Credit: Universal StudiosHalloween Ends (2022) is the final installment in the latest series of Halloween films from director David Gordon Green and Blumhouse Productions, which started with Halloween (2018) and continued with last year’s Halloween Kills (2021).
Despite being the 11th entry in the franchise, Halloween (2018) ignores every sequel since John Carpenter’s original Halloween (1978), so that it doesn’t have to deal with all the baggage and convoluted plotlines established in those interim films, including the brother/sister storyline.
And indeed it was a return to norm for the franchise, continuing with the idea that Michael Myers (James Jude Courtney) is nothing more than a man in a mask, while only hinting that there’s something supernatural at play (he can, after all, take a lot of damage and walk away unscathed).
However, the truth is that Halloween (2018) was intended as a one-off film. But after grossing over $255 million at the global box office, David Gordon Green and Blumhouse Productions wasted no time in getting to work on two more Halloween sequels.
Unfortunately, Halloween Kills undoes a lot of the fine work established in its 2018 predecessor. Despite seeing Michael Myers trapped in a burning cage at the end of that film, he somehow survives in the 2021 sequel, and unleashes hell upon the residents of Haddonfield once again.
There are also many moments in Halloween Kills where Michael takes seemingly fatal blows to his body, only to get back up again. However, David Gordon Green stated in interviews that Michael isn’t immortal — that he’s capable only of “extraordinary” things, not impossible things.
And so we arrive at Halloween Ends, a sequel that has cut the fanbase down the middle like a hot knife through a pumpkin on the turn. In fact, some fans have launched a petition to have the film rebooted, while some Halloween stars themselves have even criticized the film.
But love it or hate it, does Halloween Ends finally address whether or not Michael Myers — this version of him, at least — is supernatural? Is he the real bogeyman, or is he just a man in a mask, as Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) puts it?
Well, there are a handful of scenes in the film that suggest he is supernatural…
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1. The “Transference of Evil”
When troubled teen Corey Cunningham (Rohan Campbell) first meets Michael Myers in the sewers, where he has been hiding for four years since Halloween Kills, the two appear to share a telepathic connection of some kind when they stare into each other’s eyes.
However, David Gordon Green since suggested in an interview that this “transference of evil”, as fans call it, isn’t literal. As such, it can be viewed that Michael sees something in Corey that he can relate to, while for Corey, looking into Michael’s eyes simply unlocks the evil inside him.
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2. Michael Regenerates After Killing
Later in the film, when Michael kills a victim Corey lures into the sewers — Allyson’s ex-boyfriend Doug Mullaney (Jesse C. Boyd) — he seems to regenerate. After the kill, he trembles all over as his hunched form begins to disappear, as if killing rejuvenates and heals him somehow.
But is this something that can also be explained away with some form of logic? While it appears supernatural to the viewer, and even to Corey, is it possible that Michael simply believes killing rejuvenates him, as opposed to it being some supernatural force keeping him alive?
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3. Michael “Takes Back” Corey’s Evil
This scene might be a bit more blink-and-you’ll-miss-it than all the others, but when Michael Myers arrives at Laurie’s house to retrieve his precious mask, a dying Corey stubbornly tries to hold onto it. However, Michael, clearly angered at this betrayal, goes in for the kill.
But just before he snaps Corey’s neck, the shot of Michael’s face — from Corey’s point of view — appears to shake, suggesting that he’s taking back the evil he transferred to him down in the sewers earlier on in the film. This is one we can’t really explain.
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4. The Mask
Before Halloween Ends, Michael Myers’ mask was never considered to be the potential source of his possible supernatural abilities, however, the latest sequel certainly raises some questions about it. For starters, Michael doesn’t hesitate to hunt Corey down after he steals it.
This behavior is also seen in the two previous installments, Halloween (2018) and Halloween Kills. When Karen Nelson (Judy Greer) removes his mask in the latter, it even triggers Michael to break his one rule and speak, demanding she give it back.
Is it possible that the mask is what gives Michael his semi-invincible abilities? Could this be the reason why the mob isn’t able to take him down in Halloween Kills? And is it the reason why Laurie is able to in Halloween Ends, as she removes it before killing him? This might also explain why Corey is able to take a few shots from Laurie and survive.
According to David Gordon Green, one of the many possible endings for Halloween Ends would have seen the mask appear on a production line in a “Silver Shamrock” factory somewhere in Haddonfield — a reference, of course, to anthology sequel Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982), in which children are possessed by evil masks.
While this was ending never shot, it does suggest that the power of the mask was something the filmmakers were considering exploring.
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5. Laurie Struggles to Kill Michael
During the third act, we’re once again reminded just how seemingly invincible Michael is, as he takes a number of devastating blows from Laurie, yet continues to get up time and time again. Laurie even slits Michael’s throat, moments before he tries to strangle her to death.
But with all that said, we do finally see Michael Myers die — for the first time in franchise history — when his body is thrown into an industrial shredder. We don’t care how supernatural you are, Michael — there’s no coming back from that. Right..?
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Only time will tell whether Michael Myers is supernatural or not. However, it’s unlikely the next Halloween film will follow on from this new trilogy. Either way, Michael Myers will return.
As per Universal Pictures, here’s the official synopsis for David Gordon Green’s Halloween Ends:
Four years after the events of last year’s Halloween Kills, Laurie is living with her granddaughter Allyson and is finishing writing her memoir. Michael Myers hasn’t been seen since his last brutal rampage. Laurie, after allowing the specter of Michael to determine and drive her reality for decades, has decided to liberate herself from fear and rage and embrace life. But when a young man, Corey Cunningham, is accused of killing a boy he was babysitting, it ignites a cascade of violence and terror that will force Laurie to finally confront the evil she can’t control, once and for all.
— Universal Pictures
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Halloween Ends is directed by David Gordon Green, who previously helmed Halloween (2018) and Halloween Kills (2021). It stars Jamie Lee Curtis (Laurie Strode), Andi Matichak (Allyson Nelson), Will Patton (Officer Frank Hawkins), Omar Dorsey (Sheriff Barker), Kyle Richards (Lindsey Wallace), and James Jude Courtney (Michael Myers). Newcomers are Rohan Campbell and Michael O’Leary, who play Corey Cunningham and Dr. Mathis, respectively.
Halloween Ends is now out in theaters, streaming on Peacock, and is also available on demand. It will be available to own on digital from November 15, and will be released on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on December 27.
Do you think Michael Myers is supernatural in Halloween Ends? Let us know in the comments down below!