credit: Miramax
It all ends on October 14, 2022.
For over four decades, Michael Myers has been a looming force that has haunted Laurie Strode and the citizens of Haddonfield, Illinois. When John Carpenter introduced the small independent film in 1978, the filmmaker surely didn’t expect the slasher flick to become such a box office sensation. Going off the basic premise of a crazed serial killer (who may or may not be supernatural) stalking his sister, he he set a benchmark on what a slasher should be and created an iconic villain. Nevertheless, the film managed to gross $70 million during its box office run in 1978 and became one of the most successful independent films of all time. It also created a star out of Jamie Lee Curtis.
Fast forward to 2022, and this is where it’s all supposed to end. Whether this franchise ends on October 14 is still a mystery, but the marketing is billing the final battle between Laurie Strode and Michael Myers. Of course, Curtis will return to reprise her iconic role, and the cast will also feature Andi Matichak, James Jude Courtney, Will Patton, Rohan Campbell, Kyle Richards, Nick Castle, and Judy Greer.
Following the surprise success of the first film, Halloween sequels were made. Unfortunately, the sequels didn’t mainly live up to the original feature. Rob Zombie took over the franchise with a fresh coat of paint, and while the filmmaker made an exciting decision to give Myers some layers on how he became the monster that he is today, the iconic villain lost most of his charisma and what ultimately made him scary. The Zombie films didn’t exactly help further the franchise; at that point, the Halloween saga seemed like nothing more than a studio cash cow at this point until the surprise return of the franchise going back to basics for the series, which saw Strode make her return in the 2018 reboot.
That feature reconned the previous nine movies and labeled itself as the official sequel to the 1978 classic. Halloween (2018) was a massive success, opening to an astounding $76.2 million, quickly making its ten million production budget back in one day. Halloween would go on to gross $256 million worldwide, and a trilogy was confirmed. Both critics and fans praised the reboot/sequel, and it seemed that the franchise curse had finally been broken. Then Halloween Kills happened. The film came out during the pandemic, so it was under the daily release deal, but that wasn’t an excuse for the disappointing return of Michael Myers and Jamie Lee Curtis. Still, it checked off the necessary boxes for its second installment, and now audiences will witness the final chapter of the iconic villain. Does this mean that Michael Myers is a dead man? We don’t know yet, but director David Gordon Green was still playing with the climax of the final film;
Credit: Halloween
“It changes every day,” Green told Empire. “In theory, the picture is locked, but this morning I called the editor and said, ‘What if we do this one thing… There is, after all, pressure to get it right – Ends not only marking the end of this Halloween continuity but the end (again) for Jamie Lee Curtis’ iconic screen queen Laurie. I regularly speak with John [Carpenter] and Jamie Lee Curtis about it, says Green. “It’s exciting, uncertain, satisfying, and sad. I’ve enjoyed the ride, but it’s probably time to get off. I think we’re going to go out with a bang.”
Whether good or bad, Halloween Ends mark the celebration and closure of a film that changed the slasher genre forever. As previously stated, Halloween Ends will be released in theaters and Peacock Premium on October 14.
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