Halloween Ends Book Review
The town of Haddonfield still lives in the shadow of Michael Myers. It has been four years since he mysteriously vanished. As Laurie attempts to put the tragedies of her past behind her, Allyson is desperate to get away from life with her grandmother in the dead-end town scorched by bloodshed.
When local outcast Corey Cunningham discovers the truth of Michael’s whereabouts, he inadvertently unleashes a new wave of violence. With Haddonfield once more the backdrop to murderous impulses, Allyson endeavors to escape as Laurie prepares for one final confrontation with her boogeyman.
Horror Book Review: Halloween Ends
It is only fitting that I finish my readings of the New Halloween trilogy with Halloween Ends on October 30, 2024. Having waited impatiently for another year following the conclusion of Halloween Kills with its foreboding cliffhanger, we finally saw the end of the trilogy. I must say that I had many mixed emotions at its conclusion. It wasn’t until maybe a month or so later that I could have a confident conversation about my feelings towards the film. I was both pleased and very disappointed with the film. Pleased because it was different and bold. I liked where they were going. Displeased because the execution just didn’t match the style of the rest of the trilogy. It would have worked as a standalone film, or if they had introduced the concept earlier in the trilogy. However, putting it at the end of the trilogy was too abrupt and out of left field. Still, I welcomed the introduction of Corey Cunningham.
I was excited to watch the film and eager to see where they took the finality of this trilogy, but when the Corey storyline was shoved in my face, I was taken aback. It was rare to see filmmakers of the franchise be so bold and try something completely different that sidelined their headliner, Michael Myers, for a good portion of the film. Again, I was taken aback, but I sat and patiently waited as I watched with meager curiosity. Still, I remained open-minded, and eventually, I got on board. This was different… until it wasn’t. Initially, I was pulled out of the narrative when I realized what they were doing, then they drew me back into the story when they sidelined Laurie Strode because, as established in Halloween Kills, she was unimportant in this story. But, again for the box office draw, the film was being billed as the final “showdown” between Laurie and Michael. Even the poster suggests a rivalry with their backs pressed against one another in a menacing and combative posture. It’s probably one of the worst posters and movie artworks in the franchise. I swear I chuckle every time I see it.
There were a few things in the film that I found puzzling and left me to ponder what may be happening. These moments caught me off guard but, again, I welcomed them because it was different. As established in Halloween Kills, Michael Myers is a supernatural being that can withstand a number of hazards that render bullets and fire useless and powerless against him. Halloween (2018) teetered that fine line on whether Myers was a simple man in a mask or something else, something inhuman. By the time we get to Halloween Ends, all bets are off. Still, I needed more answers that the film did not provide or, rather, let us interpret what was happening. I understood what seemed to be happening in the film and I was onboard with it because, in the direction it seemed like they were headed, this made room for more different future Halloween films. But, alas, this was not the case and by the end of the film, I was utterly disappointed that the filmmakers didn’t have the cojones to follow through with what they introduced.
I was interested in reading this novelization to see if the author, Paul Brad Logan, could salvage what I thought was a film that had potential. Of course, I expected a lot to be the same, as the main beats, plot points, and actions needed to be hit to fall in line with the film. After all, it is the film’s novelization and not a screen adaptation of the film. I am happy to say that Logan delivered, and I enjoyed Halloween Ends thoroughly. While Halloween Kills was a fun read that followed a pissed-off Michael Myers while being lynched by the townsfolk, very much like Frankenstein’s monster, Halloween Ends follows Corey Cunningham. Following a horrific accident that resulted in the death and the disappearance of Michael Myers, Cunningham is labeled the “new” boogeyman. He too, like Myers, becomes an outcast, an “other” – a killer. I was interested in Corey’s story and how he is “shaped” by society into becoming that “other” and eventual killer. Sure, that is no excuse to kill people but, in this universe, the cinematic one, it piqued my interest.
Logan made the story more intriguing by adding more information to it. It made me care more for Allyson’s plight and even Corey’s. The book also expands on what we saw in Halloween Kills, where Michael’s evil infects the town. The townsfolk, like Laurie, harp and hold on to the past, not letting go and turning their fears and anger against one another. Michael, on the other hand, is absent, yet his aura, and evil, lingers. For what it’s worth, Laurie was not very likable, but then again, I was not a fan of her story arc in this trilogy simply because it really didn’t make sense to me. Despite this, Logan is able to salvage this last installment of the trilogy the best he can. Again, I am a big fan of where the story was headed only to be swiped away in favor of fan service and having that final showdown with Michael and Laurie which, again, does not make sense.
The authors of Halloween Kills (Tim Waggoner) and Halloween Ends (Paul Brad Logan) worked with an inherited script, so they were met with challenges right off the bat. With Halloween Ends, Logan was able to build a more cohesive story with the exclusion of Michael Myers. This is when I found my interest peaked. Whenever Michael, or Laurie for that matter, were included in the narrative, I rolled my eyes because here, in this novel, the two were add-ons and did not play a pivotal role until the book’s conclusion because, well, we “needed” that final confrontation. At this point in the book and movie, I checked out because of the choices made by the creators. Why introduce something and not see it through? Because of this, I had to take away a few points. Still, this was a great read and, like the movie, if only they stuck to their guns and saw it through to the end, it would have made for both a better film and book.