'Halloween Ends,' and that's probably a good thing | Movie commentary

Oct. 14—Love it or hate it, "Halloween Kills" is undeniably Michael Myers' film.

The kills and the gore were enough for any horror fan.

Some complained when an injured Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) sat virtually helpless in a hospital bed for most of the 2021 film — the sequel to "Halloween," the mega-successful 2018 "sequel" to the 1978 original of the same name.

So when "Halloween Ends" was marked for an October 2022 release, fans were ready for all-out final battle royale pitting Myers against Strode.

Fans get that in "Ends" — and there's enough there to satisfy the gore hounds looking for a cool, bloody conclusion — but it's the journey to that point that is decidedly odd and weird. It's in theaters and available to stream on Peacock.

After "Kills," director David Gordon Green revealed "Ends" would take place four years later. He compared "Ends" to a coming-of-age story similar to the 1983 film "Christine, based on the Stephen King book. The "Christine" vibes are felt here but, unfortunately, we're talking about a Halloween film, and that's where "Ends" comes up short.

In the build-up to "Ends," Curtis said the film would be "shocking" and "make people very angry." Curtis probably had no idea how true her latter statement would be.

A few fans walking out of a recent "Halloween Kills" advanced screening were angry at what they just watched. Opinions seem all over the board.

The film opens a year after the events of the first two films, and we're introduced to Corey Cunningham (Rohan Campbell), a high-schooler who's babysitting a young boy named Jeremy. A prank by Jeremy goes wrong, and it leads to his accidental death, but Corey is accused of Jeremy's death. It's never explained later in the film, but Corey is a free man three years later. But while the opening sequence plays, the audience is waiting for Michael Myers to appear and wreak havoc. It never happens.

That's red flag No. 1 is a series of red flags throughout. Where's you-know-who?

The absence of Myers in the film's opening is a clever trick by Green and the writers. Just not sure fans were ready for a mostly Michael-less Halloween film.

In 1982, that's what the fans got with "Halloween III: Season of the Witch." It's become a cult favorite in a small circle of horror fans, but it's the only Halloween film that didn't directly involve Michael Myers. The reviews weren't kind, and it tanked at the box office.

The Halloween franchise went on hiatus until six years later in 1988 with "Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers." Eight films and more than 30 years later, fans get to process "Halloween Ends."

Like any work of art, some will admire and appreciate it. Some will look at it as trash.

No matter the take, "Halloween Ends" needs to be applauded in one respect: This isn't the same old "Halloween" movie. After 12 films, the franchise was due for a different approach. Still, fans love what they love, and they love Michael Myers.

Here's the problem — "Halloween Ends" isn't that.

Green's "Halloween" trilogy explores themes. The 2018 film — meant as a direct sequel to the 1978 original ,with no links to all subsequent flicks — focused on how people deal with tragedy and the effect it has on others. "Kills" — not well-received by most critics — tried (and failed, many believe) to use a mob-mentality subplot ("Evil dies tonight!") to exact revenge on Michael, and how that line of thinking sometimes plays out.

In "Ends," the theme centers around the town of Haddonfield, which has a new town pariah in Corey — whom many still blame for the death of Jeremy. Haddonfield just can't catch a break. Is Haddonfield always destined for evil? Draw your own conclusion.

Meanwhile, Laurie is acting like a changed woman. She's writing her memoir and has a new home that's no longer the military compound in the woods from the 2018 film. She lives with her granddaughter Allyson, a struggling nurse still dealing with the trauma of the first two films and the death of her mother at the hands of Michael.

Laurie is still blamed by many in town for the carnage left in Michael's wake. Why? Probably because there's no one else to blame. The others pile on Corey.

Because this is a Halloween film, Corey (of course) must stumble upon Michael, who really isn't gone from Haddonfield. He lives on the outskirts of town in a sewer with a mysterious homeless man guarding the spot. The how and why aren't explained, and it's frustrating.

Equally frustrating is Corey's path to the dark side. The mystery of the evil with Michael has always been a talking point throughout the franchise. Some don't want an answer, and that's fine. But Corey's storyline is clunky, confusing and mostly nonsensical — as is the romance between Corey and Allyson that develops.

All that's left (finally) is the main event — Laurie vs. Michael. It pays off, and fans will cheer but how they got to this point makes absolutely no sense. Better execution was needed.

Where the franchise goes from here is anyone's guess. Producer Jason Blum of Blumhouse Productions — a leader in modern horror films — said this is the last Halloween film from the studio. Blum said the rights of the film series go back to Producer Malek Akkad, whose fatherm Moustapha Akkadm produced the original.

That was 1978, when times were much simpler for Michael Myers.