Corey the new guy, his creepy mother, a useless sheriff, and an inconsistent Michael
Myers. There are so many "Halloween Ends" moments that fans just couldn't get behind.
What would the "Halloween" franchise be without The Shape waiting in the dark to strike? This
franchise is the house that Michael Myers built, after all. "Halloween Ends" does,
indeed, live up to its promise of ending the story that began with Laurie Strode
over 40 years ago. And it's clear that the only way this trilogy could ever properly
conclude is with a showdown between Michael Myers and the ultimate queen of scream.
However, the lead-up to the film's climax has proven to be rather divisive and, in some cases,
completely confounding to audiences. While Michael makes a few brief appearances in
the midsection of the film, most of the story is focused on new character Corey
Cunningham. We learn that Corey's life was ruined in 2019, the year after Michael's
bloody return to Haddonfield, when he became involved in the accidental death of a boy he
was babysitting. Attempting to lead a normal life in the years after proved impossible.
By sheer accident, Corey finds a kinship within Michael Myers,
and soon becomes the monster the townsfolk have made him out to be. As a result,
most of the film's bloodiest murders are enacted by Corey, not Michael. As one Reddit user asked,
"Anyone wish that Michael got more screen time?"
Basically, Michael's signature murder spree was extremely lacking in "Halloween Ends." In fact,
some other Reddit users compared the experience to watching a "John
Wick" film and only seeing Keanu Reeves on screen for 10 minutes.
Michael Myers wasn't just a scourge for young babysitters. 2018's "Halloween"
and "Halloween Kills" also proved that he was a holy terror to the entire town
of Haddonfield. It's no longer just Laurie or Lindsey who are living with trauma. The
town has been saddled with the fear of a killer coming for the innocent among
them. So it stands to reason that the end of Michael Myers would be cause for celebration.
However, what happens following the killer's demise is rather odd, at least according to
fans. At the end of "Halloween Ends," Laurie stabs Michael multiple times, drops a fridge on him,
and slits his throat. She then straps him to the roof of her car and parades him through
Haddonfield. The townspeople and the police immediately form a procession and follow Laurie
to the junkyard. They all gather around and crowd-surf Michael to the junkyard crusher.
Laurie throws his body in, ensuring that all that remains of The Shape is a pile of gory
mush, nullifying any chance of a surprise resuscitation. As one Reddit user stated,
"[P]arading him through the town with the towns people marching
was almost as bad as the last movies 'the town fights Michael together.'"
Another user pointed out that nobody seemed to notice the teens who had
been killed at the junkyard earlier that night. Meanwhile,
another Redditor commented on the absurdity of the procession occurring under police
escort. Michael's death may be a triumph. But the macabre show portrayed in "Halloween
Ends" is a bit of a strange spectacle that, for some, feels out of place.
While Corey had his fair share of harassment from the people of Haddonfield,
most would assume that his mother would remain supportive. However, Corey has a
rather weird relationship with his mom, which shares some commonality with Norman Bates.
"Understand, I don't hate her. I hate what she's become."
It's established that Corey is 21 years old, yet some view his demanding mother as pretty
shocking. And as for the full-on mouth kiss she gives him at one point, some viewers have
suggested their relationship is as horrific as Michael himself. One Redditor claimed,
"[T]he relationship with Corey and his mom was scarier than anything else in this movie."
Another Redditor hilariously asserted,
"[T]hat kiss disturbed me more than anything Michael did in this trilogy."
One individual even noted the weird commanding nature of Corey's mother,
given that he is a grown man. Jokingly,
one Redditor recounted Corey's mother berating him at the dinner table for texting, saying,
"Didn't know if I was watching 'Halloween' or 'Psycho.'"
Basically, fans seem to think there's something very wrong about Corey's home life.
When we first see Laurie Strode in 2018's "Halloween," she's paranoid, armed to the teeth,
and living in a gated compound. For four decades, Laurie had largely kept to herself with the
exception of the few years she spent raising her daughter. Michael's torment had forever changed
Laurie into a hardened survivalist. She actively prepared for the day Michael would return,
assuming that he'd somehow break free from imprisonment. After a long and grueling evening
that resulted in Laurie losing her own daughter to Michael's rampage, The Shape disappeared.
In the four years that followed, Laurie appears to have found a new lease on life. She's no
longer living in fear and isolation, instead residing with her granddaughter, Allyson,
in a new home in a residential area. Laurie's trajectory certainly exudes
emotional growth for the intrepid hero. However, fans have also pointed out that
Laurie's transformation seems to occur in the wrong order, with one Redditor writing,
"Laurie held a grudge for 40 years while Michael was in custody,
but 4 years after the DEATH of her DAUGHTER and DISAPPEARANCE OF MICHAEL
MYERS has pivoted into [an] author with [an] edgy side. This is the time to be paranoid!"
It's 1978 and a mad man is on the loose. Sheriff Brackett has
been briefed on Michael Myers by the maniac's psychiatrist, Dr. Loomis.
"I think he'll come back. I'll wait for him."
Brackett actively attempts to have the murderer cornered and brought in. Eventually,
the police succeed in detaining Michael, as depicted in a flashback sequence in
"Halloween Kills." However, the same can't be said for modern day law enforcement.
Throughout all three of David Gordon Green's films,
we are shown brief glimpses of Sheriff Barker, but he never really seems to do anything. As
far as the police force is concerned, we only witness the officers with boots on the ground,
including Frank Hawkins. The sheriff couldn't control the mob in "Kills," and he never really
thrust himself headfirst into the search for Michael Myers. Cheekily, one Redditor wrote,
"[Sheriff Barker] survived by pretty much just staying away this whole time. I was
so excited for that character when he first showed up, but he never really did anything."
"Michael Myers loose with a bunch of nut bags in Haddonfield on Halloween night?"
However, another user suggested that maybe the sheriff had the right attitude all along, writing,
"[T]he smartest guy in the whole trilogy. Knew what was up from the get go,
stayed [...] out of the way. Survived."
But if you ever need saving from an actual serial killer, don't call Barker.
"Michael Myers is alive."
Teen angst and sexual escapades are often the anchors of slasher horror films. However,
the most popular entries in the "Halloween" franchise usually focus more squarely on Michael
Myers' murderous nature over the promiscuity of young love. After Allyson's love interest met a
grisly end in "Halloween Kills," "Halloween Ends" sees her befriending a new guy. The
troubled Corey has clearly seen better days and is in desperate need of human interaction. They
quickly become more than friends after connecting over their shared traumas,
but their whirlwind romance has some fans questioning the quality of the film's writing.
Corey is a completely new addition to the trilogy. As such, Allyson and Corey aren't
afforded much screen time between murder sprees to really flesh out their relationship. Therefore,
many viewers were left feeling like the love affair was a bit rushed. One Redditor shared,
"I could not buy Corey and Allyson's relationship
one bit. She was all over him to an insane extent."
Another Reddit user replied,
"It is utterly bizarre how instantaneously Allyson is falling over herself to throw
herself at Corey. Literally the second she sees him walk into the clinic. The
look she gives him is so strange that I initially thought it was implying that the
two characters already knew each other, or had some big history together, or were old flames."
Basically, many people felt that everything about Corey seemed rushed.
We've seen multiple legacy characters from the original 1978 "Halloween"
movie reprise their roles throughout David Gordon Green's trilogy. However,
the fourth and final film adds an entirely new leading character to the narrative. Some
viewers have asked whether it was necessary to force Corey into the mix, when this finale could
have just focused on Laurie and Michael's final battle. As one Redditor quipped,
"Let's make the 'last' Halloween movie about
some dude that wasn't in any other movie. That'll be great."
Another Redditor replied,
"And [let's] give him more screentime than any
other character INCLUDING the main villain of the movie series!!!"
Meanwhile, one Twitter user ridiculed the introduction of a new character, saying,
"So glad that 'Halloween Ends' is finally engaging
with the franchise's most iconic and beloved character: Corey."
It would seem that Corey's inclusion is easily the most divisive aspect of "Halloween Ends."
For a while, it almost felt like Corey was being primed to become Michael Myers' successor. After
running into The Shape hiding out in the sewers of Haddonfield, Corey manages to avoid death at
the hands of Michael. A quick montage implies a supernatural union between the characters, as
though Michael understands Corey has a burgeoning darkness within him. The pair even begin killing
together as Corey seeks vindication from those who have wronged him. But on Halloween night,
Corey returns to the sewer and fights Michael for his mask. As Michael still doesn't have
his full strength, Corey is somehow able to best the murderer and leave with the mask.
Many found the moment rather absurd, though, given that Michael survived a beatdown from
a mob four years ago, only to massacre everyone right after. So how exactly does
Corey best Michael in a physical confrontation, especially when we later see the serial killer
tossing Laurie around the kitchen in the final act of the film? One Redditor states,
"So Michael Myers who survived multiple gunshot wounds, stab wounds, and being burned alive
gets his mask taken from him by a kid that got beaten up by the marching band geeks?"
Another user said,
"It still blows my mind how [Corey] literally bullied [Michael] and took his mask."
"Halloween Ends" explores how evil can corrupt those around us. And after enduring being shunned
and tormented by the townsfolk, Corey decides to burn Haddonfield to the ground and take his turn
as The Shape. While we're not meant to condone his actions, his reasons for going down a dark
path make sense. What's less clear, however, is Corey's reasoning for taking his own life.
After unmasking Corey, Laurie tells him he can never have Allyson. Corey hears a car pulling
up to the house, and tells Laurie that if he can't have Allyson, then she can't either.
He quickly plunges the knife into his own neck, hoping to imply that Laurie killed him,
forcing her to lose Allyson too. Discussing the strange moment, one Redditor said,
"This guy went from meeting a girl to a day later killing himself if he couldn't have her."
Another Redditor replied,
"And he said that if he can't have her, no one can. So, why would he kill himself
and not her? Now she is free to date anyone, and he is too dead to do anything about it."
"Halloween Ends" begins in 2019, only one year
after Michael Myers' bloody rampage through Haddonfield. The killer has since vanished,
and the people of Haddonfield are irreparably damaged by Michael's actions. However, Halloween
festivities appear to be proceeding as normal. One Redditor pointed out the obvious, writing,
"So, in 2018 there was a riot at the hospital, and about 30 murders in Haddonfield, victims
including kids, multiple cops, and the entire fire department. The killer is still at large. In 2019,
it's business as usual, with Trick or Treating and adults going out to Halloween parties?!"
It's probably time Haddonfield stopped celebrating Halloween once and for all.