Jamie Lee Curtis is ready to face Michael Myers once last time. In Halloween Ends, the ultimate final girl goes head-to-head with the man who’s tried to kill her for nearly 50 years. In the final trailer, Laurie Strode vows to kill Michael Myers once and for all.
Halloween Ends is going to be one epic and terrifying conclusion for the Halloween franchise. HollywoodLife has rounded up everything you need to know about the film, including its release date, how to watch, and more.
Where the Halloween Franchise Left Off
Obviously, Halloween began in 1978 with the John Carpenter film that would start it all. Little Michael Myers stabbed his big sister at the tender age of 6 and was promptly put into an asylum. But like any good slasher, Michael breaks free years later and makes a gory return to Haddonfield, Illinois, his fictional hometown. There, he chases down neighborhood babysitter Laurie Strode on Halloween night and plucks off her friends as he makes his way toward a grand finale kill.
But he’s never quite able to kill Laurie, and he winds up falling off a balcony after being shot by psychiatrist Dr. Loomis. Michael then escapes into the night, as a terrified Laurie sobs with despair.
Fast forward to the 2018 version of the same name, directed by David Gordon Green. The film skips over the previous sequels Halloween II (1981), Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982) Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers and Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (and several other franchise films) to be a direct sequel of its own.
Halloween 2018 leaves Michael still institutionalized after four decades, but escaping while being transferred to a maximum-security prison. Predictably, a traumatized Laurie has been living in terror during that time, fearing her tormentor will return to Haddonfield to kill her — and that’s exactly what Michael has in mind. Laurie’s estranged daughter Karen (Judy Greer) and her granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak) ultimately help Laurie lock Michael in the basement of Laurie’s house (on Halloween, of course,) and ostensibly burn him to a crisp.
However, Michael gets away again, setting up another film, which happens on the same night in 2018. Halloween Kills has Haddonfield residents forming a disjointed vigilante mob determined to take the man in the creepy mask down for good — as a badly injured Laurie fights for her life in the hospital. The misguided attempt doesn’t go as planned, however, despite the heroic efforts of Karen and Allyson on Laurie’s behalf, and an inevitable final showdown is set up.
What’s Coming In Halloween Ends
Halloween Ends is meant to be the definitive final chapter in Laurie Strode’s bloody fight for her life opposite Michael Myers. According to director David, it’s got plenty of social relevance, as well. “It jumps into a contemporary timeline,” he told Uproxx in October 2021. “So we go from two episodes that are the same night in 2018. And then we’ll get up to speed with … It’ll take place the time of its [2022] release.”
The official synopsis for the film reads, “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.”
The final trailer was released on September 27. It’s Halloween night once again, and Laurie is certain she saw Michael Myers watching her again. Allyson is trying to move on and thinks her grandmother is “actually just obsessed with death.” But Laurie’s gut instincts are always right.
“Something feels different. He’s more dangerous,” she says. She vows to get revenge after Michael killed her daughter. However, she soon makes a startling realization. “Maybe the only way he can die is if I die too. It all ends now,” Laurie promises.
According to David, that includes the pandemic and its surrounding events. “So if you think about it, I mean, where we’re leaving these characters on Halloween 2018, the world is a different place,” he told the outlet. “So not only do they have their immediate world affected by that trauma, having time to process that trauma – and that’s a specific and immediate traumatic event in the community of Haddonfield. But then they also had a worldwide pandemic and peculiar politics and another million things that turned their world upside down.”
The official trailer for Halloween Ends has Michael lurking in corners of Laurie’s house, then coming face to face with the barrel of her gun — with the classic jack-o-lantern in the background. Laurie and Michael then violently tussle, followed by a bloody montage of past Halloween films. “Come get me, motherf***er,” Laurie says, as Michael grabs her hand and attempts to force it into a running kitchen disposal.
In a 2021 interview with The Illuminerdi, the iconic star revealed that the finale will make fans “angry.” She said, “[David] sort of alluded to the third one, which is going to shock people,” she told the outlet. “It’s going to make people very angry. It’s going to stimulate people. People are going to be agitated by it. And it is a beautiful way to end this trilogy.”
Halloween Ends Release Date
Halloween Ends is set for release on October 14, 2022, in theaters and on Peacock. In an August 2022 video, Jamie opened up about the role has changed her life. “It has been the honor of my life to play Laurie Strode, and no matter how you watch this final chapter, I hope you’ll get people together and scream and cheer and hold your breath to the end. Because we created this for you,” she said in the video. She signed off on the video as “your final girl” before Michael Myers emerged from the trees, unbeknownst to her.
Halloween Ends Cast & Crew
Jamie Lee Curtis is set to close her own 45-year chapter as Laurie Strode. Backing her up is Andi Matichak, who will reprise her role as Laurie’s granddaughter Allyson. James Jude Courtney and Nick Castle will return as Michael, with Will Patton returning as Deputy Frank Hawkins. Kyle Richards from the 1978 film will return as Lindsey Wallace, as well as Rohan Campbell as Corey Cunningham, Michael O’Leary as Dr. Mathis, and Omar Dorsey as Sheriff Barker.
One of the most thrilling returns is by original director John Carpenter, who will serve as an executive producer, alongside Jamie Lee and Danny McBride, among others. While he won’t be making an appearance either in front of or behind the camera, we’re sure his presence will be felt throughout this conclusion to a legendary horror franchise.