Film Review: “Halloween Ends” (2022)

Does evil go out with a bang or a whimper?

For nearly 45 years, John Carpenter’s classic “Halloween” franchise has taken the world of horror by storm. From the film’s iconic theme song to the infamously terrifying Michael Meyers, to beloved final girl Laurie Strode played by the legendary Jamie Lee Curtis, A lot of the slasher genre owes a great big debt to the original 1978 film. When “Halloween” was first conceived, it was done so in 17 days on a meager budget of $325,000 ($1.5 million in today’s world) with no expectations of a franchise, let alone multiple timelines. However, once the film made around $50-$60 million at the box office, the possibilities were endless. We were graced with endless sequels, off-shoots (“Season of the Witch”), and even a remake. The story of a masked man haunting the town of Haddonfield still, after 4 decades, remains ripe for commercial opportunity.

As is the case with most horror franchises, I’ve had my ups & downs with the Halloween franchise. While the original from 1978 will no doubt remain a horror classic, I’ve always found 1998’s “Halloween H20: 20 Years Later” to be one of my all-time favorites. To me, it had the best version of Laurie Strode, a solid supporting cast (Josh Hartnett, LL Cool J, & Academy Award Nominee Michelle Williams), and an epic showdown between Laurie and Micheal. I…