In the hallowed halls of horror cinema, few names elicit as much fear and fascination as Michael Myers. The masked menace first crept onto the big screen in 1978, setting the stage for a genre-defining franchise that continues to haunt audiences every October. With 12 sequels and reboots under its belt, the saga of Michael Myers reached its potentially controversial conclusion in 2022 with “Halloween Ends,” a film that has left fans deeply divided.
A Divisive Finale
Dan Caffrey, playwright and podcaster on Halloweenies and The Loser Club, recently shared his thoughts on why “Halloween Ends” has become one of the most divisive and provocative entries in the iconic Halloween franchise.
First turning to the film rating social platform Letterboxd as an indicator, where the film currently sits at a 2.1, Dan expressed his surprise. “I would imagine that’s probably the lowest of any Halloween movie. I think Letterboxd is a fairly accurate barometer of how film people feel about these, and that surprises me because I love this movie,” he said.
The Unexpected Love Story
But why the hate? Why is “Halloween Ends” considered so contentious? Perhaps due to the fact that the film revolves around the Corey and Alyson love story, taking center stage, as opposed to the clear marketing of the final showdown between The Shape and Laurie Strode. ‘Ends’ certainly lives up to its name, but a portion of fans were still left unsatisfied.
“Now, different doesn’t always mean good necessarily, but I felt like it was different and it knew exactly what it was trying to say and exactly what it was doing. This kind of feels like what David Gordon Green really wanted to do,” Dan emphasized.
A Departure from the Norm, or Is It?
The magic of the original Halloween was its simplicity – “Boogieman kills the babysitter” was John Carpenter’s elevator pitch to producer Moustapha Akkad. That simple formula didn’t really change with other entries… okay, maybe Halloween six with the curse of Thorn was a little convoluted, and Halloween 3 was a deviation – we will get back to that!
“Something I love about that first movie, and I think this kind of sets the template for Halloween movies, is the atmosphere. Everything feels heavy, and Michael Myers is seeping into everything, even though you don’t see him a lot. Halloween Ends felt like that for me, even though you really don’t see him a lot. You feel more the omnipresence and his shadow over the town and the effect it’s having on other people, which I think is what the film is about, or specifically the effect evil has on other people,” Caffrey explored.
Daring to Be Different
“Halloween Ends” unapologetically follows its own path, daring to deviate from the established formula of previous Halloween movies. Halloween 2018 and Halloween Kills, while sticking to the Shape returns, kills, and leaves simplicity, also shoehorned in social commentary and a cast of ultimately unnecessary legacy characters – something which Dan alluded to. “I think the first two movies are weirdly trying to be everything to everyone. They were trying to do too many things,” Dan explained.
Love or Hate: No Middle Ground
Dan acknowledged the film’s current status as one of the most divisive and hated entries in the Halloween franchise. While some viewers passionately champion its uniqueness and boldness, others have expressed disappointment, particularly in its departure from the traditional Michael Myers-centric storyline.
“You don’t see a lot of middle-of-the-road reviews for this movie. I feel like people either like ride or die for it, or they’re like, this movie just flabbergasted me and blindsided me. How could they do this? It’s stupid. It’s not a Halloween movie. There’s not enough Michael Myers in it. I don’t care about this dumb love story. Because it’s so different, the hate rings that much louder, and so does the love for it,” said Caffrey.
For super fans, here’s an interesting statistic: Michael Myers’ screen time in Halloween Ends is actually higher than it is in the original film.
A Cult Classic in the Making?
However, Dan believes that “Halloween Ends” may follow a trajectory similar to “Halloween III: Season of the Witch.” Over time, as audiences reevaluate and appreciate its distinctive qualities, it may gain cult status and a devoted following.
“It’s funny, this movie knows it’s in relationship with Halloween three. I think even the Michael thing has, I think they knew, they were taking a big swing with this movie, and it did pay off… I mean, financially it did very well. It’s totally gonna be a cult classic in the next 10 years. Every single Halloween movie, even the Rob Zombie ones, even five, they all get their defenders over time,” Dan concluded.
“The longer these movies go on, I start to look at it almost like fairy tales. I don’t get mad when there’s a bad Cinderella movie because there’s been a million Cinderella movies. The good stuff is always gonna be there to go back to. And the property, the IP will always be there for people to do new interesting things with. And that’s how I kinda feel about Halloween at this point.”
Talking shape 
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