For starters, I liked this one. It was a weird entry in the series but added an interesting new depth to it. I'll try to avoid too many spoilers but some are inevitable.
The movie begins with Corey, a babysitter accidentally causing the death of the kid he was watching. He's unable to live down his reputation, regardless that he is a harmless twerp. Four years have passed since Michael disappeared after his rampage. Laurie Strode is trying to move on and redefine herself. Her granddaughter Alyson is working on building a career and she meets Corey. They start falling in love. Corey is still being alienated and bullied by the townspeople and an altercation leads him to encountering Michael. Some kind of psychic transference occurs and while Michael doesn't kill him, Corey picks up Michael's mannerisms, including a taste for killing. They have a symbiotic relationship, almost as if whatever is driving Michael is passing the torch to this kid, or is trying to.
It brings to mind that Michael has never had much of an identity besides his obsession with coming home (having Laurie not being related to Michael in this story also takes away from his history). Traditionally, Michael is referred to as the Shape, being the embodiment of evil in the shape of a man. Basically, it's the Shape that drives the murders and Michael was the host. With this movie, we can see Corey becoming the host. This takes the focus from Michael, but watching the movie through this perspective makes the film an interesting watch. It's a slow burn, though. It takes a while for the pace to pick up, but once it gets going, it's more fun. It lacks the quick, brainless pace of your average slasher, but it's also the product of thinking outside of the box. As a result, it's a smarter movie than Halloween Kills, which was filler for the series but watchable filler.
Apparently, what irks fans the most is the ending. It leaves little room for doubt about whether or not Michael will come back. I'm ok with it. Jamie Lee Curtis wants to be done and Laurie deserves a little peace. Some horror movies are allowed a happy ending. The characters actually dealt with Michael in a way that makes sense, not merely burning, shooting, or beating the shit out of him with a pipe (thanks Paul Rudd). A part of me was thinking it's about damn time someone thought of something more effective.
As much as I am a fan of this series after watching all of them for 20 plus years, I'm ready to see it end. I'd be willing to give this one an A- or B+. I'm a bit on the fence.
Thinking about the trilogy now, I'm thinking the 2018 sequel still deserves an A+ and I now consider Halloween Kills to be a C+ (last year it was a B+, but given the new context, I'm changing my mind.) I don't really understand the hatred for Halloween Ends, but I don't doubt that someone is blaming the filmmakers for ruining their childhood, adulthood, or some crap like that. I've been seeing a lot of that attitude lately.
Written by Nicholas Montelongo
The movie begins with Corey, a babysitter accidentally causing the death of the kid he was watching. He's unable to live down his reputation, regardless that he is a harmless twerp. Four years have passed since Michael disappeared after his rampage. Laurie Strode is trying to move on and redefine herself. Her granddaughter Alyson is working on building a career and she meets Corey. They start falling in love. Corey is still being alienated and bullied by the townspeople and an altercation leads him to encountering Michael. Some kind of psychic transference occurs and while Michael doesn't kill him, Corey picks up Michael's mannerisms, including a taste for killing. They have a symbiotic relationship, almost as if whatever is driving Michael is passing the torch to this kid, or is trying to.
It brings to mind that Michael has never had much of an identity besides his obsession with coming home (having Laurie not being related to Michael in this story also takes away from his history). Traditionally, Michael is referred to as the Shape, being the embodiment of evil in the shape of a man. Basically, it's the Shape that drives the murders and Michael was the host. With this movie, we can see Corey becoming the host. This takes the focus from Michael, but watching the movie through this perspective makes the film an interesting watch. It's a slow burn, though. It takes a while for the pace to pick up, but once it gets going, it's more fun. It lacks the quick, brainless pace of your average slasher, but it's also the product of thinking outside of the box. As a result, it's a smarter movie than Halloween Kills, which was filler for the series but watchable filler.
Apparently, what irks fans the most is the ending. It leaves little room for doubt about whether or not Michael will come back. I'm ok with it. Jamie Lee Curtis wants to be done and Laurie deserves a little peace. Some horror movies are allowed a happy ending. The characters actually dealt with Michael in a way that makes sense, not merely burning, shooting, or beating the shit out of him with a pipe (thanks Paul Rudd). A part of me was thinking it's about damn time someone thought of something more effective.
As much as I am a fan of this series after watching all of them for 20 plus years, I'm ready to see it end. I'd be willing to give this one an A- or B+. I'm a bit on the fence.
Thinking about the trilogy now, I'm thinking the 2018 sequel still deserves an A+ and I now consider Halloween Kills to be a C+ (last year it was a B+, but given the new context, I'm changing my mind.) I don't really understand the hatred for Halloween Ends, but I don't doubt that someone is blaming the filmmakers for ruining their childhood, adulthood, or some crap like that. I've been seeing a lot of that attitude lately.
Written by Nicholas Montelongo
The author does not allow comments to this entry
No comments