Reviews for Halloween Ends are online, and the overall reaction is definitely mixed. It's never an easy task to complete a trilogy – especially one that is an extension of a beloved franchise – and a lot of people have a lot of opinions about how director David Gordon Green has brought an end to his three-part Laurie Strode/Michael Myers story. There are plenty of negative takes out there, but one standout voice supporting the film is genre legend Stephen King, who has given the blockbuster horror sequel his stamp of approval.
Stephen King evidently got the opportunity to see a pre-release screening of Halloween Ends, and he took to his personal Twitter account to share his thoughts. It doesn't sound like it's a film that is going to make his Top 10 list for 2022 (he's much more enthusiastic about Smile, for example), but he did offer praise and mockingly pointed out what he sees as the key ingredient that makes it work. Check out his Tweet below:
I enjoyed HALLOWEEN ENDS. It doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it's--gasp!--surprisingly character driven.October 13, 2022
Any Constant Reader will tell you that the power of Stephen King's work comes from the fact that his characters are so well drawn and captivating, so it's not exactly surprising to see him drawn to that kind of material in the fiction of others. The slasher subgenre is full of films featuring empty vessels being slaughtered by a bloodthirsty maniac, but King clearly doesn't see Halloween Ends as being a part of that lame tradition.
The new sequel is set four years after the events depicted in 2018's Halloween and Halloween Kills, and it centers on Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak) as they try and live normal lives in the aftermath of Michael Myers' last savage attack. Unfortunately, however, Michael still remains on the loose in Haddonfield, Illinois, and the evil he represents infects everything in the town – including a burgeoning relationship that Allyson forms with Corey (Rohan Campbell), a young man with his own dark past.
Like the previous two Halloween movies from David Gordon Green, Halloween Ends continues Laurie Strode's journey to recover from her Michael Myers-related trauma, and the movie isn't purely about the villain violently murdering her friends and neighbors (though that definitely is a part of the experience). Clearly that's something that Stephen King appreciated about it.
For those who wish to form their own opinion, Halloween Ends is arriving in theaters this weekend and tickets are on sale – though Peacock subscribers will also have the option to watch the film at home. And if you're curious about all of the other scary movies that are set to be released in the 2022 spooky season, check out our Upcoming Horror Movies feature.
For all of you Stephen King fans out there, you can keep track of all developing adaptations of his books with our Upcoming Stephen King Movies and TV guide, and learn about the full history of King's work being brought to life with my weekly Adapting Stephen King column.
