Halloween Ends, but Pure Evil Does Not

I used to have pretty simple criticisms regarding films. Either they were great, good, alright, or they sucked. I was then only a consumer. Over the years, I have learned to appreciate the hard work that goes into making films, so even if they didn’t turn out well, I began refraining from having such harsh criticisms. Besides, some films are so bad, they are good. Some of them become cult classics, great for a late-night hang with some refreshments and close friends.

Such is the case with the 2022 release, Halloween Ends. I think I have expressed some major disgust with the film. This is because of how it grossly deviates from the core concept of Michael Myers, who is of pure evil. This film, directed by David Gordon Green, advances the notion that Michael is only human, and that evil can be transferred.

Green is half right. Evil is energy, and as we know, energy can neither be created nor destroyed, only transferred. Michael is definitely pure evil, and unfortunately because of the way Halloween Ends was scripted, we will never know – well I hold out that there will be a reprisal of the ending – how Michael became pure evil.

The transference occurs with the central character of the story, Corey, played by Rohan Campbell. This was baffling because Michael should have been the central character. Even more baffling is that despite the transference that seemed to have been completed, Corey ends up getting killed by Michael. So, Corey didn’t become pure evil after all, only a semblance therein.

Yes, as I have pointed out, it was interesting in Halloween Kills, the second installment of the Green Halloween trilogy, how the entire town was being affected by Michael’s pure evil. That happens in fictional small towns. It made sense that during the climax of the film, Michael gets up after being brutally assaulted by a crowd of townsfolk, kills them all, then vanishes.

Which brings this back to the understanding that in order for pure evil to be explained, it must have a supernatural explanation. There is nothing dualistic about something that is pure; it either is, or it isn’t. Pure light operates the same way. So, turning Michael into a declining boogeyman, and finally stabbed to death by a mere human and being tossed into a meat grinder, doesn’t cut it, pun intended.

So those like me, feel we were robbed.

I will say the film was well made, and the story of Corey worked well. In fact, if Michael was left out of the film, I think it would have been a much more plausible and effective film. Of course, the film would have to be given a different name altogether.

There is an inconvenient truth: we cannot conquer pure evil.

We are humans, deeply complex, flawed, dualistic beings on this ancient planet. We can barely deal with the darkness within ourselves, let alone battle something that is beyond our comprehension. Even if we exorcise a demon from a body, we cannot destroy that demon. We do not have the capacity to deal with supernatural things. They are simply beyond our control.

So, I salute any person who not only wants to make a film, but makes it happen. Art is a risk, so any one who takes such a risk should be commended. From my little bit of experience making videos, it takes hours, days, months, years, to take an idea, storyboard it, put all the pieces together with the right crew for the budget available, edit it, print it, and bring it to the screen. I also understand why it’s so hard to look at reviews, because you put your heart and soul into something, with the intention for the film to have value.

Just don’t take the core concept of an iconic franchise, and go rogue. It won’t end well.