Set four years after the events of Halloween Kills, the film again follows Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis). Laurie has significantly changed how she lives her life after the fatal damage and heartbreak caused by Michael Myers. Laurie is now living a life of peace with an open mind to all situations that could come her way. On the flip side, we witness a horrifying incident that occurs to a young man while he was babysitting a little boy. As a result, the young man suffers monstrous amounts of trauma, bullying and violence from others. Around the same time, Laurie and her granddaughter find themselves thrown back into madness, evil and terror as Michael slowly resurfaces for a showdown.
Firstly, this review is spoiler free. Halloween fans will either be extremely excited by this film or highly disappointed. There are many factors to consider. The plot is significantly different to the previous Halloween instalments and goes in a direction that kept me guessing as a viewer. In the end, the film packs many unexpected and surprising moments. Granted, while this new kind of story could frustrate some fans, I found this concept and direction pleasing. I admired the attempt to be different instead of just delivering a gore fest with a high body count.
Actress Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie once again is tremendous. Her character is strong and confident but shines a human side, especially when it comes to her dark, hurt-filled past. The film takes another massive risk by introducing a new side character played by Rohan Campbell, an actor who has adequate screen time and delivers an impressive and memorable performance. I cannot fault the musical score. I never can with John Carpenter’s Halloween score! It invariably ignites the atmosphere and adds to the horror throughout. Visually I found plenty to enjoy. It’s dark, to be sure, but it’s still enjoyable. The odd surprise relating to kills is still delivered and bound to shock audiences at various points.
Without diving into all the finer details in the story, one aspect that didn’t work for me was the style of jump scares. We’ve seen it before where jump scares are reinforced with deafening noises; this tactic doesn’t work for me and becomes more of an annoyance as none of these scares work. Instead of helping, it ends up being just a pound of loud noise, leaving me frowning and less scared at various key points.
Overall, as a finale to the popular franchise, I found plenty to admire here, including an unexpected storyline with surprising outcomes. Jamie Lee Curtis once again shines as Laurie and brings various emotions to light among the darkness throughout. John Carpenter’s score is a treasure, adding the right amount of creepiness to the stunning atmosphere. The film also delivers what it promised, which I appreciated and was surprised to see. My biggest downer, without spoiling all the finer details, was the loud and outrageous jump scares, which had zero effect and became a significant annoyance throughout. The story will have many talking with their divided opinions. In the end, it’s a different kind of Halloween and stands out from the rest of the crowd. Through my eyes, Halloween Ends is undoubtedly refreshing and carries an entertaining, horrifying experience.
6.9/10
13th October 2022
Written by Peter Walkden
WALKDEN ENTERTAINMENT
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