Madison Meeks – Media Director

mvm7037@psu.edu

Photo Credit: Universal Studios

“Halloween Ends” is the thirteenth installment of the “Halloween” franchise and is the final film in the trilogy to follow the 2018 reboot. The 2018 “Halloween” is the direct sequel to the 1978 film of the same name that disregarded the other films that came after the 1978 film. “Halloween Ends” stars Jamie Lee Curtis, James Jude Courtney, Andi Matichak, Will Patton, Rohan Campbell, Kyle Richardson, and Nick Castle. This film is the last appearance of Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode and of James Jude Courtney and Nick Castle’s Michael Myers. “Halloween Ends” was released on October 14, 2022, in theaters and on the streaming service Peacock.

The film opens in the town of Haddonfield, Illinois, on Halloween night of 2019. A man named Corey Cunningham is babysitting a boy named Jeremy Allen. Jeremy plays a prank on Corey by locking him inside the attic. As Jeremy’s parents walk through the front door, Corey kicks the door open and sends Jeremy over the railing of the staircase, and kills him by accident. Corey is not charged with anything regarding the incident. Corey plays a key part in the rest of the film because he has a relationship with Allyson, the granddaughter of Laurie Strode and he teams up with Michael Myers. 

Three years after the Corey Cunningham and Jeremy Allen incident, Laurie Strode is writing a memoir and living with her granddaughter Allyson. It seems like everything is going well for Laurie. Well as everyone knows nobody in this film franchise is ever happy for very long. Laurie saves Corey as she sees him being bullied and injured in the process. Through Laurie is how he meets Allyson, and they begin a relationship. After going to a Halloween party with Allyson, Corey is again bullied by the high school bullies who throw him over a bridge. This incident is how he meets Michael Myers, who has been hiding in the sewers for the last three years. How has nobody even thought of how he could be hiding in the sewers for all this time? 

Corey and Michael then team up to murder a doctor and nurse. Allyson plans to leave Haddonfield with Corey due to both of their past trauma. She should think about whether she should live with him. Laurie finds out that the couple is going to leave and confronts Corey to protect her granddaughter. Allyson is so lucky to have had Laurie realize who Corey is. He then returns to the sewers to fight Michael for his mask so that he can become the new Michael Myers. The fans finally see a slight view of Michael’s face under the mask. After fighting with both Corey and Michael, Laurie finally defeats Michael Myers once and for all. In the end, both Laurie and Allyson get to finally live their lives without the fear of Michael Myers.

Overall, the film was decent and is about a 3 out of 5 stars if given a rating. Jamie Lee Curtis’s character Laurie deserved a better send-off than what was given to her, and Michael Myers wasn’t in this movie as much as the other films. “Halloween Ends” is definitely for fans who have watched every single movie. For horror movie fans that have not seen every film, the film “Halloween Ends” is decent.