LOS ANGELES, Oct. 13 (UPI) -- Halloween Ends, in theaters and streaming on Peacock on Friday, probably won't be the last Halloween movie they ever make. But it is the most sophisticated, tragic and terrifying so far.
On Halloween 2019, one year after Michael Myers' (James Jude Courtney) last rampage, Corey Cunningham (Rohan Campbell) has a traumatic night baby sitting, unrelated to Myers. In the present, his story converges with Myers survivors Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her granddaughter, Allyson (Andi Matichak).
Introducing a brand-new main character in the supposedly final film is bold, but he fits into the world. What happens to Corey is a relevant, modern update of the original baby-sitter killer.
Corey is traumatized by his experience, but most of the town demonizes him for it. High school seniors mock him, but Laurie recognizes someone in need. Laurie is kind to Corey. and even introduces him to Allyson.
Halloween Ends is very much about the aftermath of Michael Myers. That's a valid approach to the sequel to a slasher movie, and it's no spoiler that Michael still shows up.
Some may complain about Michael's relative absence, but he's palpably in every scene, lingering over the residents of Haddonfield. Honestly, picking the on screen Michael moments makes them more effective.
Haddonfield is worse off now, but Laurie has moved on. She lives with Allyson, writes books and even socializes.
Halloween Ends lets Laurie be happy. Then, it interrupts her with reminders of Michael's victims.
The same thing happens to Corey. He starts to open up with Allyson, but then comes face-to-face with people involved in his baby-sitting incident.
The relevant theme is that even when a killing spree is over, there's no more target to direct grief over this unfathomable tragedy. Unfortunately, society doesn't provide a mechanism for healthy coping.
So, many Haddonfield residents lash out at the survivors. Some blame Laurie for Michael's rampage, with one secondhand story spiraling to the point they say Laurie taunted Michael into killing.
Halloween Ends makes palpable the nature of oppressive bullying. There's no peace for Corey, Allyson or Laurie.
Everywhere they go, someone is around to push them. Society needs blood, and people are never satiated, just like Michael never was.
No one will just let Corey, Allyson and Laurie be and live their lives. There's always someone intruding, and then those intruders blame Corey, Allyson and Laurie for being provoked.
Everyone in Haddonfield has a theory about what would make the town better. Some think if they all had Michael to unite against, they'd leave Corey and Laurie alone, and others still blame Laurie for bringing Michael upon them.
Many try to make what happened in Haddonfield about themselves. The lesson there is to let people have their own pain, because there's surely enough to go around.
The truth is nobody knows what would fix things. Some ideas are better than others, but the likely resolution is ultimately going to be more complicated than a quick fix.
Ultimately, everyone has to make a choice to be kind to others or not to be. That's a difficult choice even without a serial killer.
And then, there are parts of the story only you know, and not even your loved ones will believe them. How do you live with that?
Haddonfield is a powder keg waiting to explode, and of course it happens to be Oct. 31, 2022, when it blows. And don't worry, there is still plenty of Michael Myers fodder, boasting some of the sickest, most brutal kills in the franchise.
Director David Gordon Green uses classic Michael Myers imagery in a different context, just like his 2018 film did. The 2018 Halloween reversed Laurie and Michael in some classic staging, but Ends spreads the iconic imagery around among its ensemble.
Halloween Ends doesn't pretend to have answers, but it asks the right questions. A few moments lay it on a bit thick, but perhaps that is a test of the audience's compassion for a movie wearing its heart blatantly on its sleeve.
Fred Topel, who attended film school at Ithaca College, is a UPI entertainment writer based in Los Angeles. He has been a professional film critic since 1999, a Rotten Tomatoes critic since 2001 and a member of the Television Critics Association since 2012. Read more of his work in Entertainment.
