[REVIEW] Halloween Ends (Spoilers)
In the 2022 installment to the Halloween franchise, we see Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) and Allyson (Andi Matichak) four years removed from the historic night Haddonfield residents tried to take down Michael Myers on their own, only for him to kill Laurie’s daughter, Karen (Judy Greer), and escape into the night once again.
Laurie is healing and back in her own skin in Halloween Ends, for the most part. She chopped her hair to her signature long bob and is living her best cardigan-and-shirt-dress life, all while keeping a warm and diligent eye on everyone. Laurie’s writing a book about her experiences, and she and Allyson live together in Haddonfield, trying not to let their tragedy control them. But every day they’re reminded the town they tried to save has largely turned on them due to the trauma their killer kin has caused.
We’re introduced to Corey (Rohan Campbell), a young man Allyson’s age who’s also having a hard time shaking his unfortunate past. Laurie introduces the 20-somethings, and they are smitten. But while they kick off their romance, Corey is simultaneously learning Michael Myers’ ways from the Boogeyman himself after a chance meeting (meet-cute?).
Halloween Ends takes a sharp turn from the 2018 and 2020 entries, with less grit and brutality (but still plenty of amazing kills), and a softer look at the everyday symptoms of trauma, years after an event; paranoia, self-doubt, self-harm, self-destructive behavior, and denial. We see the characters’ daily struggle for a head of steam when their environment isn’t supportive, and to see their worth outside of what happened to them.
But it’s not just the way Laurie and Allyson’s pain is depicted that sets this film apart from the first two David Gordon Green movies. It’s the way this one is not-so-quietly queer. And I’m not talking about Johns Big and Little.
Upon Corey’s discovery of Michael Myers, we see him, in Laurie’s words, “Let evil in.” He wants to learn Michael’s’ ways, and it’s hinted that Corey may step into Michael’s boots. Corey wants to be like Michael — to take back his power — but does he also want to be with him? From there, folks notice Corey has changed. He’s got more confidence, and he’s standing up for himself more. But only a few of Haddonfield’s residents learn the full extent to which he’s transformed.
For instance, in one scene, we see Corey instigate a fight with Michael Myers, complete with high school wrestling moves and an undeniable intimate spark between the two. From that scene, we cut to an image of Allyson running down the stairs to answer the door for Corey. She’s wearing a pair of joggers with a rainbow stripe down the side.
Corey’s obsession with Michael Myers, while seemingly about power, is sexually charged and leans more into the themes of discovering yourself and embracing the “dark” parts without letting them overtake you. The result, however, can be seen as queerbaiting and/or a full-on trope.
Ultimately, Green’s Halloween offerings as a whole are an updated, unapologetic look at how a modern US town would react to a Michael Myers ravaging them. Already, viewers either love or hate the films, which can be a sign of filmmakers holding a mirror to their audience. Where is your loyalty, and why? What were you hoping to see? What is your reality, and can you reconcile that?
Regardless, the closing of this trilogy tries hard to definitively rid us of the Boogeyman. But we all know you can’t kill the Boogeyman, even when you do.