Jesus Cortez
Editor-in-Chief
(Editor’s note: Even though this is a spoiler-free review, I may mention small spoilers so avoid entirely if you plan on viewing with a fresh mind.)
The Shape of Haddonfield, Illinois returned for the third installment of the Halloween (2018) trilogy. Halloween Ends was finally released last Friday after being postponed by the COVID-19 Pandemic. After the successful release of Halloween (2018) which played the role of a reboot to the entire timeline and sequel to the original Halloween (1978), two sequels were announced: Halloween Kills (2021) and Halloween Ends (2022). After a mixed reviewed Halloween Kills, Blumhouse Productions was hoping to end the trilogy with a successful send-off, but did they succeed? I don’t believe so.
The film tries to be what I would call ambitious in its approach to part three of a trilogy. First of all, the trailers of the film don’t even really give any details about the plot or what the film would be about, apart from the fact that it has Laurie Strode facing off against Michael Myers, which was already to be expected from previous films.
This might have been done on purpose because the film itself feels like two separate films mushed together, which doesn’t work at all. The reason is that one of those parts takes up most of the screen time, making the other part feel completely inferior. When the film does try to bring them together, it doesn’t succeed. This is because the film was ambitious and daring throughout the entire film, yet when it came to it, it seemed to have pulled out last minute to play it safe, making for a weak film.
The film also introduced a new main character, which is never a good idea when you’re in part three of a trilogy. This character would have worked a lot better had they been introduced in the first movie or even the second. Including this character made their plot feel rushed as they had to tell an origin story and conclude that same story in a run time of less than two hours.
While I don’t think it was a great movie, I would be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy the viewing. I was a fan of the ambitious approach even though I was immediately disappointed when they pulled out. Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode was awesome like she is in every Halloween film. The iconic score of John Carpenter is also present, which is always a good sign. Some of the kills were also fun for a Halloween movie and will definitely get an audience reaction, especially the last one.
It would be hard to recommend this film since it’s part three of a trilogy, but I will say if you’re looking for a Michael Myers Halloween movie to watch, Halloween (2018) would be the best option as it has everything a good Halloween movie should have. Halloween Ends didn’t work for me as either a stand-alone film or even the conclusion of a trilogy. I really wanted to enjoy it, but it left more to be desired.
My Rating: 2/5
Halloween Ends is currently playing in theaters and is also available on Peacock with a subscription and no additional fee.
The Candor 