HCA Gradebook: “Halloween Ends”

Movie: Halloween Ends
Plot: The saga of Michael Myers and Laurie Strode comes to a spine-chilling climax in the final installment of this trilogy.
Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis, Andi Matichak, James Jude Courtney, Rohan Campbell, and Will Patton
Director: David Gordon Green
Release Date: October 14, 2022
Studio: Universal Pictures
Number of Graders: 16
HCA Overall Grade: C

Demetri Panos says, “David Gordon Green puts an exclamation point on his ultimate Halloween trilogy. Halloween Ends carves out a perfect ending for Laurie Strode and Michael Myers.”

Grade: A

Rama Tampubolon says, “Halloween Ends was every bit as bloody gruesome as I hoped it would be. The star-crossed lovers’ storyline was sluggish. But ultimately it didn’t really bother me because I found it fascinating that the film basically turned both Michael and Laurie into unlikely parental figures; imprinting their understanding of good vs. evil onto their protegés. And holy smokes, the Laurie VS. Michael final battle was epic, badass, and satisfying. Jamie Lee Curtis still got it.”

Grade: B+

Catalina Combs says, “Halloween Ends is a descent ending to a franchise that has been pumping out films since the 80s. I love that it attempts to connect back to Halloween 3. It tries but the good ideas never fully form. The film seems too timid. Some of the deaths were pretty creative though.”

Grade: B+

Aaron Neuwirth says, “Yes, there have been mixed reactions to restarting the Halloween timeline (again) and daring to inject cynicism and social commentary more substantially, making me wonder how the fandom will react to a decidedly different Halloween with this latest final chapter. With that in mind, considering this is the 13th Halloween movie, the ways to push on the nature of evil still felt refreshing here, allowing for a satisfying epilogue.”

Grade: B

Zofia Wijaszka says, “Halloween Ends is an undeniably satisfying, bloody spectacle, the perfect conclusion to Laurie Strode’s eternal battle with the Boogeyman. As we bid farewell to the cult characters, the slasher provides us with food for thought, particularly on the subject of evil and how difficult it is to eradicate it due to its extraordinary ability to change Shape.”

Grade: B

Zoë Rose Bryant says, “Halloween Ends seems to be one of the most subversive (and divisive) sequels ever made, but count me as one of its supporters. Though at times its script feels like it’s split between two stories, and they don’t always blend as successfully as they should, there is much stronger social commentary from David Gordon Green and co this time around that kept me engaged, and the final fight between Michael and Laurie delivered everything that fans could ask for. A special shoutout to new star Rohan Campbell in the film’s most surprising role is also deserved.”

Grade: B

Vanessa Armstrong says, “Halloween Ends is full of suitable slasher moments, and the villain’s journey for a new character was interesting. But for Laura Strode’s final movie, I wanted her and Michael to be at the forefront rather than almost side characters. It’s a fun horror movie on its own but left me yearning for a bigger sendoff to Laurie and Michael.”

Grade: B-

Clarence Moye says, “Takes interesting risks in ushering in an “evil is within us” narrative. Good performances compensate for a few regrettable stylistic choices, and I enjoyed the enhanced focus on character over shock thrills. Definitely a step up from Halloween Kills.”

Grade: B-

Scott Mendelson says, “Halloween Ends thrives as a grounded, slice-of-life character drama before eventually becoming a Michael Myers sequel.”

Grade: B-

Dan Murrell says, “Halloween Ends finishes off an uneven trilogy with the most uneven movie of them all. While credit has to be given for a bold approach, the movie doesn’t commit all the way to a risky storyline, instead falling back on what fans have been promised since 2018’s Halloween: a showdown between Michael Myers and Laurie Strode. While the bolder choice may have been less popular, it also would have produced a better movie. Instead, Halloween Ends is a mixture of conflicting tones and story concepts, resulting in a messy movie that does the bare minimum needed to tie up old stories while failing to launch any interesting new ones.”

Grade: C

John Nguyen says, “Halloween Ends suffers from a new plot and character that nobody asked for. It’s an interesting concept, but it takes away time from what people really want to see, which is Laurie Strode and Michael Myers action! The third act does get to that, and it was a satisfying ending.”

Grade: C-

Anthony Digioia says, “Halloween Ends was…average. It attempts to explore a dense character arc in a single movie when it had a trilogy to seed it properly. It’s sluggish out of the gate and unnecessarily long. The intensity of the finale is a delight as Curtis finally gets something to do, yet it all feels fictitious and lacking focus on the battle between Strode and Myers this final entry should have been.”

Grade: C-

Ricky Valero says, “Halloween Ends is another failed attempt to reignite what the 2018 film brought to the table. The lackluster story structure followed by the poor character development brings one of the worst installments of this storied franchise. I hope we close this chapter on Myers for good.”

Grade: D+

Nancy Tapia says, “Lots of mixed feelings for this ending. It felt like I was watching two different films. Eventually, Halloween Ends kicks in with the ending it deserved. Still the side characters took way too much from Laurie Strode and Michael Myers’ ending.”

Grade: D+

Rick Bentley says, “If this truly is the end of the “Halloween” franchise as the name of Halloween Ends would suggest, it is sad that Michael Myers didn’t get to die with some shred of dignity. This production from director David Gordon Green is a jumbled mess of ideas and unrelated thoughts where Myers has been reduced to a supporting player rather than the omnipresent figure of evil that made him one of the great horror figures of all time.”

Grade: D+

Sara Clements says, “Laurie Strode deserved better. As Haddonfield begins to project their pain and anger onto someone else in Michael Myers’ absence, the point of adding a new character in Corey does start to make sense. However, as we get to know this character and how he changes, it takes away from Laurie’s story. She wasn’t in Halloween Kills very much, so this film needed to be about her, first and foremost, and it’s the opposite. Luckily, Laurie and Michael’s final moments at each other throats are rewarding. Both are hard to watch and impossible to look away from. It’s a satisfying, bloody conclusion to this franchise and to an otherwise mediocre entry.”

Grade: D+

Halloween Ends is now playing in theaters and is available to stream exclusively on Peacock