Even though I could have easily watched HALLOWEEN ENDS at home on TV (cuz we got that Peacock channel), I ventured out into the rain to see it at my closest theater. I required the full experience. I wanted to walk through falling leaves past Halloween decorations on my way there and I wanted to absorb the film alongside fellow horror fans and possibly dangerous strangers. Hey, I've seen every single movie in the Halloween franchise in the theater on opening day since I was old enough to in 1982 (we're talking HALLOWEEN 3: SOTW) and I wasn't about to break with tradition now. The Halloween series is what kickstarted my obsessive horror fandom (when I viewed it on TV while babysitting no less). It holds a very special place in my heart and it has loyally offered me a place to escape and recharge whenever I've needed it over the years (which is often). Luck was not on my side this time though as halfway through the movie, the lights came on and there was an emergency evacuation of the theater. It turned out to be nothing (a bomb threat is nothing?) but of course, it felt like the last moments of my life anyway. I guess if I was going to kick the bucket it might as well be doing what I love.
So I walked home. I'd just have to watch the second half of the movie on television. Wait, did this mean I'd have to watch the first part again? Why did that concept exasperate me? Why did that idea produce an audible exhausted exhale? I had to admit it, I wasn't loving HALLOWEEN ENDS. There was still a chance it could turn itself around and deliver a bang-up finale but the fact remained that I was a bit frustrated about what I'd seen and what the filmmakers were focusing on thus far. Worse still, I wasn't buying a lot of what was going down. There was an air of hokey corniness wafting through the proceedings that I hadn't smelt since CURSE or RESURRECTION. My inner Annie Wilkes was taking notes (Did they really expect me to swallow marching band bullies, evil-inducing eyeballs, and super conspicuous sewer hideouts?). I can't say the counter-intuitive direction it was leaning wasn't interesting, it just didn't seem the right time for any of it. I felt like I was trying to read a recipe online but had to scroll through the author's life story first (or that horrible feeling when you go see a concert for a nostalgia fix and the band says "Now, here's a song from our new album". Good ol' Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) was present and accounted for so I didn't feel completely abandoned but oh how the avalanche of missed opportunities hurt my head.
I ended up watching it three times hoping it would click with me but it never quite did (and I loved both previous installments from David Gordon Green and his cohorts). The new characters and actors did fine (Rohan Campbell particularly) but I'd much rather they were given their own film to play around in rather than this one. I'm getting the feeling I'm meant to decide definitively whether I love it or hate it but I don't think I could ever really hate a HALLOWEEN film. I'm so grateful to get to hang out with my pal Laurie Strode again and listen to John Carpenter's incredible score that I'll quite honestly (and perhaps sadly) take whatever scraps I'm thrown. I enjoy simply being in Haddonfield and that will likely always be the case. There are fragments of this film that I'll always appreciate (even if it's just a chance encounter in a grocery store) but the catharsis I craved eluded me. I'm not mad, I'm too busy mourning what could so easily have been (the vision of Laurie, Lindsey, and Allyson taking turns pummeling Michael will just have to live on forever in my head). Oh, Haddonfield, so much to answer for; I admire your audacity but sometimes less is more.
The 2018 "Halloween" kicked so much ass but Ima gonna disagree with Unk on "Kills", which let me down by resorting to unnecessary mumbo-jumbo to explain The Shape. If Unk is so-so on this one, it is getting bumped down the list…
Gawd, that first one though – flipped so many conventions but still worked.
I can't say I really enjoyed either Halloween 2018 or Halloween Kills so my expectations for Ends are already low but having read things about the plot and hearing negative reviews from friends I wonder if I might actually like it more specifically for trying something different. I appreciate you giving it 3 watches, Unk; talk about generous!
Chuckles72,
I'm definitely in the minority in regards to KILLS. For me,, it was so great to catch up with Tommy and Lindsey. It's kinda strange how mostly they've been overlooked in the series when they also survived MM that night. I also liked the general after-curfew atmosphere and how dangerous MM felt again. I can't believe they basically just ignored KILLS' cliffhanger ending! I really don't like the decision to have ENDS take place 4 years later. I guess they wanted to show Laurie getting back to normalcy but we all know that's not going to last anyway. Glad you dug the first one too. It
Geoff,
I'm a big Halloween fan so I really wanted to give it a chance to grow on me. I'll likely watch it several more times before I die too. Still, I think it's the very first Halloween movie (including the weaker ones) that left me cold. I'm kind of shocked that it leaves so many stones unturned. There are so many overlooked possibilities. I'm glad these three new movies exist though. If nothing else there's a real love for the OG clearly present. I just think some very lackluster decisions were made with this one.
awful.
I said it before, I'll say it again, these films suck. Each was worse than the last and I am so happy I didn't pay for any of them. I say no more passes for shitty films. A crusade must be launched against them; they have to be stopped.
Might be an outcast here, but I had a great time with this one. Enjoyed it, and looking forward to rewatching. The '78 original is my favorite movie, and I liked 2018 a lot. Kills was a bit of mish-mash for me, so was nervous going in, but I liked it.
jsnification,
I feel your pain
Ghastly1,
I don't hate these films as much as you but I can't argue with “Each was worse than the last†that'spretty accurate imo
Caffeinated Joe,
I have several friends who enjoyed it too so you are not alone, I'm very envious to tell you the truth! The prospect of these sequels got me through covid!
I did very much like the music choices. Those were spot on. I'm now starting to wish they made Corey Ben Tramer's son. That would have been interesting. And maybe if it turned out all the sewer stuff was just in Corey's mind that might have helped. I really had a problem with the sewer stuff for some reason. The sewer stuff really took me out of the movie. The funny thing is, now I want to read the novelization.
I'm gonna be in the minority, but I effing loved this movie. It has it's issues, but in the end it is my favorite of the DGG trilogy. After 12 variatons of MM going around, killing people, being unstoppable and posing for the camera we got something different and fresh! MM got two movies in this trilogy of being exactly what everyone expects, so having this movie do a complete 180 and have Jamie actually do something different with Laurie and MM being weak and hidden was so refreshing and fun for me. I totally understand why people hate it though.
I hated Kills, so I was pleasantly surprised that I kind of liked this one. Well, I liked some of it. The character-developing scenes were great, and I wanted more of that. I thought the opening scene was great, as well; it genuinely surprised me. Having now watched all three of them, I've decided that the best elements of all three (well, mostly the 2018 film and Ends) would have made one great film. But, we live in the age of "intellectual property" movies, so we have three where one would have done just fine. It struck me that the David Gordon Green trilogy disavowed all of the other sequels, yet still incorporated ideas from II (Laurie in a hospital), 4 (Myers' evil being transferred to someone else as a legacy of evil), and 5 (Myers hiding out underground, sort of, and revived by a stranger).
Regarding the bullies, I wasn't bothered that they were in the school marching band. I was a member of my high school band (non-marching), and I can assure you, there were bullies, there, too. Every subculture has them. What didn't ring true to me was the idea that teenagers would bully an adult, even if he was the town pariah. From what I remember of my school years, bullies would pick on kids their own age or younger, but never older, and certainly not anyone who had already graduated from high school. Those people lived in another world called "adulthood."
Speaking of sequels and remakes, the new remake of Terror Train for Tubi (a great service, though!) is pretty terrible. It also follows the original incredibly closely, right down to scenes, camera positions, sets, costumes and lines of dialogue copied from the original (a favorite of mine). The identity of the killer in the remake is different, though, so… that's something, I guess.
Luki8701,
I do appreciate that they did something different and certainly memorable! I guess I felt an extra sense of urgency with this one because it's JLC's (supposedly) last appearance as Laurie and I really wanted to focus on the many characters we already know. I did think the actor who played Corey was great though!
SDC,
Absolutely agree if you took all the strongest elements from all three and lopped off the weak points you'd have an awesome movie. There's gotta be a ton of fan edits being assembled right now as we speak!
I should have specified “high school†marching band. I felt exactly the same way. I really had a hard time believing those kids would be brave enough to take on Corey (especially considering his reputation ) and it seemed like he could have easily taken them on if they tried (especially considering he would later be throwing hands with MM).
I did watch the TERROR TRAIN remake and even though it wasn't great I liked that it followed the original and then added a new reveal for the killer. Would have helped if they chose scarier masks for sure but it kept my interest. I guess sometimes I just crave a formulaic slasher like that. Tubi is awesome. It's my favorite streaming service because it offers a lot of the older stuff. Feels like my old video store. BTW; I really dug Syfy's remake of Slumber Party Massacre last year too. in fact I think I prefer it to the original!
I'm glad to hear some folks really liked ENDS it gives me hope that it could grow on me.
Loved Halloween 2018, liked Kills, absolutely hated Ends.
Maybe if Corey had been introduced in Halloween 2018 it could have worked. But has it stands now, horrible character. Myers deserved a better sendoff
harrywarden69,
I have to agree. It could have actually worked if he appeared in a previous film & as is it all seems so poorly planned. I also don't like how they so casually dismiss KILL's cliffhanger. The film ends with her grabbing a butcher knife and telling MM she's coming for him and then ENDS begins with “Well, I didn't find him that night so I bought a house and decided to move on with my life†They could have at least had her and MM fight at the beginning, he slips away when the cops come and THEN maybe jump ahead a bunch of years. It's too bad they didn't use the original plan for H2 which was Laurie moving to a high-security skyscraper. Would have loved DIE HARD meet Halloween for sure.
Encapsulating the Blumhouse Halloween trilogy: