Halloween Ends is the third and final installment of the David Gordon Green sequels that began in 2016. The story continues years after the events of the first Halloween (1978), and retcons the events of all films that followed it. With a fresh start, many fans were hoping to revive the franchise. But while the first of three started off strong, this newest installment reminded us why this series has been dead for a while.

Laurie Strode, played once again by Jamie Lee Curtis, is back healing from the events of the previous movies. Michael Myers is presumed dead after the ending of 2021’s Halloween Kills, and Laurie has decided to move on with her life. She has a new home, and spends her time connecting with her granddaughter, and writing a memoir. However, the town does not seem to be moving on as easily. Many of the townspeople in Haddonfield, Illinois, are still dealing with the physical and emotional damage they experienced .
This is where we meet Corey Cunningham, the main character of the film–a young, promising kid who is well-known in the community. On Halloween night, Corey babysits Jeremy, who pranks Corey by locking him in the attic.. Corey kicks down the door, pushing Jeremy, who is on the other side, off the rails of the third story of the house– Jeremy dies.

Years later, Corey works at a scrap yard with his stepdad. Everywhere he goes, he is known as a murderer. Laurie and her granddaughter Allyson take pity on him and decide to befriend him. Yet, Laurie sees something familiar in Corey’s eyes– evil. After a series of events, Corey seems to have finally had enough of the bullying. He dons the mask of Michael Myers and begins to get revenge on everyone who has wronged him in the past.

Now you may be wondering, “where is Michael Myers in this whole film?” After getting beaten to a pulp in the previous movie, he goes into hiding in a sewer. He is old and weak. The only time he is on screen is when Corey meets Michael and decides to learn the art of killing. They hang out together and go on murder sprees. It’s a modern-day Yoda and Luke. Besides that, we get a five-minute battle between Laurie and Michael at the end, and that’s all.

I appreciate Halloween Ends for trying to do something new. This is the 13th installment in the franchise, so seeing a murderer walk slowly for 90 minutes does get a little stale. However, this being the “last” movie does make me wish they took the traditional route. This change would have been great to give the franchise some new life, but not end it. It is still fun to see these over-the-top kills on the big screen again,and with much better camera work and effects, it helps with replayability.

I saw this in theaters–you can get a $9 ticket at the USU, which helps justify watching such a subpar film. But if $9 is too much, you can always stream it on Peacock. I don’t regret watching this movie, but it does leave me wondering– what else can be done with this franchise? Or is it as dead as Michael Myers’s victims?