The “Halloween” franchise, in its nearly 45-year lifespan, has definitely seen its ups and downs. The original 1978 film by John Carpenter is a masterpiece, and some of the sequels have been quite entertaining. However, other installments have included Busta Rhymes, a part of the Cult of Thorn, and two gritty remakes by Rob Zombie. When the franchise rebooted in 2018, it was promising to be a trilogy that would end the series properly. Now comes “Halloween Ends,” which looks to be the final battle between Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and Michael Myers.

Four years after his massacre through Haddenfield, Michael Myers still holds a grip over the town. Every year, the mere fear of The Boogeyman’s return has brought tragedy. However, while the town struggles to move on, Laurie and her granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak) seemingly have, or at least try to. Eventually, the evil of Michael Myers does return, and one final showdown will begin. 

Well, sort of. While the film is advertised as a straightforward “Halloween” film, that could not be farther from the truth. The advertising flat out lies. Now, there is nothing inherently wrong with subverting expectations. After all, this is the 13th movie in the franchise, so mixing things up is not unwarranted. Unfortunately, this simply does not work when it is the final film in a trilogy. This is especially true when nothing in the previous two films really establishes the majority of the film. In fact, much of the previous two films feel like filler.

Without giving too much away, even though this is likely to be Jamie Lee Curtis’s last time in the franchise, this film decides to focus entirely on a new character we’ve never met before. While he is played by a talented actor, the film does not know what to do with him and he’s unfortunately the one we spend the most time with. Michael Myers is also sidelined, even more than Laurie. He does not show up until 45 minutes into this 1 hour and 50 minute movie and is on-screen for a total of 10 minutes. It is kind of ridiculous how he’s treated in his final film.

“Halloween Ends” certainly isn’t the worst film in the franchise, and if I have to give one positive note to the film is that the kills are spectacular as ever, but still, this is a terrible note for these characters to go out on. The script is a giant mess; the returning characters are put on the bench to make way for pointless and irritating new characters who are only here to rack up the body count. Perhaps if the story beats and elements introduced here were at least established even a little in the first two films, maybe it would’ve worked better. As it stands, since it’s all new material being introduced, everything is given little time to breathe and leaves the moments we have been building towards feel completely hollow.

“Halloween Ends” is currently streaming on Peacock and in theaters.

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