IN this third instalment of David Gordon Green’s Halloween trilogy, which picks up four years after the events of the last film, Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) is living with her granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak) and working on her writing as she struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of Myers’ killing spree. However, things get worse when Allyson’s lover, Corey Cunningham (Rohan Campbell), is charged with the murder of a little kid – and a well-known horror comes to town.
Halloween Ends comes perilously close to becoming a fine ending of the new Halloween narrative, but it breaks apart halfway through and never quite reshapes itself. It’s enjoyable, but I found myself grinning at the movie rather than with it. It adheres to the usual sequel format. More deaths, characters, allusions, and overall chaos are present.
In a horror movie, it’s expected that characters would act foolishly, but Halloween Ends pushes this standard so far that it’s difficult to sympathise with or care about any of the victims. In this movie, there’s not much humour or nostalgic delight. It has a very distinct tone compared to the previous movies.
Corey Cunningham was a fascinating character in the film, and I liked how they began the movie by telling his tale first and then connecting it to Allyson, who served as the main point of view character for the first two films.
The decision to develop Corey’s character alongside Myers was definitely an intriguing move. Who would have guessed, especially after his benign introduction, that he would later make a massive impact? To be entirely truthful, that was the only aspect of the film that I found intriguing. That’s it, in actuality. The rest of the plot was way too foreshadowed; we knew right away that Myers would return for Strode and that the battle scene would repeat again. And I was indeed right.
However, I have to say that despite the predictable script, the end was actually extremely satisfying. I assume it’s safe to conclude that Green’s Halloween trilogy has come to an end with this film. For Halloween Kills, the script was chaotic, but this one just puts everything back in its perfect place and provides viewers with a very rewarding conclusion. Also because Michael Myers killed my favourite character, Karen (Judy Greer) in Halloween Kills, a part of me was really pleased to see his story end in this film.
The film’s technical features are mostly good, and Green does some good work in the horror sequences. Curtis’ final appearance as Laurie Strode, a role she initially performed in 1978’s Halloween, symbolises the end of an era. Curtis was able to reveal a new side of Laurie in this film, after being relentless in her obsession with Michael Myers in the previous two films of the rebooted trilogy.
If you are a fan of Halloween movies, I think you’ll enjoy this flick. For those who aren’t, this makes a good one-time viewing film since, despite its flaws, this film is still interesting because, even when I was bashing on it, I had great time watching it.
Halloween Ends is out now in theatres.
Director: David Gordon Green
Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis, Kyle Richards, Andi Mathichak, Rohan Campbell
E-VALUE: 6
ACTING: 7
PLOT: 6