Stephen King praises "character-driven" Halloween Ends

Halloween Ends
(Image credit: Blumhouse)

Horror maestro Stephen King has praised Halloween Ends, the latest and final installment in the iconic slasher franchise.

"I enjoyed HALLOWEEN ENDS," King tweeted on the day of the movie's release. "It doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it's--gasp!--surprisingly character driven."

Halloween Ends finishes off the trilogy that began with 2018's Halloween, a direct sequel to the original 1978 movie of the same name. 2021's Halloween Kills was set on the same night as the first movie, but Halloween Ends is set four years after the events of that night. 

Jamie Lee Curtis returns, of course, as scream queen and final girl Laurie Strode, while Andi Matichak is back as Laurie's granddaughter Allyson. Will Patton and Kyle Richards also reprise their roles from previous installments of the franchise and David Gordon Green is back in the director's chair. This is set to be both Curtis and Nick Castle's final outings as Laurie Strode and Michael Myers.

"I realized that would be the last time I ever saw Laurie Strode," Curtis told Total Film, describing filming her last scene in the franchise. "It was very powerful for me. I wept. David wept. We all recognized that moment, that it was the wrap for Laurie Strode and me. And this community of artists who made these movies. It was a big deal."

Halloween Ends is in theaters now, and it's also available to stream on Peacock for the next 60 days. For more viewing inspiration, check out our picks of the most exciting upcoming horror movies on the horizon. 

Entertainment Writer

I’m an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering everything film and TV-related across the Total Film and SFX sections. I help bring you all the latest news and also the occasional feature too. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism.