Trick? Treat? Either Way, Halloween Ends

“Halloween Ends”
Starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Andi Matichak, James Jude Courtney, Rohan Campbell
Directed by David Gordon Green
Written by Paul Brad Logan, Chris Bernier, Danny McBride and David Gordon Green
Rated R for bloody horror violence and gore, language throughout and some sexual references

It's all led to this. Checking out the original “Halloween” from the library... Jumping to the 2018 direct sequel and getting mad at the sheriff... Getting really into “Halloween Kills” and ultimately being unsatisfied with how it ended but curious to see what would come next...

OK, sure, it's not as dramatic and inevitable as a final cinematic showdown between Michael Myers and Laurie Strode. Their issues go back 44 years, and, if you skip over “H20” and the time I saw part of the ending to “Halloween 2” on USA, my time in Haddonfield dates back about 12 months.

Despite my misgivings about the last two installments, I was intrigued by what Green and company built: a three-dimensional slasher series that made me care about the people as more than cannon fodder* and wonder if I would ever get an explanation as to what the heck was going on.

Now “Halloween Ends” is in theaters and streaming on Peacock+ and I'm... relatively satisfied. Definitely not stuck in a moment.

The trailer plays up Laurie vs. Michael, too much in my opinion. Aside from scenes and maybe even dialogue that simply aren't in the movie, we get a slew of shots from near the end of the movie, including one of the most nail-biting moments in this portion of the series. If you haven't seen the trailer but want to see the movie, do the latter before the former.

And come back and read this later, because spoilers follow.

Part of the goal of the trailer is misdirection, as Michael looms large over the movie from the start but doesn't appear outside of flashbacks for quite a while. The opening, set a year after the frustrating ending of “Kills,” introduces us to a college student named Corey (Campbell), pressed into service by the family whose lawn he mows as a babysitter. Michael does not make an appearance, but the opening is no less shocking or important.

After the signature theme music, things jump ahead to 2022, where Laurie (Curtis) and her granddaughter Allyson have tried to reassemble some kind of life despite being the only members of their immediate family still living. Laurie has somehow emerged from the shadows, Allyson is working as a nurse, and Michael hasn't been seen for four years.

But his fingerprints remain all over Haddonfield, with the fear and anger festering and bubbling up from time to time. Corey is a victim of it and, after a chance encounter in which Laurie tries to show him some kindness, sparks ignite between him and Allyson.

Kindness... and a knife. Look, she's had a rough life.

But soon there's someone else in Corey's life: Michael Myers. Beaten down over and over by the residents of the town, he winds up becoming, essentially, Michael's intern.

The answers I've been trying not to want through the last two movies aren't given, beyond a tacit confirmation that, in a perversion of Kelly Clarkson lyrics, killing does make Michael stronger. But instead of revelations as to how and why this happens and why he is the way he is, we see Corey's evil origin. It's a pretty clever way for the filmmakers to have their cake and eat it too by letting Michael continue to be this unknowable boogeyman, while still exploring the development of a new, relentless killer.

There's no shortage of stomach-churning violence, but the camera tends to cut away quickly and, with the exception of one scene, the worst of the gore isn't lingered upon. I'm not someone who appreciates elaborate kills in horror movies, but – again with that one exception** – it felt like they mostly showed what was necessary to convey the violence and intensity of what was happening.

For the most part, the victims weren't as humanized as in the previous two movies. There were a few who very much played into the horror trope of “deserving” their demises, but that fit the story to a certain extent, as you understand why Corey targets the people he does (not that it justifies it in the slightest). There were still moments where people stood out as characters and not just corpses-in-waiting.

“Halloween Ends” continues to basically explore what would happen if a horror movie happened in real life. Laurie is confronted by the sister of one of Michael's victims from “Kills,” who survived but with devastating injuries. Corey's descent is emotional, with you legitimately feeling his anguish even as you're horrified by his response.

The final showdown is intense without being over the top. And what comes next is... well, it's a lot, and it's kind of troubling, but it certainly makes sense in the context of the movie.

I think “Halloween Ends” may have disappointed some longtime fans (I try not to delve too deeply into others' assessments before I write my own), but to me, it continued an interesting take on the slasher genre while moving in a different direction that kept me riveted.

* - Knife fodder?

** - The DJ. Right?