Following the release of David Gordon Green’s “Halloween” sequel in 2018, the “Halloween” franchise has experienced an extraordinary increase in popularity. The revival was well received by both critics and fans (via Rotten Tomatoes), and it earned more than $250 million at the box office (via Box Office Mojo). As a result, a sequel is almost certain to be produced, despite the fact that the original film’s slasher villain Michael Myers (James Jude Courtney) was killed by Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis).
Unfortunately, Green delivered a movie with “Halloween Kills” that many critics thought to be considerably inferior to the work he had done previously. Even though the COVID-19 pandemic is probably also partially to blame, the film’s audience reception, critical consensus, and box office numbers all suffered as a result (via Rotten Tomatoes). The film was divisive, to say the least, and as a result, its audience reception, critical consensus, and box office numbers all suffered.
The conclusion of the Halloween film franchise is shaping up to be something of a gamble for moviegoers, despite the fact that a lot of fans have been keeping their fingers crossed that the third and final instalment of the Halloween trilogy, titled “Halloween Ends,” will help to put things back on the right track.
The Reviews for Halloween Ends Are a Mixed Bag
As this article is being prepared, “Halloween Kills” has received a score of 47% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is considered to be average. This opinion is based on the opinions of 66 critics who have seen the film but have not yet provided their feedback, which means that this number is subject to significant change as more people witness the terrifying movie. Even still, the conclusion of the “Halloween” narrative does not appear to be going in a positive direction at this point.
“Like watching a backdoor pilot episode for a ‘Tales of Haddonfield’ anthology horror series, where scary things happen on October 31 but are only tangentially related to the original films,” said William Bibbiani of The Wrap. “Like watching a backdoor pilot episode for a ‘Tales of Haddonfield’ anthology horror series.” In the meantime, Jason Bailey of The Playlist had a similarly pessimistic assessment of “Halloween Ends,” stating: “I’ll say this: even as a fan of the franchise, when the title popped up at the end of “Halloween Ends,” I found myself wishing to God that they weren’t kidding.” [Citation needed]
Despite this, some people didn’t have such a negative reaction to the slasher sequel as others did. According to Adam Graham of The Detroit News, “Halloween Ends does a lot inside the frame of a horror sequel, making it more than a monster movie, but also a human narrative.” If the early indications are any indication, it seems that “Halloween Ends” will definitely be dividing audiences, even though many viewers will undoubtedly be rushing out to theatres to find out for themselves this spooky season. However, it is likely that many viewers will be rushing out to theatres to find out for themselves this Halloween.