Halloween Ends (2022) R

All good things must pass as the saying goes. After 45 years of terror with super-evil Michael Myers that has weaved many sequels with different actors portraying The Shape/Michael Myers the horror franchise comes to a grinding hault. Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and Michael will no longer face off. After an unexplained four year absent with Michael, Halloween Ends opens with Laurie writing her memoir and living with her grandaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak) still reflecting back on the slasher days with Michael.

After a murder shakes the town Laurie once again is on high alert knowing she will face the evil she can’t control. Nick Castle (Halloween) and James Jude Courtney both reprise their roles as The Shape taking another stab at the series. Things get more complicated when Allyson’s boyfriend Corey (Rohan Campbell) enters the picture and gets bullied by the towns people after a manslaughter charge years earlier and things get interesting in this revival as his conduit in Michael gets more gruesome and takes a sharp turn as the movie progresses as if the evil always was born into him.

Michael only comes out Halloween to unleash his evil rage just for the hell of it. He is strong and seems to be supernatural as he just refuses to die no matter how you toss the dice. The story line is a slow burn but the grand finale gets a second wind. John Carpenter is the man behind the ever-so-popular films that started in 1978 and kept the theaters seats full and this latest outing will cut the competition out there in half, if there is any. It’s been a lackluster season for theaters with the exception of Tom Cruise and his Top Gun Maverick hit which made a hell-of-a lot of money.

On a budget of around 20 million for Halloween Ends the proceeds will be sharp with everybody getting a cut of the haul. This movie also stars Kyle Richards as Lindsey Wallace and Will Patton as Deputy Hawkins. Director David Gordon Green directed this along with John Carpenter. Miramax and Blumhouse helped produce this Universal Pictures release. To date between Freddy Krueger, Jason, Leatherface and Michael, Jason is stronger and raked in more kills above all fore-mentioned. What’s next? Michael vs Jason since he won the bout against Freddy? Leatherface vs who ever? This film opens in theaters Friday and streams on Peacock October 14, runs almost two hours and is rated R for lots of gore.

I do have lots of questions as if Michael has been walking around for 45 years, how come his shoes looked brand new? Did he make many pit stops at Walmart over the past four decades and use blood money for new boots? Another reservation I have in this revival of the most famous horror genre is I wished for more Michael and less Corey. After all it is Michael’s story as it is time for this drawn out story to come to an actual close. One last commentary; will audiences flock into theaters to see it with popcorn or will they enjoy it at home on Peacock? 2 1/2 stars (out of 5).

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