‘Halloween Ends’ review: Gutsy final chapter is way better than ‘Kills’

As a long-term horror fan I know better than to trust a studio when it claims a film is the final outing for one of their iconic boogeymen.

Jamie Lee Curtis is everywhere at the moment thanks to the revival of her hit Halloween franchise and her highly entertaining social media presence. However, fans weren't prepared for her bathtub photo and now a whole new generation of fans is in awe.SEE: Jamie Lee Curtis stuns in beautiful black and white portrait as Halloween franchise endsThe now 63-year-old Hollywood star took to Instagram to share a throwback pic of herself looking terrific as she reclined naked in a vintage free-standing bath surrounded by candles.

J. Kim Murphy SPOILER ALERT: This story discusses major plot points from “Halloween Ends,” which is now playing in theaters and available to stream on Peacock. Billed as the finale to a landmark horror franchise, “Halloween Ends” was marketed with little more than the promise of a final match-up between remorseless serial killer Michael Myers and his lifelong victim Laurie Strode, played again by Jamie Lee Curtis. But many viewers were shocked to discover much more than a marquee showdown when director David Gordon Green’s horror film released last weekend. There’s also young love, a bunch of laughs and a fresh threat facing the town of Haddonfield — all courtesy of Corey Cunningham, a new character played by Rohan Campbell.

A West Lothian cinema welcomed brave film buffs to screenings of the latest Halloween movie with an appearance of serial killer Michael Myers himself.

Halloween Ends gave its box office competition an early scare this weekend, after it raked in a promising total of $5.4million during its Thursday previews alone. According to Deadline, the Jamie Lee Curtis-lead slasher film's intake was 11% higher than that of its predecessor, Halloween Kills, which earned $4.85 million from previews.It was also reported that the David Gordon Green-directed movie is expected to earn an impressive $55 million during its first weekend of release. Making a killing: Halloween Ends raked in a promising total of $5.4 million during Thursday previews However, the first Halloween in the current rebooted series took in $7.7 million during Thursday previews.The first of the three new slasher movies also took in a whopping $76.2 million during its opening weekend.The original Halloween movie, which was directed by horror genre mainstay John Carpenter, was released in 1978.The movie has since become iconic for its introduction of characters Michael Myers and Laurie Strode to the public.

Kourtney Kardashian and her husband, Travis Barker, are no different. The newlyweds celebrated the premiere of , with their own Michael Myers-themed party over the weekend.Kourtney shared several shots of the spooky decorations on her Instagram Stories, starting with the pumpkin-lined path that guarded 15-foot red skeletons, featuring blue glowing eyes that greeted guests as they entered the couple's smoke-filled haunted home.Upon entering the front door, Kourtney captured a more enchanting scene, showing off a slew of carefully placed trees which gave the room a forest-like feel.

Halloween Ends fell short in its opening weekend, earning more than $10 million less than it was projected.  The Jamie Lee Curtis-led film's opening weekend tally was just $41.2 million, although it was expected to hit the $55 million mark, according to Deadline.On Saturday, the spinoff brought in $13 million, falling 36% from $20.4 million on Friday.   Unexpected: Halloween Ends fell short in its opening weekend, earning more than $10 million less than it was projectedHalloween Ends, however, is reportedly the 'most watched film or series ever' in a two-day period on Peacock, the publication noted.Specific numbers weren't shared, but Deadline noted that last year's Halloween Kills had a viewership of 2.8 million over a month-long period. And the latest installment from the Halloween franchise trailed behind its predecessor - pulling in $8.2 million less than its $49.4 million. Despite its low box office debut, the slasher cost $30 million to make, so it's made a $10 million + profit.

The Halloween Ends numbers are coming in, and the studio might not be so pleased.

Halloween Ends gave its box office competition an early scare this weekend, after it raked in a promising total of $5.4million during its Thursday previews alone. According to Deadline, the Jamie Lee Curtis-lead slasher film's intake was 11% higher than that of its predecessor, Halloween Kills, which earned $4.85 million from previews.It was also reported that the David Gordon Green-directed movie is expected to earn an impressive $55 million during its first weekend of release. Making a killing: Halloween Ends raked in a promising total of $5.4 million during Thursday previews However, the first Halloween in the current rebooted series took in $7.7 million during Thursday previews.The first of the three new slasher movies also took in a whopping $76.2 million during its opening weekend.The original Halloween movie, which was directed by horror genre mainstay John Carpenter, was released in 1978.The movie has since become iconic for its introduction of characters Michael Myers and Laurie Strode to the public.

J. Kim Murphy “Halloween Ends” may be the last we see of Laurie Strode and Michael Myers, but the horror series still kills at the box office. Universal’s slasher finale is off to a strong start, projecting a $43.4 million opening from 3,901 theaters. Even with “Halloween Ends” receiving a simultaneous streaming debut on Peacock, the film has managed to draw an impressive figure. It will earn more than enough to top weekend charts, sparking some life into what has largely been a muted season for moviegoing. “Ends” is tracking below last year’s franchise entry, “Halloween Kills,” which earned a $49 million domestic opening with its own day-and-date release. 2018’s “Halloween,” the first entry in this new sequel trilogy to John Carpenter’s landmark 1978 original, released exclusively to theaters, at a time before Peacock was anything more than a developing project at NBCUniversal. The film garnered a staggering $76 million — still the third-highest domestic debut ever for a horror film, after the two “It” entries.

franchise in 2018 with a direct sequel to the 1978 film, the ongoing saga between Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and Michael Myers comes to a close two movies later, in, which is now in theaters and streaming on Peacock. Both Curtis, who has portrayed the former babysitter stalked by the masked killer for over 40 years, and director David Gordon Green break down the climax of the 2022 film that marks Laurie and Michael’s final (and bloody) battle. Curtis “takes the physicality of this role very seriously,” Green says.

The newest Halloween movie has finally premiered, and with it, officially ends Jamie Lee Curtis‘ run as Laurie Strode.

“Halloween Ends” is just beginning its rise at the box office.

John Carpenter’s original score for his 1978 smash hit movie, the first Halloween, will always be a classic.

We said we wouldn’t do it. When we sat down and watched the entire “Halloween” franchise (12 films!) in a week to rank them before “Halloween Ends,” we said we didn’t need to discuss the finale because it was probably going to be just fine and exactly what we expected would happen.

Halloween Ends gave its box office competition an early scare this weekend, after it raked in a promising total of $5.4million during its Thursday previews alone. According to Deadline, the Jamie Lee Curtis-lead slasher film's intake was 11% higher than that of its predecessor, Halloween Kills, which earned $4.85 million from previews.It was also reported that the David Gordon Green-directed movie is expected to earn an impressive $55 million during its first weekend of release. Making a killing: Halloween Ends raked in a promising total of $5.4 million during Thursday previews However, the first Halloween in the current rebooted series took in $7.7 million during Thursday previews.The first of the three new slasher movies also took in a whopping $76.2 million during its opening weekend.The original Halloween movie, which was directed by horror genre mainstay John Carpenter, was released in 1978.The movie has since become iconic for its introduction of characters Michael Myers and Laurie Strode to the public.

William Earl This October, Variety has enlisted some our favorite spooky content creators to share their scary movie essentials. Matt Gourley and Paul Rust, whose podcast “With Gourley and Rust” analyzes horror franchises film by film since 2018, shared their picks for Coziest Horror Movies of All Time.

Halloween is a mere two weeks away, but Laurie Strode's decades-long showdown with Michael Myers comes to an end today. The third and final chapter of the modern trilogy, following 2018's  and 2021's , is now playing in theaters and streaming on Peacock. is the thirteenth installment in the franchise in which Jamie Lee Curtis faces off for the last time against the embodiment of evil. Watch NowNearly 45 years after John Carpenter's 1978 original — which you can watch on Amazon here — stars Jamie Lee Curtis as horror’s first “final girl” Laurie Strode. Curtis' portrayal of Laurie for more than four decades is one of the longest actor-character pairings in cinema history.

Jordan Moreau “Halloween Ends” is just beginning — the final installment in the long-lived horror franchise picked up $5.4 million at the box office in Thursday night previews. The film should hack and slash its way to $50 million to $55 million in its opening weekend, according to projections, even with a same-day release on Peacock. Last year’s “Halloween Kills” opened to $49 million at the box office and had the same Peacock release strategy, so an even bigger launch would be bloody good for the Universal film. Jamie Lee Curtis’ PTSD-riddled survivor Laurie Strode faces off against psycho killer Michael Myers once again for the 13th entry in the franchise, and “Halloween Ends” promises to be the very last showdown between the two foes — at least, until another reboot comes knocking at the door. The “Halloween” timeline is as full of holes as one of Michael’s victims, but the latest movie caps off a trilogy of modern-day sequels that began with 2018’s “Halloween” and its 2021 sequel “Halloween Kills.” The three movies follow the events of John Carpenter’s original 1978 horror, which introduced audiences to Curtis in her film debut and the soon-to-be slasher icon Michael Myers. There have been a handful of other “Halloween” sequels and two rebooted films directed by Rob Zombie, but the new trilogy retcons those and catches up with Laurie and her family 40 years later.