Four years after the release of his successful Halloween legacy sequel, David Gordon Green is back with Halloween Ends to bring his slasher trilogy to an end. More than just wrapping up a new Halloween timeline, Halloween Ends also promises to resolve once and for all the everlasting conflict between Michael Myers and Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis). That means, of course, that Halloween Ends pushes the franchise into unexplored frontiers. Nevertheless, the new movie doesn’t forget about the past, as it has multiple Easter eggs and references to the previous chapter of the franchise. So, now that Halloween Ends is in theaters and streaming on Peacock, it’s time for us to discuss all the nods the sequel makes to the stories that came before.
Why Do We Know That Piano Song?
When Corey Cunningham (Rohan Campbell) gets to the Allens' house on the night of Halloween, Jeremy’s father (Jack William Marshall) plays a very recognizable tune on the piano. The song is Sebastian Bach’s “Toccata and Fugue in D Minor,” a classic theme used to represent villainy in movies. The music was used in dozens of films, including Disney’s Fantasia, 1931’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and 1962’s The Phantom of the Opera.
John Carpenter’s ‘The Thing’
In the opening scene of Halloween Ends, Corey babysits the young Jeremy (Jaxon Goldenberg) on Halloween night. Since Corey wants to be a friendly babysitter, he allows Jeremy to watch a horror movie against the child's parents' advice. The film is none other than The Thing, a classic directed by John Carpenter. And for those needing a refresher, Carpenter is the creator of the Halloween franchise, together with Debra Hill. The Thing is Carpenter's adaptation of John W. Campbell's novella Who Goes There? The book was first adapted by Christian Nyby in 1951's The Thing from Another World, which was the movie Laurie let the children she was babysitting watch in 1978's Halloween. That's what we call a deep cut!
‘Season of the Witch’ Credits Callback
While the opening credits of the Halloween franchise have stuck with orange tones, Halloween Ends uses an unexpected shade of blue. That’s exactly the color used in the opening credits of 1982’s Halloween III: Season of the Witch. This is relevant because Season of the Witch is the only movie in the franchise not to feature Michael Myers. At the time, director Tommy Lee Wallace and producers Debra Hill and John Carpenter wondered if they could turn Halloween into a horror anthology of sorts. Since Halloween Ends is about Michael’s evil spreading and contaminating new villains, it’s fitting they decided to choose this color. The animation in the opening credits also reinforces the theme of cyclic evil, as new spooky pumpkins emerge from the inside one another.
Sondra Is Alive
Halloween Ends reveals some people of Haddonfield resent Laurie for supposedly enraging the Shape and leading him into his 2018 kill spree. One of these people is Sondra (Diva Tyler), who surprisingly survived her encounter with Michael Myers. Sondra is one of the killer's victims in Halloween Kills, where Michael sliced her throat with a knife. In Halloween Ends, Sondra is seen in a wheelchair with a massive scar on her neck. When Sondra’s sister (Leila Wilson) confronts Laurie, we learn that despite having survived the attack, the woman lost the ability to speak.
The Halloween Weirdo Is the Original Shape
When Corey goes to a Halloween party with Allyson (Andi Matichak), he stumbles on a man with a big trench coat. The man reveals the dozens of dildos hidden beneath his coat to Corey, asking if he has seen anything he likes. As it turns out, this Halloween weirdo is played by Nick Castle, who played the Shape in the original Halloween movie.
Laurie’s Kitchen Portrait
In Laurie’s kitchen, we can see a picture of three young women hanging on the wall. The photo features Laurie in her youth with two friends who became Michael’s victims in the 1978 film, Annie Marie Brackett (Nancy Loomis) and Lynda Van der Klok (P. J. Soles).
The Knitting Needle Revenge
In the original 1978’s Halloween, Laurie escapes the Shape after sticking a knitting needle in his neck. During their final confrontation in Halloween Ends, the Shape returns the favor, using a knitting needle as a weapon against Laurie. It’s a fun callback to Carpenter’s legendary slasher.
Michael Myers Survivors Unite to Say Farewell
After Laurie kills Michael once and for all, she parades his body through the streets of Haddonfield to show that the Shape is nothing but a man in a Halloween mask. The parade ends with Laurie grinding her enemy’s body in a car crusher. During this scene, we see several characters returning from previous films. First, we have Sheriff Barker (Omar Dorsey), who helped chase Michael in 2018. He authorizes Laurie’s bizarre parade, even though some police officers don’t feel comfortable disrupting a crime scene. Sondra is also there, accompanied by survivors Julian (Jibrail Nantambu), Lindsey Wallace (Kyle Richards), and Oscar’s (Drew Scheid) mother (Holli Saperstein).
Halloween Ends is available right now in theaters and on Peacock. Check out the movie’s trailer below: