To audiences, David Gordon Green’s Halloween Ends is the blockbuster conclusion to the modern Halloween trilogy and the epic battle between Laurie Strode and Michael Myers – but it obviously means a lot more than that to the people who made it. The cast and filmmakers have been working together on these three movies for half-a-decade, and their hard work and collaboration has forged strong bonds and relationships. And that’s all without factoring in the impact of a 40-plus-year franchise legacy.
The making of 2018’s Halloween, Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends has meant a lot to a lot of people, so naturally it was an emotional experience when it all came to an end and everybody had to say goodbye.
Earlier this month I had the opportunity to interview David Gordon Green and the stars of Halloween Ends during the New York press day for the film, and – as captured in the video at the top of this article – I asked them about wrapping principal photography and what the experience of saying goodbye was like. As described by the writer/director, everybody came together after the final take featuring Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode, and what made it particularly special was recognizing the faces of so many people who also worked on the previous two features in the trilogy. Said Gordon Green,
It's a beautiful thing. The last shot of Jamie, we have this moment we call everybody over and everybody kind of looks each other in the eye and we know this long journey that we've had – because we have the exact same crew on all three films. Everyone from our production sound mixer and production designer and costume designer and cinematographer and AD, many of the PAs, it's just the same people that you're around for three movies. And it's not always easy days, but it's a group of people that you really trust.
Making one movie let alone three requires immense dedication and fortitude in the face of many ups and downs, which makes what everyone did in the making of the modern Halloween trilogy an accomplishment. That was something that was clearly felt and understood when it came time to complete production, and David Gordon Green said that the emotions lasted from the last call of “cut” on set to the sun rising on the next day:
When you're coming to that conclusion and know we're moving on, we're putting to rest our story, it really was an emotional thing. We carry it from that moment of saying goodbye to Jamie to the sun coming up and we're in the hotel lobby just having a drink and looking at each other with that great appreciation and exhaustion.
Of course, Jamie Lee Curtis has a different perspective than everyone else. She was front and center back in 1978 when John Carpenter introduced the world to the terror of Michael Myers with the original Halloween, and she has had a tremendous journey with the franchise in the decades since (including some great sequels and some not so great ones).
When it comes to the subject of playing Laurie Strode again, Jamie Lee Curtis has expressed a “never say never” attitude – but the future is unknown, and meanwhile the actor knows what Halloween Ends means to people right now. So when it came to her last day on set of the new movie, she was filled with gratitude for not only the people who worked on the film, but for everyone in the world who has been a part of the cinematic journey. Said Curtis,
It's just the nature of saying goodbye to people or saying hello to people is powerful. The crew that I work with – I've made three movies with in five years – that group of people became very close to me. I'm ultimately saying goodbye to fans. I don't know if you're a fan of these movies... ok, well then I'm saying goodbye to you. And I'm saying thank you to you and I'm saying thank you to them.
Jamie Lee Curtis is recognized as a horror genre legend, and her role as final girl Laurie Strode has been inspirational for many fans. Continuing, she explained that she knows how much the character means to a lot of people beyond what it has meant to her own life and career, and that made saying goodbye all the more significant:
I am this center point of Halloween, and I take that role very seriously. I don't joke about it. I feel a great responsibility and integrity to tell that story and to represent all that Laurie Strode is to everyone with strength and courage, and yet I'm a human being and an artist, and I'm saying goodbye.
Audiences can now experience the big finale for themselves, as Halloween Ends is now playing in theaters (it’s #1 at the box office) and available to stream with a Peacock subscription. You can learn about more scary films on the way in the months ahead with our Upcoming Horror Movies feature, and learn about everything that’s being released between now and the end of the year with our 2022 Movie Release Calendar.
