So, let’s get this out in the open right at the beginning. Halloween Ends is way better than last year’s Halloween Kills (2021). At least in terms of plausible character actions and believable plot. Now, if you went to the theatre to see Michael Myers go around Haddonfield, Illinois killing everyone like he did in the first and second films, you’ll be greatly disappointed. Myers barely kills anyone in this film.  

The film picks up four years after the events of Halloween (2018) and Halloween Kills. If you remember, the second film took place immediately following the events of the first film. Laurie (played by Jamie Lee Curtis) and her granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak) are living together in Haddonfield. Everyone treats Allyson as a survivor, but they blame Laurie for not being able to kill Michael. Oh, Myers vanished after the second film. That’s right, Michael Myers has vanished for four years. 

That’s the first thing I don’t like about this film. Michael Myers had one objective in Halloween Kills. He wanted to go home. At the end of the film, Myers did exactly that. I’m not sure the screenwriters knew what to do with Myers after that because when Halloween Ends begins, Myers simply disappears. That’s lazy screenwriting for you.  

With Michael gone, the survivors of Haddonfield are left to deal with not having a sense of closure. They’re plagued by the threat of Myers return. And that’s where most of the film lies. Myers doesn’t actually return until about the third act. And when he does, his action in it is pretty lackluster.  

The main characters of Laurie and Allyson were interesting until the introduction of Allyson’s new romantic interest Corey (played by Rohan Campbell). Laurie and Allyson have this friendship that’s refreshing to see because in most of the last two films they didn’t share a lot of scenes together. Now you get to see them after rebuilding that relationship. However, when Corey and Allyson get together, that friendship twists into something ugly. The relationship between Corey and Allyson felt too rushed, too intense.  

Without going into a lot of spoilers, I will say the first death of the film was probably my favorite because I didn’t expect it at all and the shock of it set up the tone for the rest of the film. However, the rest of the film didn’t follow through with that sense of shock and surprise. The first time I saw the Chekov’s Gun of the film, I called it out to my friend I went to see it with. If you don’t know, Chekov’s Gun is a film concept that states if a gun is shown in the first act, it must go off by the end of the film. And the screenwriters followed through with that concept. 

Another thing that I wasn’t that troubled by was the supernatural quality of Michael Myers. Halloween (2018) retcons all of the original sequels effectively reducing Myers to a psycho with a fetish for masks, knives, and has an unbelievable threshold for pain. Halloween Ends puts to rest if Myers is a supernatural entity… sort of. I’ve always believed Michael Myers was a supernatural being. I mean, the dude knows how to drive a car without having taken one lesson. Plus, he can take an enormous amount of pain and suffering without uttering one word. When you take into effect that Michael is in his sixties, it’s just not normal.  

Having said all that, I thought the end of the film was pretty decent. If I had to rank them from best to worst, I’d say Halloween, Halloween Ends, and then Halloween Kills.  

However, I’m skeptical that Halloween Ends will be the end of the Michael Myers franchise. Myers is the iconic bogeyman so I would be shocked if there wasn’t a sequel or a reboot in the near future. I’m going to hazard a guess that we’ll see one in the next five years.  

Because, as we all know, Evil doesn’t die tonight. Evil is eternal. 

31 Days of Horror Rankings: 

1. Deadstream (2022) 
2. Willy’s Wonderland (2021)  
3. Grimcutty (2022)
4. Watcher (2022)   
5. She Will (2022)
6. Escape Room (2019)
7. We Have Always Lived in the Castle (2018)
8. The Cellar (2022)  
9. The Last Rite (2021)
10. Revealer (2022)  
11. Sissy (2022) 
12. Halloween Ends (2022)
13. Mr. Harrigan’s Phone (2022)
14. Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker (1982)
15. Werewolf by Night (2022)