The original Halloween film is a horror classic. It gave you the thrills and chills while filled with camp and gore. Laurie Strode was THE final girl. The ultimate warrior who survived pure evil. Unfortunately, in their last stand-off, these two feel underwhelmingly underused in their own franchise.

Did The Trailer Give it Away?

The only thing known about this film is that it’s been four years since Michael Myers vanished without a trace. No promotional material for this film has given the audience an idea of a plot. And maybe that’s a good thing. I will keep this spoiler-free, but just know this film is like two separate movies happening simultaneously, and it’s nothing like you think it is. If you’re expecting the ultimate showdown, it happens, but you have to sit through an hour of nothing before then.

The Story

Life is seemingly going well, despite an entire town still fearing the masked boogeyman. Because of this, any crime committed has the town spiraling. The beginning of Halloween Ends is shocking. The tone it leads with is what I was expecting for the entirety of the movie. Unfortunately, the start and the finish are the only chilling moments in this movie. In between, there’s an hour of a slow-moving story that feels completely separate from the main reason you went to the theater. The story would be fine… if it were for a different movie. Halloween Ends really dives into the question of whether evil is made or if it lives deep within someone, and all it takes is for something to trigger it. Sadly, because of this, Laurie and Michael were basically sidelined in their own franchise.

The Horror

The jump scares were practically non-existent. The music built up, getting you on the edge of your seat, only to be faked out or, for the moment to fall completely flat. It is filled with gore, and it’s semi-campy. (I wish it has so much more camp.) The performances were good all around. Rohan Campbell, who plays Corey, is definitely one to watch out for. He did a fantastic job of switching from meek to, at times, sinister.

Parents guide

Parents be aware that this movie is violent and filled with gore. There are a lot of curse words used and a lot of scenes that could be frightening for children. In my theater, there were actually a few kids who looked to be younger than 10, which was surprising.

The Conclusion

Halloween Ends has an epic conclusion. Unfortunately, that’s the best part about this film. It moves way too slowly after a shocking start. The scares are flat, and it lacks the spine-chilling feeling you would hope to have after leaving the theater. Halloween Ends is not terrible. It’s just underwhelming.