Halloween Ends Surprises Everyone With New Release Plan

Halloween Ends is set to debut in theaters and Peacock at the same time.

By Vic Medina | Updated

jamie lee curtis

Halloween Ends, the supposed final chapter of the classic horror film series, will release on October 14 both in theaters and through the Peacock streaming service, according to MovieWeb. It’s an unusual move for a major theatrical release post-pandemic, but in a special video message from star Jamie Lee Curtis, she said the decision to make the film available at home on the same day was a “gift” to the fans for their decades of support. The film, directed and co-written by David Gordon Green, will release almost exactly a year after the previous installment, Halloween Kills.

In the video, Curtis explained the reasoning behind the release decision. “We want to make sure that as many people as possible can see Halloween Ends before Halloween,” she said. “So starting on October 14th, you can go to the theater to see Laurie and Michael confront each other for the last time, or you can watch it at home on Peacock.” She also thanked the fans who have supported her as she portrayed the character of Laurie Strode for more than four decades. “It has been the honor of my life to play Laurie Strode…and I thank you for your years of support, and how much you care about this story and me, your final girl.”

According to the official plot summary released by Universal, Halloween Ends is set four years after the events of Halloween Kills, and finds Laurie Strode (Curtis) living a quiet life with her granddaughter (Andi Matichak) and writing her memoir, with Michael Myers unseen during that time. Her idyllic life is shattered, however, when a young man (Rohan Campbell) is accused of murdering a child, forcing her to find and confront Michael once and for all. The film also stars Will Patton (Yellowstone) and Kyle Richards (reprising her role of Lindsey from the original 1978 film). James Jude Courtney will play Michael Myers for most of the film, with The Last Starfighter director Nick Castle returning to play Michael for a few scenes. Castle played Michael Myers in the original Halloween, over 43 years ago.

Like any good horror film, however, it appears Halloween Ends will have a twist no one expects. Warning, a major plot spoiler follows! In an exclusive report, Giant Freakin Robot’s James Brizuela revealed that the character played by Rohan Cambell, named Corey, will take on the mantle of Michael Myers from Michael himself, who is too weak and injured to continue his killing spree, presumably from the events of the last film. He actually takes the iconic mask from Michael and continues killing, spurred on by his anger over being a victim of bullying. It’s not clear how this twist will play out, or how it affects the final “showdown” between Michael and Laurie. One would hope that Laurie actually confronts the real Michael to end the film series in a proper fashion, but considering the odd (and downright stupid) creative choices the Halloween movies have made over the years both in direct sequels and reboots, anything is possible here.

Curtis, however, thinks hard-core fans will enjoy how the Laurie Strode/Halloween saga comes to a close. “I’m very proud with our final film, Halloween Ends, and how it brings this saga to a fitting conclusion, and I cannot wait for people to have the chance to see it,” she said. “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.”

Even though Curtis herself may be through with the franchise, Halloween creator John Carpenter expects there to be more movies, especially if this next film is successful. At a recent horror convention appearance, Carpenter noted that money was the only motivating factor behind the original Halloween sequels, and suspects they will be again. “I guarantee you if Halloween Ends makes a lot of money, guess what? Just guess what,” he joked, without actually saying more movies would be coming.