Halloween Ends

Halloween Ends is a 2022 American slasher film directed by David Gordon Green and written by Green, Danny McBride, Paul Brad Logan, and Chris Bernier. It is the sequel to Halloween Kills (2021), the thirteenth installment in the Halloween franchise, and the final film in the trilogy of sequels that commenced with the 2018 film, which directly follows the 1978 film and disregards all other entries. The film stars Jamie Lee Curtis, James Jude Courtney, Andi Matichak, Will Patton, Rohan Campbell, and Kyle Richards, and marks Curtis and Nick Castle's final appearances as Laurie Strode and Michael Myers, respectively.
Before the release of Halloween in 2018, McBride confirmed that he and Green had intended to pitch two films that would be shot back-to-back, but decided against it, waiting to see the reaction to the first film. Following the success of the first film, in July 2019, the film's title was announced along with Halloween Kills. After being delayed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, filming took place in Georgia between January and March 2022.
Halloween Ends premiered at Beyond Fest in Los Angeles on October 11, 2022 and was theatrically released in the United States on October 14, 2022 by Universal Pictures. Like Kills, it is also streaming simultaneously on paid tiers of Peacock for 60 days. The film received mixed reviews; praise was directed at its performances, kills and music score, with some critics deeming it an improvement over its predecessor, but it was criticized by some as a weak conclusion to the trilogy.
==Plot==
On Halloween night in 2019, Corey Cunningham is babysitting a young boy named Jeremy, who pulls a prank on Corey by locking him inside the attic. Just as Jeremy's parents come home, Corey kicks the door open and accidentally knocks Jeremy over a staircase railing to his death. Corey is accused of intentionally killing Jeremy but is cleared of manslaughter.
Three years later, the town of Haddonfield, Illinois is still reeling from the aftermath of Michael Myers' latest killing spree, while Michael has vanished. Laurie Strode is writing a memoir, having bought a new house and living with Allyson, her granddaughter. Meanwhile, Corey is now working at his stepfather's salvage yard, still hated by the town. On his way home one day, he is taunted by high school bullies and injures himself in the process. An observing Laurie brings him to the doctor's office where Allyson works. Allyson and Corey develop a relationship, and later attend a Halloween party, but Corey is confronted by Jeremy's mother, leaves the party, and runs into the high schoolers. Corey is thrown off a bridge, and then dragged into the sewers by an unknown figure. He wakes up in the sewers and is confronted by Michael, who has been living there for the past four years. After holding him by the throat, a weak Michael elects to let Corey go after sensing the same darkness in Corey's eyes as Michael saw in his own. On the way out of the sewers, Corey is confronted by a homeless man with a knife. In a struggle, Corey stabs the man to death and flees.
Corey and Allyson go on a dinner date, but Allyson's ex, who is a police officer, shows up and harasses them both. This leads Corey to later lure the cop into the sewer where he urges Michael to kill him, thus bringing back his killer instinct. Allyson finds out she was passed over for a promotion in favor of a fellow nurse who is having an affair with the doctor. Corey and Michael team up and murder the doctor and nurse at the doctor's home. Allyson and Corey plan to leave Haddonfield because of the past trauma, while Laurie becomes increasingly suspicious of Corey after he begins mimicking Michael's behavior. She forbids him to leave with Allyson, but Corey retorts by blaming her for the events that have occurred in Haddonfield and says if he cannot have Allyson, no one will.
On October 31, Corey returns to the sewers and successfully fights Michael for his mask. Meanwhile, Laurie and Allyson argue as she plans to leave and Allyson, too, blames Laurie for Michael's actions. That night, Corey embarks on a rampage, murdering the high schoolers at the salvage yard. In the confusion, Corey's stepfather is also accidentally killed. He then goes on to kill his mother, as well as the DJ and receptionist at the radio station. Back at the Strode house, Laurie faux-attempts suicide to lure Corey to her, whom she shoots down the stairs. Corey then stabs himself in the neck to frame Laurie for his death in front of the arriving Allyson. Michael suddenly arrives to retrieve his mask and kills Corey, and after a struggle Laurie is able to pin Michael to the table. She removes his mask and slits his throat, but he breaks one arm free and strangles her before Allyson arrives and breaks his arm. Laurie slices his wrist, finally killing him and avenging Karen's death.
With Michael finally dead, Laurie takes his body to the salvage yard, attracting the residents of Haddonfield, who follow her in a procession, and disposes of it in an industrial shredder. In the ensuing days, Allyson and Laurie reconcile, and Allyson leaves Haddonfield while Laurie finishes her memoir and rediscovers her romance with Officer Hawkins.
==Cast==
* Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode, a survivor of Michael Myers's 1978 killing spree, suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and alcoholism; she is also Allyson's grandmother.
* Andi Matichak as Allyson Nelson, Laurie's granddaughter, who went head to head with Michael in Halloween Kills.
* James Jude Courtney as Michael Myers / The Shape, the masked figure who carried out a horrific massacre on Halloween night in 1978, returned to Haddonfield for another killing spree forty years later in 2018 and four years later in 2022.
**Nick Castle, who portrayed the character in the 1978 film, provides voiceover work for Myers's breathing and makes a cameo appearance in a party scene.
* Will Patton as Deputy Frank Hawkins, a sheriff's deputy who arrested Michael following his initial killing spree in 1978.
* Rohan Campbell as Corey Cunningham, a young man accused of murdering a child while he babysat, leading to him becoming a pariah in Haddonfield.
* Kyle Richards as Lindsey Wallace, one of the children Laurie babysat in 1978.
* 
Also appearing in the film are Jesse C. Boyd as Officer Mulaney, Allyson's ex-boyfriend; Joanne Baron as Joan Cunningham, Corey's overbearing mother; Rick Moose as Ronald, Corey's stepfather who owns the salvage yard; Michael Barbieri as Terry, leader of the gang of bullies who target Corey; Destiny Mone as Stacy, Joey Harris as Margo, and Marteen as Billy, members of Terry's gang; Michael O'Leary as Dr. Mathis, Allyson's boss at the local hospital; Michele Dawson as Deb, Allyson's coworker who is having an affair with Dr. Mathis; Keraun Harris as Willy the Kid, a local radio DJ; Jaxon Goldberg as Jeremy Allen, a young boy who dies while Corey is babysitting him; Candice Rose and Jack William Marshall as Mrs. and Mr. Allen, Jeremy's parents; Omar Dorsey as Sheriff Barker, Haddonfield's current sheriff. Additionally, Diva Tyler briefly reprises her role as Sondra Dickerson, who was thought to have been killed in Halloween Kills, while Jibrail Nantambu also reprises his role as Julian Morrisey, a young boy who escaped from Michael's killing spree, from the 2018 film.
==Production==
===Development===
In June 2018, Danny McBride confirmed that he and David Gordon Green had originally intended to pitch two films that would be shot back-to-back, and then decided against it, waiting to see the reaction to the first film. In September 2018, producer Jason Blum said that "we will do a sequel if the movie performs". A month later, after the new film Halloweens opening weekend, McBride confirmed that early development on a sequel had begun. In July 2019, Bloody Disgusting reported that a third film was also in development, with Green returning as director. The site also claimed that the studio was considering releasing both films in October 2020. Green, McBride and Jeff Fradley had planned out a two-film story arc, but opted for a trilogy after realizing they had more material than originally thought.
In July 2019, Universal Pictures revealed the titles and release dates of the two sequels, with Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends set to be released in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Green was officially announced to direct both films and co-write the scripts with McBride, while Jamie Lee Curtis would reprise her role in both films. Scott Teems was confirmed as a co-writer for Halloween Kills, while Paul Brad Logan and Chris Bernier were announced as co-writers of Halloween Ends. Judy Greer and Andi Matichak were confirmed to reprise their roles as Karen and Allyson that same month. Blum, Malek Akkad, and Bill Block were slated to produce the film while John Carpenter, Curtis, Green, and McBride were attached as executive producers once again. The writing team, consisting of Green, McBride, Bernier, and Logan, started workshopping ideas before production of Halloween Kills commenced, completing a first draft in 2019. The final script was completed in 2021 pending Carpenter's approval. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Universal delayed the release dates of both Kills and Ends by a year.
In October 2021, Green revealed that Halloween Ends will take place four years after the events of Halloween Kills and would incorporate elements of the pandemic into the story. Curtis claimed the film will be "shocking" and will "make people very angry". Akkad stated Ends will be more "contained" than Kills, while Green called it an intimate coming-of-age story, much like Carpenter's Christine (1983). Other cited influences on the film were Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker and My Bodyguard. Green also hinted that McBride had requested a cameo in the film, potentially as a character who fights Myers.
=== Pre-production ===
In December 2021, it was revealed that Kyle Richards would be reprising her role for the film. Initially, the character was not expected to return for the film, but following the positive reception to Richards' performance, the script was rewritten to give her an expanded role. The following month, Michael O'Leary joined the cast. Rohan Campbell was cast under the radar, with his addition being revealed on social media. A casting call took place in late January and February 2022 in numerous Southeast Georgia towns.
===Filming===
It was originally planned to film Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends back to back, but did not occur due to the "intense schedule". In March 2020, Blum confirmed filming would take place during the summer. Filming was quietly delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Production was expected to take place in 2021 in Wilmington, North Carolina. In August 2021, Courtney confirmed that filming will begin on January 10, 2022. However, filming officially began on January 19, 2022, in Savannah, Georgia under the working title Cave Dweller. Michael Simmonds once again served as director of photography. Curtis began filming her scenes on January 25 and wrapped on February 22. Additional scenes were shot in Sylvania, Georgia. Filming concluded on March 9, 2022. In June 2022, two weeks of reshoots were reported to take place in Savannah. However, these reshoots only lasted four days and were completed that same month.
===Post-production===
In June 2022, Blum confirmed that the film had test screened internally the month prior and that it would be the last Halloween film from the studio. That same month, Castle reaffirmed that he will appear in the film in a small role. The following month, Carpenter described the film as a "departure" from the previous entries in Green's trilogy. Following the release of the teaser trailer, Omar Dorsey and Will Patton were revealed to reprise their roles from the previous films. In August, Castle had finished ADR for Michael Myers. By the end of the month, Green told in an interview that the film was still being tweaked despite the film being picture locked.
===Music===
==Release==
Halloween Ends premiered at Beyond Fest in Los Angeles on October 11, 2022, and was released on October 14, 2022. In addition, the film will also be streamed on paid tiers of Peacock for 60 days. It was initially set to release on October 15, 2021, before being delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
==Reception==
===Box office===
, Halloween Ends has grossed $41.3 million in the United States and Canada, and $17.1 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $58.4 million.
In the United States and Canada, Halloween Ends was projected to gross $50–60 million from 3,901 theaters in its opening weekend. The film made $20.2 million on its first day, including $5.4 million from Thursday night previews, up 11% from Kills $4.85 million the year prior. The film went on to debut with $41.2 million, topping the box office but finishing below projections. The under-performance was blamed on the simultaneous streaming release on Peacock (Universal reported it was the most watched film or series ever on the platform over a two-day period) and middling critic and audience reactions.
===Critical response===
 Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C+" on an A+ to F scale, the lowest of the franchise, while those at PostTrak gave the film a 64% overall positive score.
Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 1.5 out of 4 stars, writing that the "so-called finale of the Michael Myers saga is just stabbing, metaphors, stabbing, soap opera, stabbing, marching band bullies, stabbing and more stabbing". Writing for Variety, Owen Gleiberman said the film is "neither scary nor fun" and called it "the most joylessly metaphorical and convoluted entry" of the franchise to date. Ben Travis of Empire gave a negative review, calling the film "lost up in its own abyss" and "an unsatisfying closing chapter" and criticizing Green's direction as "[struggling] to synthesise the serious stuff with the demands of a popcorn shocker". In his review for The Hollywood Reporter, David Rooney calls the film "a sloppy movie whose principal new inspiration feels bogus", although "horror fans might enjoy homages to other films from the Carpenter canon". Giving the film 1.5 out of 4 stars, Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com found the film to be "poorly executed", rushed, and "barely a Halloween movie" due to the story's focus on newly introduced characters, and considered Rohan Campbell's performance especially lacking.
In a positive review, K. Austin Collins of Rolling Stone deems Halloween Ends the best out of Green's Halloween trilogy, noting its "interestingly complex tangle of emotions and fears" and comparing it to Green's previous "capably observed" independent films. The New York Times reviewed the film as being "a movie that's less frantic and more intimate than its predecessor, one that unfolds with a mourning finality". Time Out also reviewed the film more positively than they did Kills, giving it a 3-star review and calling it a "pleasant surprise". While also considering it an improvement over its predecessor, Todd Gilchrist of The A.V. Club criticized the film's lack of focus on the series' main antagonist and ultimately labeled it "not particularly good" and an "unsatisfying close". Kyle Smith of The Wall Street Journal found Curtis's performance "a pleasure to watch" and called the film "largely gripping". Toronto Stars Peter Howell gave the film 2.5 out of 4 stars, describing it as "clever" and "likely to go down well with fans of the franchise" but criticizing its lack of finality.
== Future ==
On future possible entries of the franchise, Carpenter joked about how future installments could be produced if the film would be a success, although he acknowledged that Green was adamant in Ends being their story's ending. Producer Jason Blum reiterated that, while it would not be the final film in the franchise, it will be the last Halloween movie under Blumhouse, with the rights of the film series reverting to producer Malek Akkad following the release of Ends.
==Notes==
== References ==
== External links ==
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Category:Films
Category:2022 films
Category:2022 horror thriller films
Category:2020s coming-of-age films
Category:2020s serial killer films
Category:2020s slasher films
Category:2020s American films
Category:American coming-of-age films
Category:American horror thriller films
Category:American sequel films
Category:American serial killer films
Category:American slasher films
Category:Blumhouse Productions films
Category:Films about dysfunctional families
Category:Films about old age
Category:Films about post-traumatic stress disorder
Category:American films about revenge
Category:Films directed by David Gordon Green
Category:Films postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Category:Films produced by Jason Blum
Category:Films scored by John Carpenter
Category:Films set in 2022
Category:Films set in Illinois
Category:Films shot in Savannah, Georgia
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Category:2020s English-language films