Hello everyone and welcome back to BlazinBlue's Review. I know it's been a little bit crazy around here. But I've been trying to drop things as I can. It's just a bit of a busy season around here.
Last week, we received the latest installment in the Halloween franchise with Halloween Ends. As one would expect, it has been an incredibly divisive film. I know seeing all the discourse on Twitter reminds me of when Kills was released. There was a large group that hated it. There was a large group that loved it. For those that didn't like it, they really found things to not like. And for those that love it, they definitely find things to really love about it. I would like to say that if you are someone that doesn't like it, please don't give people shit for like it. The same goes for those that liked it, don't go and shit on people for not liking it.
As of this writing, we have also received the novelization for Halloween Ends. I've taken some time to dive into it. It was written by the writer for Ends as well, Paul Brad Logan. It's an incredibly interesting read. It definitely does a wonderful job of opening up the film even more. We are able to get more time with characters and things are able to have some time to breathe. One of the things that I wasn't surprised with was Corey's mother. It's a character that I found myself questioning a lot in the film itself. But the book takes the character to a whole nother level. I highly recommend giving it a read.
Last year, we dove through the Halloween Franchise entirely in preparations for Kills. It was a fun experience. But I found myself beginning to wonder whether to cover the entire franchise again in this ranking or if I go smaller with just this timeline. I honestly don't know if I'd be changing much of my ranking for the non-HallowGreen films. Each one I do manage to find something interesting to like - yes, even the Rob Zombie installments.
It all led to this as I decided to focus on the David Gordon Green installments solely. Some may even call this the Haddonfield Saga or the HallowGreen Saga. It's a set of films that honestly went out to do something different than before. When we originally saw Halloween '18 and Kills, it felt a little like a greatest hits. However as we look at it overall now, this is Haddonfield's story.
3) HALLOWEEN KILLS
This installment is a pure slasher take on a Halloween film. We are very clearly seeing Michael in his element. He's not hiding in the shadows no more. He is clearly enjoying the night he returned.
Last year, I enjoyed the film a lot. It was interesting, especially seeing that flashback sequence. However, Evil Dies Tonight was something that I felt the film held a little close too. The whole aspect of Laurie trying to say that the more Michael killed, the more he became something else felt cheesy. It's honestly an aspect that doesn't even seem to matter anymore. I guess I'd chalk Laurie being wrong about that like she kept insisting Michael was coming after her. Kind of lets one wonder just what meds Laurie was on from her surgery.
The ending of the film was a bit of a letdown. It felt like things were propelling themselves into something a little more substantial. Michael vs. Laurie, here we go. Except we already got that with Halloween H20.
The whole Extended Edition aspect of the home release felt even more like a cheap marketing ploy. Some may even say a throwback to marketing for 'Unrated and All-New' experience for DVDs those years ago. Especially with the 'extended' ending.
It just now feels a little hollow and more like a placeholder film. One thing I will say is seeing the effect that Michael to the townspeople is pretty interesting.
2) HALLOWEEN 2018
Halloween 2018 was the one that brought Michael Myers back to the big screen. Instead of the Rob Zombie version, we witnessed the return of the Boogeyman - this is The Shape.
This was very much The Force Awakens. It's even more obvious after the release of Ends. It's a nice return to form.
At its core, its incredibly in the vein of '78. Things take a little more time to pan out. There are definitely some aspects that I still find myself scratching my head. The biggest one being Dr. Sartain and the Podcasters. Why was it absolutely necessary for Michael to kill the podcasters? Why did both of them have to die? Why couldn't at least one survive? I found myself interested in what they could have been. It'd honestly be New Loomis feel probably. But better than just throwing them away like they did. A missed opportunity.
Sartain's whole wanting to know more of Michael's dark side is still cheesy as hell. Yeah, it's an Anti-Loomis approach. But it also could have been a little more in the vein of The Man in Black. As much as The Thorn Trilogy is a bit of a hot point, it'd been natural approach for Sartain.
Seeing Laurie and her family is still interesting. I honestly wish we could have been given more time with them. As much as some may dislike 'I got peanut butter on my penis', the whole family aspect was working really well. And in subsequent revisits, I've grown to love it.
1) HALLOWEEN ENDS
Halloween Ends was something that I wasn't expecting. I was going into the film expecting more of Laurie vs. Michael. Maybe even the final bout to be a bit more bigger. However, it was a complete curve ball for me.
I wasn't expecting the film to be the breath of fresh air that it is. Yes, it's a Halloween film. It may not have been the one that many were expecting. I mean I know there was a lot of people expecting a Michael film like the previous two films.
But from the opening, it's obvious that this isn't Michael's film. This is Corey's story. Could Corey have been introduced in Halloween '18 and Kills? Absolutely. Some may even say that it would have added to the films coherency seeing Corey in the background. It probably could have helped illustrate that these films are Haddonfield's story ultimately. But ya know, I'm happy with what we got.
This is something that honestly shows that Halloween films do not necessarily have to focus so heavily on Michael. It also does highlight a little more just how much Michael effected the town. I mean look at the glimpses of the townspeople murders at the beginning. What happened with that? I know there's a theory running around that those were people that witnessed Michael in the sewers and the evil influenced them as well. If that was made a little more clear, it'd be interesting.
However, I like seeing that as the film went on and Corey gained power - Michael lost his. The town literally kept calling Corey a monster and pushing him. It was no surprise that he finally allowed himself to turn into what they thought he was.
Seeing Laurie picking up and transforming into her past self was interesting. The whole grocery scene was nice. I was expecting to see more of Hawkins. Bit of a missed opportunity.
And then there's Allyson. There honestly was a lot seeing where she could have been. But seeing how much Laurie is clinging to her, it definitely makes sense that Allyson isn't doing the greatest. She's a bit lost like Corey. So, it's nice seeing the two of them together as they do find something within one another at first. But then, they go to the Halloween Party at the Bar and it just goes down from there. But kudos for her to finally taking a step forward by getting out.
Ends just was able to capture my attention in a way that the previous two films failed to do. It was a bit fresh. It's an installment that I have now found myself watching 5 times and still finding new stuff. One of my thoughts that I wondered was maybe part of Ends happened in Corey's mind - or least through his perspective and he's not exactly a reliable narrator.
Honestly, I keep seeing this film as a whole being seen through Corey's perspective overall. Especially with the scene of Laurie and Corey in the Mitchell house. Pardon me if I got Jeremy's last name wrong.
The only small thing that wished would have tightened up was the funeral procession at the end. It just felt tacked on.
And like I mentioned before, the novelization offers a deeper look at the film's story.
Thank you all for checking this out. If you like my content, feel free to follow me on Facebook Twitter and Instagram. Feel free to tell your friends as well. And I'll see you guys next time.
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