you’re looking for a decent horror film, go see “Smile” instead.
This movie earns:
