New characters, diminished screen time, and some very strange plotting. The much-hyped
ending to Blumhouse's "Halloween" trilogy has fans in an uproar.
"Halloween Ends," the third and final installment in director David Gordon
Green's Michael Myers trilogy, has been met with mixed reviews from fans of the franchise.
Audiences have been particularly vocal about the trilogy ending on such an unexpected and
experimental note. The final showdown between Laurie Strode and the series' "Boogeyman"
simultaneously hit theaters and Peacock, meaning viewers could stream the bloody affair from
the comfort of their homes. The variety of fan responses, along with the same-day release model,
has so far led to a smaller-than-projected box-office return, according to Deadline.
The film's predecessor, "Halloween Kills," was also met with divided reactions from fans,
as Green took the Michael Myers story into uncharted territory. "Kills" gorily paid
tribute to John Carpenter's original 1978 movie by depicting the trauma Michael's original spree
had inflicted on the people of Haddonfield for decades. Green's second installment
also brought back multiple characters from the very first "Halloween" movie.
With "Halloween Ends," Green continues his exploration of how evil can infect and spread,
while wrapping up his iteration of the Michael Myers timeline. However,
many viewers seem to be disappointed with the film's sharp subversion of expectations
for the self-proclaimed conclusion. The final trailer for "Halloween Ends" sold the film as
the long-awaited deadly confrontation between Laurie Strode and Michael Myers. While the film
eventually makes good on that promise, it takes an unprecedented approach to get there. As a result,
some fans were left unfulfilled by the last "Halloween" movie we'll see for a while.
A lot of the division is centered on new character Corey Cunningham, played by Rohan
Campbell. Throughout the movie, Corey becomes a vessel for Michael's evil following a traumatic
accident on Halloween night several years earlier. Some thought that Michael's influence on Corey
took away from the highly anticipated finale, with one Twitter user writing,
"Introducing a new character, [who] adds NOTHING to the plot in any way,
into the final chapter of an iconic film series is just absurd. He took
up the time which could've gone to more iconic characters. Even his demise had zero impact?"
Other fans were critical of the fact that Michael Myers wasn't given much screen time, and
instead became a minor figure in a movie that was supposed to be all about him. One person tweeted,
"Just saw 'Halloween Ends'. Very nice of the writers to
give Michael Myers a cameo in his own movie lol."
Another viewer took to Twitter and pondered,
"I've never been a huge Halloween franchise fan,
but how do you do a Halloween movie and have Michael Myers as basically a side character?"
Even a Michael Myers parody account took umbrage with "Halloween Ends" and tweeted,
"I can't lie, I was disrespected."
"Michael Myers was the personification of evil."
One thing that everyone seems to be aligned on, though, is that Laurie Strode is just as
great as ever. Even those who didn't enjoy the latest film were happy to
see legendary Scream Queen Jamie Lee Curtis back on the big screen again. For instance,
a vocal critic of "Halloween Ends," gave Curtis's performance proper credit, tweeting,
"I can say one thing. Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode
still stands as THE horror protag. Nobody comes close to her at all."
It's also worth noting that not everyone hated the final movie in
Green's trilogy. One particularly proud defender of "Halloween Ends" tweeted,
"One day society will admit how good this is. That day might not be today,
it might not be tomorrow, it might take a decade. But that day will come."
Another Twitter user agreed, tweeting,
"I'm about to say something so controversial and yet so brave:
['Halloween Ends'] was actually good."
Others were much more receptive to the film's new themes, with one viewer writing,
"'Halloween Ends' was your ultimate slasher film. From the get go [it] was never that
type of movie. It's about evil transcending, how people are monsters about EVERYTHING.
This is the realest Halloween movie showing the real effect people have on each other."
Basically, it doesn't look like the debate over "Halloween Ends" is going to end any time soon.