A One Mann’s Movies review of “Halloween Ends” (2022).
I really enjoyed “Halloween” from 2018. I actually gave it a (rather generous) 4 stars! But due to Covid I missed “Halloween Kills” from 2021, so don’t know if the quality fell off a cliff at that point. But what I can give my opinion on is “Halloween Ends”. It has just a couple of decent moments that lift it above a 1 star. But its generally pretty awful!
Bob the Movie Man Rating(s):
Plot Summary:
We’re back in Haddonfield Illinois. After a babysitting tragedy, Corey (Rohan Campbell) is an outcast in the town, shunned by most of the residents apart from Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak). This leads him down a dark mental road and into the path of “The Shape” (James Jude Courtney).
Certification:
Talent:
Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Andi Matchak, Rohan Campbell.
Directed by: David Gordon Green.
Written by: Paul Brad Logan, Chris Bernier, Danny McBride & David Gordon Green. Based on characters created by John Carpenter & Debra Hill.
Twitter Handles: #HalloweenEnds.
“Halloween Ends” Review:
Positives:
- There are just a couple of moments when the script gets it right: a pre-title babysitting disaster is well done and suitably shocking; and a scene with Jamie Lee Curtis, a gun and a pumpkin was dramatic and delivered for me (even if, when you think about it, it’s ridiculous).
- Although given some terrible lines at times, Rohan Campbell does a pretty good job in the role of the troubled Corey.
Negatives
- I’ve seen comment that this is “not really a Halloween movie”, due to the lack of screen time for “The Shape”. I wouldn’t particularly care about that if the story told was compelling and made any sense. But it doesn’t…. why or how has “The Shape” has been living where he is (assuming he is a real person and not some supernatural being)? Why does he form the relationship with Corey? Why is Laurie happy with the obviously troubled Corey fucking her granddaugter? I was waiting (until the very last) for the “Fight Club”-style ‘twist’ that “The Shape” was just in the imagination of a mentally tormented Corey. But no.
- Most of the dialogue is excreble. It feels like it was written by committee (as indeed it was!). The lines just don’t match with the characters that you have known from the previous movies. For example, at one point Laurie says to Allyson (her GRANDDAUGHTER, remember) “Just flash him your tits, get him to jump on and have fun” (or words to that effect). It’s a sexual line so out of character that you go “WHHHAATTT??”.
- Although many will go to these slasher movies specifically for the gore, some of it was just gratuitiously nasty. One murder, involving a radio DJ (Keraun Harris), is particularly unpleasant. And a bullying couple of boys (Michael Barbieri and Marteen) die gruesome deaths*. But so do their girlfriends (Destiny Mone and Joey Harris), and they both actually tried to intervene and stop the bullying! That feels plain unpleasant. (* I don’t view this as a spoiler, since you would need to be completely dumb to not know they were doomed from the start!)
- What also attracts young people to a teen-slasher flick is the sexual tittilation. And even here, the movie fails to deliver, despite the script setting up opportunities: the very attractive Nurse Deb (Michele Dawson), sleeping with the boss to get ahead, is about to take a shower but she gets ‘interrupted’ before she can even get naked!
Summary Thoughts on “Halloween Ends”:
I very rarely go below 2*s for a movie – a lot of hard-working people have strived to get something up on the screen – but this one I thought was a real stinker. What a sad way for a franchise to bow out. I really hope they ARE serious and this is the final film in the franchise. In the words of Captain Blackadder “Please, please, please, please, STOP”.
Trailer for “Halloween Ends”:
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0vtbxLa-N8 .
