Horror is one of the most subjective genres in all of film. In horror, one person’s trash can be another’s treasure. So, while there are some folks that still love David Gordon Green’s recently released sequel, “Halloween Kills,” most people would agree it pales in comparison to his 2018 “Halloween.” This decline has many fans concerned about what they can expect next year when the trilogy-ending “Halloween Ends” hits theaters. Well, according to the filmmaker, expect another major departure in tone and feel.
Speaking on the Empire Spoiler podcast (via IndieWire), David Gordon Green teased what people can expect with “Halloween Ends.” And to put it bluntly, what the filmmaker is trying to explain is a little confusing and a bit concerning, especially in light of what ‘Kills’ ended up being.
Firstly, in comparison to ‘Kills,’ Green said that ‘Ends’ is “a much more intimate movie.” Okay, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. ‘Kills’ is a film that could have benefited greatly from a much more intimate story, as it becomes very lost in the mob mentality theme weeds. But that’s not all the filmmaker is willing to hint at.
“There’s not a lot of games in [‘Ends’], there’s not a lot of wittiness and retro joy,” the filmmaker said. “It’s kind of a coming-of-age film, and it’s a very different tone. And that’s what excited me about it, is to have the three chapters that I’ve been involved in be very different from each other. They are all there to honor [John] Carpenter, but aren’t necessarily just emulating him.”
Green added, “I sent Carpenter the new draft of ‘Halloween Ends’ the other night, and I said, ‘If it feels too ‘Christine,’ let me know.’ For ‘Halloween Ends,’ it’s just a love of Carpenter, you know. It’s more than just, ‘Hey, here’s a character and a community that you’ve created.’ It’s, ‘Here’s an appreciation of your legendary body of work.’”
READ MORE: David Gordon Green Says ‘Halloween Ends’ Will Tackle The Pandemic & “Peculiar Politics”
So, “Halloween Ends” isn’t just a celebration of the “Halloween” franchise but a tribute to all of Carpenter’s work, including his massively underrated Stephen King adaptation, “Christine?” Sure, John Carpenter is one of the best filmmakers to have ever work in the medium, but that’s a hell of a lofty claim for a slasher film, right?
Also, the coming-of-age aspect points the finger to many fans’ speculation that the film will focus on the youngest Strode woman, Allyson (Andi Matichak), who has lost both of her parents in such a very short time and is likely going to venture off into the “dark side,” so to speak, emulating where Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) was at the beginning of the 2018 sequel.
If that’s the case, we could be seeing how the third film focuses on Allyson and her anger at Michael Myers. And if that’s true, then that can also be a bit concerning, as Matichak’s character is not a highlight in ‘Kills’ and massively underutilized in these most recent films. But hey, we’ll just have to wait and see when “Halloween Ends” arrives in theaters on October 14, 2022.