Movies: Halloween Ends - October 14th, 2022

[Big Phil]

Okay, so I saw it. I am a huge Halloween fan. Some things irked me about the last trilogy though. They ignore everything from Halloween 2 all the way up until H20. None of it happens. I got over it, and still thought the latest two installments before this one were heavy on the Michael/Laurie Strode screentime, which is what the audience wants. I loved the old timers coming back in "Halloween Kills", it molded right into the story, kind of like a nice nod to the fans of the original. I am not a huge gore fan, I lean towards the idea of Psycho, Black Christmas and the original Halloween for its relying on suspense, small amount of killings, rare glimpses of blood, etc. So I was expecting this one to sort of be like the previous two, some gore just to make the new age horror fans happy. Oh well.

So I saw it yesterday. SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!: I went into it thinking that somehow someway they will make it that Michael stays alive. Granted, in the movie he would be 65 now, he's old. Laurie is old now too, and Jamie Lee Curtis can't be doing this over and over again. So I actually didn't mind how it ended with some closure. The dude is literally shredded in a wood chipper-like machine with much of the town watching. This is the sort of thing we say about all killers, "Why don't they just chop his body up to make sure he's dead?" Well, they did. It bugged me a bit in "Halloween Kills" that Sheriff Brackett didn't get to shoot him in the head at the end and he then went on a killing spree, even knocking off Tommy.

Now, there is way too little about Michael in this one. The musical score is non-existent throughout the movie for the most part. I didn't mind the beginning with Corey's story, and what happened to him. But man, did he have to be the vocal point of the movie? This is why I didn't mind how it ended. Let's stick a fork in it, there is nowhere else to go from here. I thought maybe they would make it that Corey is the next Michael. I thought, "Oh no, is this where they are going with this?" I am glad they didn't. Laurie lives, her granddaughter lives, Corey is dead, Michael is dead like he should be and even Lindsay is alive, which is nice too. I am not sure why they came up with the idea to have Michael in it for so little screen time, but this is why I think it is even more important to know that the series (I think) is done for good. Some good movies in that batch, but all great things come to an end, even if it wasn't a very good movie that ended it.

 

[Deleted member 28548]

This was the funniest review I’ve seen for the movie so far. Warning: he does spoil one of the main plots of the movie (not the ending though), so if you dont want to know much about it, watch this after seeing the movie. His imaginary phone call comedy bit was the highlight for me. He sums up my thoughts on the movie really well here.

 

[Osprey]

 

[blueandgoldguy]

I liked this guy's take on the final Jurassic Park movie. I thought it was as funny as this video.

 

[Osprey]

I liked this guy's take on the final Jurassic Park movie. I thought it was as funny as this video.

Yeah, I really liked that one, too. In fact, now that you mention it, that and Halloween Ends have similar issues in that they both sideline their main draws to follow storylines that no one asked for (in JWD, locusts instead of dinosaurs; in HE, Corey/Allyson instead of Michael/Laurie). The more ill conceived a movie is, the funnier the Pitch Meetings tend to be.

 

[Bowski]

Nice try. You suck!

 

[WeThreeKings]

I watched Halloween Kills last night and all I can say is, why has Horror as a genre mostly disintegrated into an over reliance on mass, gruesome killing, or just cgi monster shit.

None of that is scary. It just sucks.

 

[Big Phil]

I watched Halloween Kills last night and all I can say is, why has Horror as a genre mostly disintegrated into an over reliance on mass, gruesome killing, or just cgi monster shit.

None of that is scary. It just sucks.

Because the feeling is that anyone who enjoys scary movies are just slacked jawed yokels! Many are, but there are those of us that love the classic tense horror movie that has the Hitchcockian atmosphere to it. So you see that sort of thing more and more. Blame the Saw franchise for this. I thought the writing in the Saw movies were good enough on their own without relying on the gore. In fact, the first saw isn't as bad comparing to the rest. But once they realize people like a taste for blood they just keep going. They don't have the whole "less is more" mindset anymore with these movies. In other words, what is more scary is the things you DON'T see.

 

[WeThreeKings]

Because the feeling is that anyone who enjoys scary movies are just slacked jawed yokels! Many are, but there are those of us that love the classic tense horror movie that has the Hitchcockian atmosphere to it. So you see that sort of thing more and more. Blame the Saw franchise for this. I thought the writing in the Saw movies were good enough on their own without relying on the gore. In fact, the first saw isn't as bad comparing to the rest. But once they realize people like a taste for blood they just keep going. They don't have the whole "less is more" mindset anymore with these movies. In other words, what is more scary is the things you DON'T see.

Exactly.. the last horror movies I've seen which have done a better job have been things like
Get Out (which was more of a psychological thriller/horror but was so well done)
Candyman (the original is better, but they still did a good job with this one)
IT

 

[Big Phil]

Exactly.. the last horror movies I've seen which have done a better job have been things like
Get Out (which was more of a psychological thriller/horror but was so well done)
Candyman (the original is better, but they still did a good job with this one)
IT

Get Out was good. I like "Us" probably even better, but they do use the gore in the scenes where their friends die. Not necessary. The Conjuring comes to mind as another somewhat recent movie that relied on suspense mostly.

 

[blueandgoldguy]

Gore can be effective in good movies as long as it doesn't serve as the main point of the film. The Thing (1981) is a good example of that. There are lots of gross out moments in the movie, but it ultimately serves a purpose of creating a feeling of paranoia among the researchers as to whether their colleagues are actual themselves. All this occurs within a closed confined space in an isolated research facility.

Many of Cronenberg's early movies are full of gore but they are quite effective in conveying their message. There is something about an invasive organism invading the body, changing and distorting it that is so unsettling.

 

[PK Cronin]

Just saw this tonight in theaters, what a steaming pile of shit. I really disliked Halloween Kills and knew this would be worse, but I didn't realize how bad it could get. The plot was nonsensical from the start. The boyfriend's opening story should've been saved for a completely different movie, but instead it's wasted here. Just, wow.

I can't believe someone thought this was a good idea.

Spoiler: Spoiler

Spoiler: it wasn't.

 

[Bone Density]

Okay, so I saw it. I am a huge Halloween fan. Some things irked me about the last trilogy though. They ignore everything from Halloween 2 all the way up until H20. None of it happens. I got over it, and still thought the latest two installments before this one were heavy on the Michael/Laurie Strode screentime, which is what the audience wants. I loved the old timers coming back in "Halloween Kills", it molded right into the story, kind of like a nice nod to the fans of the original. I am not a huge gore fan, I lean towards the idea of Psycho, Black Christmas and the original Halloween for its relying on suspense, small amount of killings, rare glimpses of blood, etc. So I was expecting this one to sort of be like the previous two, some gore just to make the new age horror fans happy. Oh well.

So I saw it yesterday. SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!: I went into it thinking that somehow someway they will make it that Michael stays alive. Granted, in the movie he would be 65 now, he's old. Laurie is old now too, and Jamie Lee Curtis can't be doing this over and over again. So I actually didn't mind how it ended with some closure. The dude is literally shredded in a wood chipper-like machine with much of the town watching. This is the sort of thing we say about all killers, "Why don't they just chop his body up to make sure he's dead?" Well, they did. It bugged me a bit in "Halloween Kills" that Sheriff Brackett didn't get to shoot him in the head at the end and he then went on a killing spree, even knocking off Tommy.

Now, there is way too little about Michael in this one. The musical score is non-existent throughout the movie for the most part. I didn't mind the beginning with Corey's story, and what happened to him. But man, did he have to be the vocal point of the movie? This is why I didn't mind how it ended. Let's stick a fork in it, there is nowhere else to go from here. I thought maybe they would make it that Corey is the next Michael. I thought, "Oh no, is this where they are going with this?" I am glad they didn't. Laurie lives, her granddaughter lives, Corey is dead, Michael is dead like he should be and even Lindsay is alive, which is nice too. I am not sure why they came up with the idea to have Michael in it for so little screen time, but this is why I think it is even more important to know that the series (I think) is done for good. Some good movies in that batch, but all great things come to an end, even if it wasn't a very good movie that ended it.

Akkad will still want to make money off Michael Myers or Halloween. Coming to Netflix 2028: Taking Shape. Basically Halloween Ends reboot with a new Shape.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

Akkad will still want to make money off Michael Myers or Halloween. Coming to Netflix 2028: Taking Shape. Basically Halloween Ends reboot with a new Shape.

Yep.

They've let Rob Zombie and David Gordon Green take it and do their things with it. I see zero reason why it's not going to fall into the hands of someone else and get jump started again at some point.

Not sure there's much left to squeeze from this idea or story wise ... but there's certainly money to be had.

 

[eXile3]

Awesome! Nailed it.

 

[TCTC]

I watched Halloween Kills last night and all I can say is, why has Horror as a genre mostly disintegrated into an over reliance on mass, gruesome killing, or just cgi monster shit.

None of that is scary. It just sucks.

The horror genre has been a mess ever since the success of the Paranormal Activity and Saw franchises. Now all you get is senseless gore or jump scares because apparently that's what people like.
There are some gems now and then like The Witch, for example, but they're few and far between it seems.

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

Will have to see how it goes but Halloween Ends had a massive drop this weekend already

This Friday it grossed $2.47M which is 87.9% drop from its opening Friday a week ago

Normally horror films drop 60-65% in 2nd weekend (Naturally good one's with good word of mouth do not)

Halloween Kills dropped 71% in 2nd weekend as it grossed $14.5M that weekend (After $49.4M opening weekend)

All in all, the bad word of mouth from people seems to be making impact. Also, Smile and to far lesser extent Terrifier 2 are also taking away potential audience

 

[WeThreeKings]

The horror genre has been a mess ever since the success of the Paranormal Activity and Saw franchises. Now all you get is senseless gore or jump scares because apparently that's what people like.
There are some gems now and then like The Witch, for example, but they're few and far between it seems.

The first Paranormal Activity was actually really good, but I agree, 2 was terrible and it definitely helped push things downstream with Saw.

Paranormal Activity is a lesson in how not seeing anything for most of the movie makes it scarier because it's an unknown and it would akin to something you'd experience yourself if you were haunted or dealing with a poltergeist/demon.

 

[TCTC]

The first Paranormal Activity was actually really good, but I agree, 2 was terrible and it definitely helped push things downstream with Saw.

Paranormal Activity is a lesson in how not seeing anything for most of the movie makes it scarier because it's an unknown and it would akin to something you'd experience yourself if you were haunted or dealing with a poltergeist/demon.

That's why the original Blair Witch Project was so much more effective and simply better than the 2016 version. No gore, no jump scares, just the fear of the unknown. That's scary and unsettling. Jump scares are just annoying.

I agree, the first Paranormal Activity was fine. Had some good moments.

 

[blueandgoldguy]

Paranormal Activity 2 was pretty much the same thing as number 1 - didn't reveal too much of the demon so I don't know think that was the problem. The bigger issue was repeating the same basic story over and over again. People became tired of it.

Halloween Ends will probably only make $70 - $75 million domestically and probably very little on the international market. It's already being crushed by Smile which will likely make twice as much money internationally when both theatrical releases are finished. Who would have thought that would happen a few months ago?

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

Halloween Ends plunged dramatically in 2nd weekend

 

[ManwithNoIdentity]

Halloween Ends Director Responds to Fan Backlash, Reveals Scrapped Season of the Witch-Themed Ending

Halloween Ends director David Gordon Green has responded to fan backlash that netted the streaming/theatrical release a 57% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and a “C-” grade from TVLine readers — even as it emerged as the most-watched film or series of all time over a two-day period on the...

www.yahoo.com

“We never once considered making a Michael Myers Vs Laurie Strode movie,
The concept that it should be a final showdown type brawl never crossed our minds”

Uh, what?

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Halloween Ends Director Responds to Fan Backlash, Reveals Scrapped Season of the Witch-Themed Ending

Halloween Ends director David Gordon Green has responded to fan backlash that netted the streaming/theatrical release a 57% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and a “C-” grade from TVLine readers — even as it emerged as the most-watched film or series of all time over a two-day period on the...

www.yahoo.com

“We never once considered making a Michael Myers Vs Laurie Strode movie,
The concept that it should be a final showdown type brawl never crossed our minds”

Uh, what?

Their advertisement department didn't get that memo.

I love the idea that Silver Shamrock would be producing Myers' masks! Fan service or not, it would have been the best thing out of this mess.

 

[ManwithNoIdentity]

Their advertisement department didn't get that memo.

I love the idea that Silver Shamrock would be producing Myers' masks! Fan service or not, it would have been the best thing out of this mess.

I love how they’re implying fan service like it’s some silly gimmick, the entire trilogy is full of stuff inserted solely as a “look, here’s a reference to ——-“

 

[Babe Ruth]

I liked the movie but FULLY understand why folks don't. I don't have a passionate defense of it. I like that it plays around with bigger ideas (with mixed results) and isn't just a stab fest.. it is pretty light on actually Michael Myers action. Feels a bit trolly, but it amuses me.

Good post. I just watched it recently, and feel the same way. I liked it, but understand how a lot of fans viewed it as a bait-and-switch. It was focused away from Michael, and more about another fledgling killer, and an old Laurie coming to terms with her ordeal.
This one didn't have the long, tense pursuits of victims, didn't have the trademark theme rolling (much), not a large body count.. It wasn't a typical Halloween sequel, but I liked it's subtleties. I thought it was a good stripped down story of vengeance. The protégé seeking revenge against his tormentors & Laurie getting final vengeance ( it's never really final, but..).

Fellow Halloween fans who hated it, I get it.. but I liked the elements (& mood) that made it a different kind of sequel. And I do think giving co-stars more focus is actually originalist.. the first Halloween story was co-written as much about Laurie as Michael. I think by audience-demand, Michael became the star, but I don't know if that's what Carpenter & Hill had in mind(?)
I'm waiting for Make Halloween End Again.