This is literally a horror game of erm, three-thirds.
But sadly, the last two-thirds have been a major let down – as knife-wielding monster Michael Myers goes out with a bit of a weird whimper.
There was feverish excitement for this re-booted trilogy when it ignored the generally poor sequels that came after the 1978 original film – with the highly-acclaimed 2018 first movie (3.5/5) in this series being a well-polished follow-up to John Carpenter’s classic.
Genuine enthusiasm for the rekindled franchise reigned supreme.
Then came last year’s Halloween Kills (2/5), a dumb, violent, bodycount-churning splatterfest – that destroyed the ‘good will’ earned from the inaugural trilogy film by lacking any finesse whatsoever. A major disappointment.
And now it has come to a conclusion with Halloween Ends. Which is just an odd way to close it out. A slow, plodding – attempting to be a ‘thinker’ of a horror – that well, falls a bit flat.
It’s like the A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge for this generation. If horror fans can remember that far back, after the original classic, Freddy was barely featured in the tediously boring sequel – utilising a youngster for his murderous deeds.
The same pretty much happens here, with Michael Myers (James Jude Courtney) – aka ‘The Shape’ – barely featured until the final third.
Slight kudos needs to be given for ‘trying something different’ by focusing on Rohan Campbell’s disturbed mid-twenties youngster – but the narrative doesn’t really fit with what most Halloween die-hards would have expected. Which leaves this finale with an over-riding ‘missed opportunity’ vibe.
Initially set in 2019 – a year since Michael Myers vanished after his Haddonfield killing spree seen at the end of Kills – we see Campbell’s babysitter Corey Cunningham accidentally kill a young boy after a prank goes wrong.
Fast-forward three years and we realise Corey, despite being cleared of manslaughter, has been made an outcast in the town – almost a scapegoat for Myers-inspired paranoia – and gets befriended by Jamie Lee Curtis’ iconic Laurie Strode (now writing her memoirs) and her grand-daughter Allyson (Andi Matichak), who are living together trying to put the turbulent past behind them.
But as a relationship between Corey and Allyson blossoms, an inner-darkness within Corey starts to resonate – particularly when he’s bullied by some youngsters and he inadvertently stumbles across Myers’ hiding place.
A weakened Myers lets Corey live after feeling the murderous rage deep inside him, and this leads to them teaming-up and (eventually after a good hour) going on a bloodthirsty rampage – with Corey gleefully mimicking his new mentor.
What ensues are a handful of noteworthy gruesome death scenes of people that have crossed Corey – and it all disjointedly leads to the inevitable, and quite abrupt, end confrontation sequence between Laurie and Michael. Which is just about passable.
It’s not the worst slasher you’ll ever see in your life, but all just seems a bit empty, and very meh, after all the build-up. Why they chose ‘experimenting’ over ‘coherence’ is quite bewildering.
Which leads to the latest Halloween series ending in a very underwhelming fashion to say the least.
ESP Rating: 2/5
Gavin Miller
Showcase Cinema De Lux Peterborough, Out Now
Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis, Andi Matichak, Rohan Campbell, Will Patton, Kyle Richards, Michael Barbieri, Jessie C Boyd, Michael O’leary & James Jude Courtney
Running Time: 1 Hrs 51 Mins
Director: David Gordon Greer
Go to www.showcasecinemas.co.uk for all the latest film information & showtimes at Peterborough’s Showcase Cinema De Lux
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