2022
David Gordon Green
5/10
Following the shitshow that was Halloween Kills, and ending it in a way that all but had Michael killed, it was really tough to imagine how the David Gordon Green trilogy was going to wrap things up. As each film somewhat paid tribute in some degree or another to the original three Carpenter films respectively, there was no way they were going to make Halloween Ends reflect Season Of The Witch. But man, they kind of did!
Ok, not really, that was more of a joke about the fact that most of this movie has very little to do with Michael Myers. What is true is that it created such a massive divide between fans, much like the original third film did, and I imagine in a decade or so this will gain a cult following much like Halloween III. Unfortunately, I don't have nearly as much praise to give Halloween Ends as I do the Silver Shamrock side story. Don't read me wrong, as my reasons for struggling here aren't because of the typical nonsense complaints it gets around being "too different" or "not even about Michael" or "them killing him and making him weak was stupid" or "Corey Cunningham was an awful character." I actually appreciate all of those things, and the direction that the story took. I like that it almost gave the remaining characters a new start with a breath of fresh air, bringing on a new antagonist that starts out as the protagonist, and gradually changes in a similar vein to Walter White. You pity the guy, then you hate him. The concept of teaming up with a weakened Michael Myers is very interesting, and there are some neat parallels with the Carpenter classic Christine with taking a town outcast that gets a vehicle and a girl and starts murdering others.
However, I don't think the execution was very good. The relationship forged between Allyson and Corey is paced ridiculously fast, and while yes, it somewhat needed to be that way for brevity, it was extremely awkward. Building up to the "burn it to the ground" schtick felt far too corny for what the film was trying to do, and Allyson as a character is far less likeable this time around. The same can honestly be said about Laurie and Deputy Hawkins' weird encounter at the store, which is basically forgotten about until the very end. I really struggle to buy the dialogue with the kids that end up bullying Corey, and how jarring the mood changes from their first encounter as well as Laurie's with the grave keeper's sister. The way that the Haddonfield citizens handle Allyson and Corey in public every damn time seems way too far-fetched, from Nurse Deb's stupid comments to Allyson's ex confrontation with Corey at the cafe. The ceremonious-type ending with all of Haddonfield showing up? Come on. Even Allyson driving away crying at the end, and minutes later being back, totally fine, forgetting that Corey even existed as the final Michael encounter wraps up was tough to take seriously. In general, I guess it's safe to say the pacing as a whole is awkward, feels so forced at times, and much of this is packed with unnecessary stuff that hurts otherwise good characters.
The irony of taking an unrealistic concept such as The Shape seriously while not overlooking all of these things isn't lost on me, but 2018's Halloween made this foreign enigma feel very real, while everything here didn't. I enjoy the goofiness of the Thorn Trilogy sequels, as they fit the vibe of those movies, but this trilogy is totally different, and is less about the festive charm and more about the plot. Moreover, some of this is just tough to make sense of. For one, how the hell did Laurie know that Corey was close by, when she went to set up that fake suicide trap? How did two shots to the chest and a neck stab not kill Corey, but Michael twisting his head does? I know that Michael sort of has that indestructible element to him (until he doesn't), but nobody else is really granted that. Especially when the beginning implies Corey's intro to be part of all sorts of other completely human-made tragedies from the "madness" that now haunts Haddonfield, removed entirely from The Shape. Again, come on.
With that massive block of complaints and issues out of the way, I can still come around and say that I enjoy watching this, and I see it in the same way that I see Halloween 5: The Revenge Of Michael Myers. My issues with that are nearly the exact same as the issues I have here. Ridiculous pacing, extremely awkward dialogue, scenes that I just cannot buy, etc. Yet I still enjoy watching that one and this one in the same way. They're a lot of fun, they both introduce an interesting idea, and tucked in the cracks of Halloween Ends is all sorts of things I can appreciate, outside of the ideas themselves. The tongue gag on the record player (pun intended) was incredible. Ronald is a fantastic character, and I enjoy every scene with him. In fact, I'd have traded all sorts of the other schlock for some more relationship development between him and Corey. The bar scene where Laurie discusses Corey with Jeremy's father was really well done, and tied wonderfully into the theme around the same evil in Michael's eye's being in Corey's; it actually felt very realistic. And really, I do enjoy much of the final showdown with Michael once Corey is suddenly forgotten about without so much as another acknowledgement. Had only Allyson, Laurie, and Deputy Hawkins carried the body to the junkyard, that ending would have felt far nicer. At least closing with the classic Blue Oyster Cult tune was neat.
So at the end of the day, I'm pretty much 50/50 on this one. The idea of it is great, and it's easily the furthest the franchise has divorced itself from the 1978 film outside of Halloween III, but for everything I enjoy about it, I find something I dislike about it. A good idea is executed poorly, or a poor idea is pleasing in some ironic way. I guess at least it helps further humanize The Shape into nothing more than the simple deranged man that the 2018 film stressed, just with superhuman strength and a struggle to take down to match his representation of fear. If nothing else, I am glad that this at least did something that felt original, rather than just giving us another fan service crock of bullshit that the prior one did.
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