My quick rating - 4.7/10. I’ve been procrastinating on this review since I watched Halloween Ends a week prior, and the reason is simple: expectations + final result = crap.
When David Gordon Green resurrected this iconic horror series in 2018, he took a bold turn from all the previous incarnations, continuing directly from the end of John Carpenter’s 1978 original. That first reboot had moderate success and felt like a fresh, grounded take on the Halloween mythos. Then came Halloween Kills, which critics panned, but I actually thought was a step up — more brutal, more in line with what Michael Myers should be.
Now we’ve reached the big trilogy finale… and it’s a mess. This movie doesn’t just undo the previous two entries, it undermines the entire legacy of Michael Myers. Somehow, the most iconic slasher in horror history gets sidelined into a supporting role, tagging along like a deranged mentor to a small-town misfit named Corey (Rohan Campbell).
The film opens with a scene explaining why Corey is an outcast, and it works well enough. But then you realize something is off: you don’t see Michael Myers for nearly half the movie. For a film marketed as the ultimate showdown between Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and The Shape, we spend far too much time on teen angst and Corey’s awkward descent into wannabe killer territory. His relationship with Allyson (Andi Matichak), Laurie’s granddaughter, doesn’t help either — it’s just more filler in a story that should’ve been laser-focused on closing this decades-long feud.
The writing struggles badly here. Corey’s “training” under Michael feels absurd, and the moment the kid survives their first encounter, the entire mythos collapses. Even the small details are ridiculous, like Corey’s sudden miracle cure for needing glasses. You’ll know what I mean when you see it.
What could have been a symbolic “passing of the torch” ends up destroying both arcs — the new and the old — in one swoop. The climactic battle between Laurie and Michael feels rushed and forced, loaded with why-in-hell moments that had me shaking my head. If you’re hoping for quality kills, forget it. Aside from one tongue spinning on a record player, there’s almost nothing memorable. Gone are the haunting shots of Michael lurking in shadows or silently watching from a doorway.
Visually, this movie lacks style, suspense, and purpose. It looks fine technically, but it feels hollow — a finale that whimpers instead of roars. The trilogy ends with all the subtlety of a parade down Main Street, practically screaming, “We’re done!”
Yet, we all know this isn’t the end. Halloween will rise again someday, hopefully in the hands of someone who remembers why Michael Myers terrified us in the first place. Until then, Halloween Ends lives up to its title—not as a satisfying conclusion, but as a mercy killing for a story that deserved better.
