2022 UK Releases Ranked
Halloween Ranked

“I hope you find love.”

After really disliking the previous entry of this franchise I went into this one with absolutely zero expectations. Honestly though, I had a blast with this one? I totally understand why this has been such a polarising movie. Is it a bit of jumbled mess? Sure, but it’s an entertaining ride throughout. A drastic shift in what has been set up before, but kinda exactly what this franchise needed, it’s a shame they only decided to take a different direction in what they’re calling the ‘last one’. 

It takes a lot of swings with where it goes with the story, but I think a lot of them really land. Shifting our focus onto the character of Corey, with parallels aplenty of how the town treats him and Michael Myers, allowing the audience to watch a new evil rising in this troubled town. It’s a shame this character was only introduced here in the final part of the trilogy. His story is interesting to watch, but can feel rushed as they try to do so much in a short space of time, as well as ending Laurie and Michael’s story. The story does ramp up for its third act finale, the final showdown of the characters is exciting and satisfying, but also sort of rushed. 

I wouldn’t even exactly call this movie a horror. There are kills here still but not as many as the previous couple of movies. Some do feel awfully brutal and there’s a great use of practical effects, and fun originality to the brutality of some of the deaths. John Carpenter’s music cues work perfectly, and there is a sense of tension rising throughout. It’s still all shot nicely, with some nice cinematography and once again a sense that Hattonfield is almost a character in of itself, with little snippets and mentions of the town as a whole descending into chaos. 

The characters thankfully get much more development here, and it helps that the performances are all great. Jamie Lee Curtis is fantastic as Laurie and this really does feel like the natural ending to her story. Andi Matichak does a good job as well, finally allowing her to actually get more to do that previous movies. I know Corey is going to be a divisive character, but I thought Rohan Campbell did a brilliant job. His descent from troubled but likeable into a darkness that overpowers him is well performed and written. 

Flawed certainly, but a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy and 40 years of Laurie’s story. I totally get why people aren’t on board with this, but I had a blast! I wish the second film had landed more, otherwise this would have been a pretty great trilogy.