Halloween Kills Ending Explained: Haddonfield Has Had It With The Boogeyman
Michael Myers has once again returned to terrorize the citizens of Haddonfield, Illinois in "Halloween Kills." This latest entry in the iconic horror franchise serves as the sequel to 2018's smash hit "Halloween," which completely revamped the series by serving as a direct sequel to John Carpenter's original 1978 horror masterpiece. So, this is essentially the third entry in what will be a four-movie arc, as "Halloween Ends" is still on deck for director David Gordon Green and the cast.
That means, we know for sure we're getting another installment in this iteration of the neverending Michael Myers vs. Laurie Strode saga. With that in mind, we're going to take a look at the ending of "Halloween Kills" and break down the whole thing, as there is much to discuss. So, for those who haven't seen it, now would be a good time to avert your eyes, because we're taking a trip to spoiler country.
A Brief Refresher
The sequel (for all intents and purposes) picks up right where "Halloween" left off, though we do get a significant flashback to the events of 1978 involving a young Officer Hawkins (Will Patton/Thomas Mann). And yes, "Halloween Kills" absolutely deals with the consequences of Hawkins' actions, or inaction for that matter, but the movie largely is concerned with Halloween night in 2018. After word gets out that Michael Myers managed to escape Laurie Strode's (Jamie Lee Curtis) house and slaughter nearly a dozen first responders, in addition to the other bodies that are now showing up on the news, the people of Haddonfield — including those who encountered Michael all those years ago — decide they've had enough.
Rather than cower in their homes, Tommy Doyle (Anthony Michael Hall), Lonnie Elam (Robert Longstreet), Lindsey Wallace (Kyle Richards), and Marion Chambers (Nancy Stephens) decide to rally the townspeople to take up arms and go hunt Myers down. This results in utter chaos with mob mentality taking over, as people storm the hospital and end up sending another one of the escaped convicts from the bus crash in the previous movie to his death, as he was wrongfully identified as Michael Myers. The police essentially lose control over the situation, with Officer Brackett (Charles Cyphers) not helping matters by siding with the mob. "Evil dies tonight," as it were.
Meanwhile, Michael is still out roaming the streets and stacking up more bodies, with Allyson (Andi Matichak) among those out looking for him, along with Lonnie and his son, Cameron (Dylan Arnold). After the wrongfully identified inmate jumps to his death, Karen Nelson (Judy Greer) and Tommy set aside their differences and head to go find Michael. Meanwhile, despite her desire to get in the fight, Laurie's injuries are too debilitating and she's left to recover in the hospital alongside Hawkins.
Showdown at the Old Myers House
As it turns out, Michael was making a beeline to his old home the whole time. Lonnie manages to piece this together by looking at the trail of the dead, taking Allyson and Cameron with him to finish the job. But when they arrive, Lonnie insists that the other two stay in the car, as he can't bear the thought of anything happening to them. As it happens, this was stupid, as Lonnie is dispatched by Michael within mere moments. Allyson and Cameron hear the scuffle and decide to head into the house, guns locked and loaded, to end Michael's reign of terror.
Allyson discovers the bodies of the house's current (former?) owners, Big John (Scott MacArthur) and Little John (Michael McDonald). Meanwhile, Cameron makes the discovery that his dad, Lonnie, has been brutally murdered by Michael. (shocking, we know, as his plan seemed so full-proof.) At this point, Michael emerges and, unsurprisingly, gets the best of Cameron in a hurry. Allyson makes a good go of it, but Michael pushes her down the stairs and hurts her badly. Meanwhile, he proceeds to brutally, and slowly, kill Cameron, despite Allyson's protests. That only lasts so long, as Michael then begins to make his way downstairs to finish off Allyson.
When all seems lost, Karen shows up to save the day. She manages to pull Michael's mask off after stabbing him with a pitchfork, which irritates him something fierce, leading him to chase Laurie out of the house and into the neighborhood. But this was exactly what Karen wanted, as they find themselves in the street, with the townsfolks pulling up to block Michael in — weapons in hand. They are ready to finish this, once and for all. Michael picks up his mask and places it back on. Let them fight.
Michael Lives, Michael Kills, Halloween Continues
In any real-life situation, with a normal killer, this would be beyond over. Michael is outmatched, outgunned, and hopelessly surrounded. Tommy and everyone else begin to whip Michael's ass with a feverish fury. Stabbed. Shot. Clubbed. It seems, for a brief moment, that this is actually going to be the end for the Haddonfield Boogeyman. Karen had already stabbed him with a pitchfork once, and after the mob beats him to assured death, she stabs him right in the back, nice and deep. Yet, foolishly, despite all of the "evil dies tonight" talk from just about everyone, they decide to leave him in the street, assuming the job is done (spoiler: it's not done).
We then cut to Laurie, who is recovering in the hospital and speaking to Hawkins. She begins to monologue about the nature of what Michael truly is, suggesting that he is not just a normal man. That he is pure evil and that, even if they try to kill him tonight, it won't be the end of it. He will escape, and show up to terrorize people once again, be it tomorrow, or several years from now. Not that I'm the king of gleaning deeper meaning from stuff, but this almost feels like a commentary on the franchise from David Gordon Green.
Sure enough, as this monologue rings over the movie's final minutes, Michael gets up and begins taking out the mob, one by one. Despite his grave injuries, the killing seems to fill him with life. Even Tommy bites the dust, or seemingly so, getting stabbed in the stomach and beaten with his own bat. It's brutal and, not to downplay the violence, kind of silly. How on earth that many people, that well-armed, let that happen is downright maddening. But this is a horror movie after all, and a sequel must be justified somehow.
Michael Myers, More Human than Human?
Perhaps the most shocking bit comes at the very end, when Karen feels compelled to look out the window of Michael's sister's room — the room the killer seems to be so infatuated with. This proves to be a mistake, as Michael (after killing about 75 more people) also decides to head back to his old haunt. And, you guessed it, he murders the s*** out of Karen. Meanwhile, Laurie is laid up in the hospital having no idea that her daughter was just murdered by the monster that she failed to kill earlier that night.
This, in essence, sets the stage for what will come in "Halloween Ends." It has already been confirmed that the movie will have a significant time jump, taking place in the present day and addressing the coronavirus pandemic. Seemingly we are going to get a revenge flick, with Laurie surely out for blood. Whereas she was scared and somewhat in hiding in 2018's "Halloween," she no longer has anything left to lose. Perhaps we'll see Laurie join in the hunt next time around.
But the main point "Halloween Kills" seems to be getting at is that mob mentality was futile, which certainly has some relevance in today's world. Beyond that, it truly gets at the nature of Michael Myers. Is he really just a man? There is nothing (at least, not explicitly) supernatural about him, but those final minutes make one wonder. What man could survive that, and seemingly thrive beyond that? Michael may well be, to quote the great Rob Zombie, more human than human.
"Halloween Kills" is now in theaters and streaming on Peacock.