Halloween Ends (2022) (1 Viewer)

[Tommy R]

Okay, here are some more thoughts:

Spoiler

This movie SHOULD have been the second in this new trilogy to “bridge the gap”. Kills should have been the finale. Cut and paste some things around and this would have been a perfect follow up trilogy to the original film. And maybe give an extra word into the title of the 2018 film so it doesn’t have the same title of the original film, lol!

So here’s what I’m thinking:

2018 film: Keep it how it is, just maybe call it “Halloween Returns” or something.

2021 film: Start off with the firemen putting out Laurie’s house and Michael walking off to live in the sewers all burned up, and this can explain why he’s tired and needs to “recharge” I suppose. Then the rest of the movie can be pretty much what the new one is, just have Judy Greer around as she isn’t dead yet, as well as my comments from my previous post about Corey being more of a side-character and “in the shadows” so to speak but otherwise the same. End the movie with Corey dead and a big reveal (to the rest of the characters’ perspective) that Michael is alive.

2022 film: All the rest that was in Halloween Kills (except for the fact that Michael needs to escape the burning house at the beginning of the second film) but this movie can still start with the 1978 flashback stuff. At the end after Judy Greer is killed, they can have the Michael/Laurie showdown that was at the end of the new movie, but have it in the Myers house immediately following Greer’s death. Then you can still have the procession and Michael being shredded to shit.

There, that would make it perfect.

 

[Tino]

**SOME SPOILERS**

So I rewatched it with the wife last night and I think I liked it less. The whole Cory storyline distracts from the main Laurie/Michael saga and it hurts the film imo. His character is just not that interesting. Definitely the weakest of the new trilogy.

 

[TravisR]

**SOME SPOILERS**

So I rewatched it with the wife last night and I think I liked it less. The whole Cory storyline distracts from the main Laurie/Michael saga and it hurts the film imo. His character is just not that interesting. Definitely the weakest of the new trilogy.

Yeah, introducing and spending so much time on a new main character in the last movie of a trilogy was a major mistake in my opinion. Especially when the Laurie and Allyson characters were interesting enough to not require shoehorning a new character in there to begin with. MAYBE the Corey storyline could have worked if they hadn't killed off Cameron (Allyson's boyfriend) in the last movie and basically used him in that story but even that seems a stretch.

That negativity aside, I have to say that I loved

Spoiler

how they disposed of Michael's body. There's no coming back from that... until the inevitable reboot anyway.

 

[JasonRoer]

Yeah, introducing and spending so much time on a new main character in the last movie of a trilogy was a major mistake in my opinion. Especially when the Laurie and Allyson characters were interesting enough to not require shoehorning a new character in there to begin with. MAYBE the Corey storyline could have worked if they hadn't killed off Cameron (Allyson's boyfriend) in the last movie and basically used him in that story but even that seems a stretch.

That negativity aside, I have to say that I loved

Spoiler

how they disposed of Michael's body. There's no coming back from that... until the inevitable reboot anyway.

I used those exact words in your spoiler tag regarding.. well.. you know, when I described it to my folks (who will NEVER watch a horror flick). Word for word. Great minds and all, I guess.

 

[Alex...]

So now that Ends is out, what is everyone's rankings in the franchise?

 

[Tommy R]

Subject to change, as my opinions change and vary over time, but here we go:

1. Halloween (1978)
2. Halloween II (1981)
3. Halloween (2018)
4. Halloween Kills
5. Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
6. Halloween Ends
7. Halloween III: Season of the Witch
8. Halloween: H20
9. Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers
10. Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers
11. Halloween (2007)
12. Halloween II (2009)
13. Halloween: Resurrection

 

[TravisR]

I'm not big on full rankings but...

Obviously, Halloween (1978) will forever be the greatest of the series. After that, in terms of chronological release, I'd say...

Great or good (chronologically):
Halloween II (1981)
Halloween III: Season Of The Witch
Halloween 4: The Return Of Michael Myers
Halloween (2018)
Halloween Kills

OK (chronologically):
Halloween: The Curse Of Michael Myers (both versions are dumb and goofy but they're fun)
Halloween (2007)
Halloween Ends (just barely squeaks in this section)

Bad (chronologically):
Halloween 5
Halloween H20
Halloween: Resurrection
Halloween II (2009)

I'd probably say 5 is the bottom because Resurrection was simply a soulless product that Dimension pumped out (with Curtis' contractually obligated extended cameo and out of touch old men's ideas of what's hip by casting a rapper and having an internet broadcast) and 5 didn't have that handicap and it was still terrible.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Subject to change, as my opinions change and vary over time, but here we go:

1. Halloween (1978)
2. Halloween II (1981)
3. Halloween (2018)
4. Halloween Kills
5. Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
6. Halloween Ends
7. Halloween III: Season of the Witch
8. Halloween: H20
9. Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers
10. Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers
11. Halloween (2007)
12. Halloween II (2009)
13. Halloween: Resurrection

I'm not big on full rankings but...

Obviously, Halloween (1978) will forever be the greatest of the series. After that, in terms of chronological release, I'd say...

Great or good (chronologically):
Halloween II (1981)
Halloween III: Season Of The Witch
Halloween 4: The Return Of Michael Myers
Halloween (2018)
Halloween Kills

OK (chronologically):
Halloween: The Curse Of Michael Myers (both versions are dumb and goofy but they're fun)
Halloween (2007)
Halloween Ends (just barely squeaks in this section)

Bad (chronologically):
Halloween 5
Halloween H20
Halloween: Resurrection
Halloween II (2009)

I'd probably say 5 is the bottom because Resurrection was simply a soulless product that Dimension pumped out (with Curtis' contractually obligated extended cameo and out of touch old men's ideas of what's hip by casting a rapper and having an internet broadcast) and 5 didn't have that handicap and it was still terrible.

So, I have two that I have not seen, Resurrection and Ends but I doubt they will impact how I rank this stuff.

I love the first Halloween film. It is by far a better picture than all the stuff that followed. Beautifully shot, edited, written, and well acted. This is the complete Michael Myers story in one film. It ends where the entire story should have ended.

The second best picture in the franchise is, to me, by miles Halloween III Season of the Witch. This is where the franchise should have gone, making a new Halloween based story every year. Michaels Myers need not apply but we would know he was out there lurking based on how Carpenter's film ended. This would have been a brilliant way to handle this franchise.

Now, following these two pictures, the rest of the films could be dumped into the dustbin of cinema history as all of them bungle the Myers story and their makers seem clueless as to what made the first film work.

However, on a fun scale some are more fun than others if you need your Halloween fix. So, I would rate Halloween II the sequel to Carpenter's original as the third best. Saying this you do have to consider that it murders this franchise, creates the horrible plot twist that Laurie and Michael are related and is the picture that every other Halloween film in the series is more based upon than Carpenter's original. This is the film that every single Halloween reboot, remake, sequel, other timeline, whatever the hell you want to call it worships at the altar of because all of those films have more in common with this than the original Halloween. Plus like all the other films that have brought back Michael Myers it is poorly written because for reasons I will never grasp, most filmmakers of the last 25 years love bad writing.

At number 4 I will take Halloween The Curse of Michael Myers The Producers Cut. Truth is I have not seen the theatrical so I can't rate that but most people seem to think it is horrible. This comes in as the fourth best to me mainly because somebody did go all out writing this batshit insane story. We've got cults and sex rituals, and mystery men and just totally over the top insanity. This has more plot than like 5 Halloween pictures combined. Does it make sense? Probably not but you know a bunch of weird and evil shit is going down and Donald Pleasance is right there in the mix. Plus oddly, so is Paul Rudd. I enjoyed this and if I was making my own Myers timeline with these films, I would watch Halloween, Halloween II, then this and call it quits on the Myers thing right there.

That being said, my ranking for everything else is it swims in the bottom of a rancid septic tank and requires no real attention unless you are a diehard Myers fan and would watch him sit in front of a fan while eating a giant pot of beans and farting himself silly.

 

[TravisR]

So, I have two that I have not seen, Resurrection...

Honestly, you might enjoy Resurrection on a Plan 9-level. Not that it's that good of a bad movie but it's stupid and bad enough to be inadvertently funny.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Honestly, you might enjoy Resurrection on a Plan 9-level. Not that it's that good of a bad movie but it's stupid and bad enough to be inadvertently funny.

I do actually have it on blu. It came with two other pictures on a bargain triple feature. I believe it also has the theatrical cut of Curse and H2O, which I was going to watch as part of this year's October Challenge because I have not seen it since seeing it in a theater. I don't recall anything about H2O but it seems when I revisit these kind of films now I have more fun watching them than when I first saw them. I never liked 4 but enjoyed it when I watched it last year. I even had a good time watching 5. I know they are not good films but I guess because they have the holiday setting they work, as just Halloween fun.

 

[WillG]

i like all the other films that have brought back Michael Myers it is poorly written because for reasons I will never grasp, most filmmakers of the last 25 years love bad writing.

They made many of those sequels as on the cheap as possible. You think you’re getting good writing. And that’s before the studio/Akkads etc. mucks with it all even more

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

They made many of those sequels as on the cheap as possible. You think you’re getting good writing. And that’s before the studio/Akkads etc. mucks with it all even more

Well, the only thing I would say is just because something is made on a budget does not mean the writing has to be bad. Lots of low budget pictures are great or fun because the writing is actually quite good. Telling a good story with excellent characters can help make your low budget work.

That said, I know what you are saying and the people paying for these films often just want them to be slash and gash fests.

 

[WillG]

Well, the only thing I would say is just because something is made on a budget does not mean the writing has to be bad. Lots of low budget pictures are great or fun because the writing is actually quite good. Telling a good story with excellent characters can help make your low budget work.

That said, I know what you are saying and the people paying for these films often just want them to just be slash and gash fests.

Yeah, probably don’t want writers that are going to buck the producers. I do recall that Halloween 4 script needed to rushed due to an upcoming writer’s strike

 

[Michael Elliott]

I still plan on watching ENDS again in the theater. Might get to that next week when some of the crowds die down a bit.

I did rewatch H20 a few hours after ENDS and I must admit that I think it's a really strong film. I liked the Laurie there a bit better and I think it connected to who Laurie was in the 1978 film better.

I think the question of where the series goes next is up for discussion as well. They can't come back with a theatrical film at this point. This has been hyped as "THE END" so I don't think they can come back with a theatrical film for many years. At that point... Allison pregnant? Do they just completely reboot it from scratch? Personally, I'd love to see a smaller film just meant to be shown on Peacock. I'd love to see HALLOWEEN 4 get a direct sequel and things pick up from there but it's doubtful this happens. It seems a lot of people want this but the mainstream simply don't know Harris enough for this to be something theatrical. I'm sure if they did something like this it would confuse the majority of the mainstream so I'm just not sure it's possible.


As far as the series:

HALLOWEEN (1978)
HALLOWEEN 4
HALLOWEEN (2018)
HALLOWEEN II (1981)*
HALLOWEN: H20
HALLOWEEN KILLS
HALLOWEEN III: SEASON OF THE WITCH
HALLOWEEN ENDS
HALLOWEEN: RESURRECTION **
HALLOWEEN 5
RZ's HALLOWEEN
HALLOWEEN 6 (theatrical cut)
RZ's HALLOWEEN II***

* To be fair, this is probably the perfect ending for the Michael/Laurie saga.
** If Alice Cooper or Ozzy beat up Michael I don't think fans would have such a problem with this film.
*** The worst and DUMBEST film in the series but what happens to Harris is one of the hardest hitting things in the series and I think it's the best moment Zombie has ever directed in his career.

 

[TravisR]

I think the question of where the series goes next is up for discussion as well. They can't come back with a theatrical film at this point. This has been hyped as "THE END" so I don't think they can come back with a theatrical film for many years. At that point... Allison pregnant? Do they just completely reboot it from scratch?

My assumption is that they will reboot it completely and continue with theatrical features. That way, there's still Michael Myers, the mask, etc. and he's not a senior citizen anymore.

HALLOWEEN: RESURRECTION **
HALLOWEEN 5
RZ's HALLOWEEN
HALLOWEEN 6 (theatrical cut)
RZ's HALLOWEEN II***

Admittedly, if Alice Cooper had karate fought Michael in Resurrection, I probably would have jumped up, cheered and declared the movie the finest piece of art ever made but like I said before, there's alot more wrong with that movie than just Busta Rhymes.

I give Zombie's Halloween II a bit of a pass because the Weinsteins really screwed him on the movie's already low budget before and during production. Plus, that movie has a few things that really work (the cast of character actors is good and Annie's death is horrible/disturbing).

 

[Robert Saccone]

Did anyone watch it on Peacock and if so what video and audio format was it offered in? Debating between at home and the theater.

 

[WillG]

** If Alice Cooper or Ozzy beat up Michael I don't think fans would have such a problem with this film.

Eh, I don’t think it was Busta so much as the root cause. It was his dumb WAHHHHH WAAHHHHH Kung Fu that was embarrassing

 

[Tino]

Did anyone watch it on Peacock and if so what video and audio format was it offered in? Debating between at home and the theater.

4

Did anyone watch it on Peacock and if so what video and audio format was it offered in? Debating between at home and the theater.

4k/Dolby Atmos/HDR

 

[Robert Saccone]

4

4k/Dolby Atmos/HDR

I did end up watching on Peacock. However it didn’t play with Atmos nor HDR. I streamed it using my 4K Apple TV which does give me Atmos on Netflix, Apple TV+. Is there a setting in the Peacock app that I need to set?

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

OK, so I guess the first thing I would say after watching this is...WOW!

I'm with Stephen King on this, the first hour of the film is all about the characters and building them. It was character driven and was sort of a horror/drama. I liked this but I stopped the film at one point to look at how far into the picture I was and could not believe I was an hour in, and Michael Meyers had not really appeared. In the end Michael is just a bit player in this and really matters little to the story they were telling. That surprised me.

In fact the first two thirds of the film seemed designed to create a way the story could continue once Michael had been destroyed. I thought that was what they were building up to...

Spoiler: spoiler

...but no, they kill Cory off and then have Michael appear to have a final, kind of lackluster, battle with Laurie. Then, I laughed out loud because I kidded earlier in the thread here, they could run him through a woodchipper and they actually do, ha! I thought that was the most hilarious finale they could have used.

What I thought they were building toward was Michael would be destroyed and then Cory would pick up his mask and walk off into the night with it. A tribute to the original Halloween. So, when Cory is just killed off, I just shook my head at the fact that they took so much time to create and build the character...essentially for nothing. So, he just dies, Michael is killed and Laurie finishes her book and gets to have some romance.

I was entertained by the first two thirds of the film but I can see how it would frustrate people that wanted a horror movie featuring Michael Myers killing people. That really is not at all what this picture is. Michael has little to do here except...well...end.