David Gordon Green’s “Halloween Ends,” the final chapter of the rebooted Michael Myers trilogy, screened in New Jersey on Tuesday evening. Here’s a reaction:
“The film is a terrible embarrassment for all concerned. Extraordinarily predictable and you can see every single jump scare and "twist" coming from a mile away. Jamie Lee Curtis narrates the film but she's only a major presence at the end. The main character is actually Rohan Campbell, he's in almost every scene for much of the film. The tortured romance between him and Andi Matichak is the main focus. Both Campbell and Matichak are terrible. The ending is incredibly cheesy and a lot of fan service but Halloween fans will probably get what they wanted. The audience seemed into it but there were also some snickers near me.”
I know John Carpenter is producing this one, but couldn’t he have just taken over the directorial reigns? Carpenter’s oeuvre (The Thing, They Live, Escape From New York) has had a serious reevaluation the last decade or so. What was considered exploitative back in the day is now probably the most influential filmography for young horror filmmakers in the 21st century.
Carpenter hasn’t made a movie since 2010’s “The Ward.” What gives? He should bank on his newfound critical reappraisal to make a new film. There’s demand for it and, compared to Coppola, Scorsese, and many other of his still-active peers, he’s just 74.