Welcome to Day #27 of the 31 Days of Halloween.

Halloween Quote
“Beware that when fighting monsters, you yourself do not become a monster. For when you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you”.  —Halloween Ends

Hello my lovelies and how are you today?  I hope you’re doing well, staying hydrated, enjoying some Halloween movies or activities, and checking in with friends and family.

I can’t believe that it’s almost over …why does October have to fly by so fast.  If you walked into a retail store (i.e., Micheal’s, or Target) they’re already displaying Christmas.  I mean, can we have Thanksgiving first? Technically who am I to talk because I’m about to get a new Christmas tree in the next week…and so it goes.

This is my last movie review for the month of October, Halloween Ends streaming now on Peacock.

I know there are hundreds of personal reviews about this movie because it’s the last one, and the last time we will see Jamie pull out that can of whop-ass. So in a way, it’s sad, but also it’s time to end it.

MOVIE DISCLAIMER:  This movie is Rated R for language, gore, violence, and mature scenes, viewer discretion is advised.

Movie: Halloween Ends
Streaming on: Peacock
Rated: R (Horror, Thriller)
Directed by: Damon Thomas
IMBD: 5/10
Run Time: 1 hr 51 min

STORY: Four years after her last encounter with masked killer Michael Myers, Laurie Strode is living with her granddaughter and trying to finish her memoir. Myers hasn’t been seen since, and Laurie finally decides to liberate herself from rage and fear and embrace life. However, when a young man stands accused of murdering a boy that he was babysitting, it ignites a cascade of violence and terror that forces Laurie to confront the evil she can’t control.

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THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS – READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION

What to say about Halloween Ends?  Well, first we have to go back to the beginning.  Halloween Ends is the 3rd and final installment of the later (updated) franchise beginning with Halloween (2018), Halloween Kills (2021), and finally Halloween Ends (2022).

If you’ve kept up with the franchise you’ll know that (technically) the 2018 Halloween is 2nd (in order) after the 1978 Halloween when we visit a post-apocalyptic Laurie Strode 40 years later.  In the 2018 version, Laurie and Micheal Myers have no connection.  They’re not siblings, and Laurie was just a casualty in a series of unfortunate events by a crazed killer (or boogeyman) who went after her and her friends.

SOME BACKSTORY

Although Halloween (1978), Halloween II (1981), and Halloween H20 (1998) were the perfect storm, in my opinion, they could have continued with that storyline and her son.  Halloween III had nothing to do with the boogeyman or the franchise for that matter, and IV & V were about Laurie Strode’s (fictional daughter), which Micheal Myers just so happened to find. Halloween Resurrection is where Lorie Strode (Jamie Lee) finally loses the battle with Micheal so it didn’t really wrap up the story very well.

Let us also not forget the warped twisted Rob Zombie versions of Halloween I & II which are more violent than usual but if you know anything about Rob Zombie movies you’ll understand this.

“Evil Dies Tonight”, Loomis (Halloween, 1978)

As you can imagine when Halloween (2018) was scheduled to premiere fans wanted to see what direction this film was going to take.

Halloween Ends picks up where Halloween Kills left off.  We know Michael is wounded, and for the next four years, he would disappear. But Haddonfield is not a forgiving town.  People don’t forget the past and they continue to blame Laurie for bringing Micheal Myers (the evil) into “their” lives.  Ironic yes, because that’s neither here nor there.

“Michael Myers took our dreams and turned them into nightmares. As he was locked away in his prison, I disappeared into mine. And then, as I predicted forty years later he escaped and Haddonfield was once again forced to confront the man in the mask.” — Laurie Strode

In this installment, Laurie would start to build back her life after the death of her daughter. (Halloween Kills) She would buy a house, for her and her granddaughter, and they would start to rebuild a life in the aftermath of that fateful night four years ago. Laurie starts to live again enjoying Halloween and even putting up decorations. She’s also writing a book about her experience with the man in the mask.

However, Haddonfield has been cloaked in darkness since that Halloween.  Countless suicides and unexplained deaths are all blamed on Micheal Myers who hasn’t been seen, but evil never really dies.  It lives on in the hearts and minds of people and as legend and lore get past around told and retold he will always live on in some way.

Let me quickly dip back into Halloween Kills (2021).  While I really enjoyed the franchise as a whole this wasn’t a good one for me.  What they did wrong was get the town involved, and people became bold and brazen in the wake of Micheal Myers escaping the house fire that Laurie had originally set as a trap for him.

Remember in sequels the body count is higher and the meter is bloodier.  At this point the killer is angry so anyone who is his way is fair game.

The town knew Michael wasn’t dead and decided to take matters into their own hands leading an angry mob to confront him and also leading to their own demise.  Michael would go on to kill anyone and everyone that got in his way that night, but there were a few survivors. Lindsay Wallace (now grown) and Sherif Hawkins who was stabbed and partially run over but lived to tell the tale.  It’s like Dewey in Scream.

Back to Halloween Ends …a new character (Corey) would enter the story as an injured Micheal Myers needs help killing again. Corey would lend himself to Michael, as he begs him to “show him how to kill”.  The empty blackness that lived in Micheal would now reside in Corey who desired nothing more than to be normal after a life-changing incident in his teens.

Of course, this all goes back to Laurie and Micheal.  Laurie knew that soon she would have to confront evil head-on, kick its ass, and put an end to Micheal Myers once and for all. So does the evil die?  On this night it does.

I know some of this makes no sense if you’ve never seen Halloween, but if you’re up for it watch them in this order:

// Halloween (1978)
** Halloween (2018)
// Halloween Kills (2021)
** Halloween Ends (2022)

And for context Halloween II, and H20 (which is the 20th anniversary of the first Halloween)

Halloween Ends wraps up the last 3 movies in a nice neat bow and truly ends the saga of Micheal Myers.  My rating is 7/10.  You can stream this movie on Peacock or check it out in your local theater.

Well lovelies thanks so much for hanging with me. If you liked what you read don’t forget to like and subscribe.  I’ll see you back here tomorrow. — Stay spooky and Happy Halloween!

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Micheal Myers image with Laurie Strode inset from KingCreationsNc on Etsy