Halloween Ends (2022) Review

Halloween Ends (2022)

Halloween Ends follows Laurie Strode, who, following the murder of her daughter, seeks peace after Michael goes into hiding. The never ending cycle of tragedy in Haddonfield however has other plans, uniting Michael with a newer form of evil. 

I seem to be in the minority when I say this but Halloween Ends is a far better movie than most will give it credit. For the “final” movie in the series (we’ll see), it really goes out of its way to give us something new, especially after the poor reception of Kills, which was definitely the most hack n’ slash of the series so far (I’m not complaining though). No, this is much more a statement on the violent, repetitive nature of Haddonfield and how, even without Michael, a scarred town will find a way to drum up its own evil to take his place. Enter Corey Cunningham—struck by tragedy, he saw Haddonfield’s true face and subsequently became the monster they so feared. 

Shifting the focus to him, as he takes up Michael’s mantle, while also giving Michael the strength to come back for Laurie one last time is a bold choice but it’s one that seems to foretell the future of this series: with one evil gone, another shall take it’s place. Corey has the added benefit of also being very human, making his horrors decidedly jarring once he fully snaps. This wouldn’t be Halloween without Laurie and Michael though, and their final showdown is naturally a slugfest, proving that this is still very much their swansong, sticking true to the name and actually ending things once and for all. 

We get a pretty solid here too, starring Kyle Richards, Will Patton, Jesse C. Boyd, James Jude Courtney, Andi Matichak, Rohan Campbell, and Jamie Lee Curtis. Curtis’ role is heavily expanded upon from Kills (thank God), and therefore, this a better movie for it, pitting her against the likes of a newly crafted evil in Campbell, while giving us one exciting final showdown with Courtney’s menacing interpretation of The Shape. 

Halloween Ends, directed by David Gordon Green, is the change of pace for the series fans have been clamoring for for years and although it does omit Michael to a stretch, its deeper sentiments about healing and moving on from a cycle of violence and evil resonate louder than ever, finally allowing Laurie and Haddonfield some true peace. 

8.3/10