HALLOWEEN ENDS TRIVIA!!!

My initial Examiner review of Halloween Ends is now available in the online edition of the Examiner and on here! So, let's take a look at some fun little tidbits that I compiled together about the conclusion of the OG Michael Myers/Laurie Strode Story!!

• Nick Castle has a non-Michael Myers cameo for the first time in this trilogy as a partygoer who flashes his costume at Corey and says "see anything you like?" This is a nod to the iconic line said by Lynda in Halloween(1978).

• Corey Cunningham (Rohan Campbell) is a new character inspired by Arnie Cunningham (Keith Gordon) from Christine (1983). When we are introduced to Corey in Halloween Ends, he is shown to have a similar haircut, an identical blue button-up shirt and a pair of black glasses reminiscent of Arnie's in Christine.

• The song playing at the grocery store is an instrumental version of Don't Fear the Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult.

• In the beginning of the film, the movie that Corey and Jeremy are watching is John Carpenter's "The Thing" a clear reference to the original where they were watching the original "The Thing" and also a reference to John Carpenter who directed both the original Halloween as well as "The Thing".

• Halloween Ends uses the blue font used in Halloween III Season of the Witch for it's opening credits. Halloween Ends was released 40 years after Halloween III Season of the Witch.

• The trailers and promotional material for the film frequently used a shot of Laurie in her house, standing in a doorway with Michael off to her right, a recreation of the famous scare in Halloween (1978) where Michael comes out of the dark and stabs Lorrie. This shot, however, is not in the final film.

• In June 2018, Danny McBride confirmed that he and David Gordon Green had originally intended to pitch two films that would be shot back-to-back, and then decided against it, waiting to see the reaction to the first film. In September 2018, producer Jason Blum said that "we will do a sequel if the movie performs".A month later, after the new film Halloween's opening weekend, McBride confirmed that early development on a sequel had begun. As soon as Halloween was released in theaters, McBride and Green started devising the story for two sequels alongside other writers such as Chris Bernier and Paul Brad Logan, who assisted them in writing simultaneously both sequels.

• Green set out to make each sequel different. For the second film, he wanted an action film and for the finale he wanted a love story. In October 2021, Green revealed that Halloween Ends will take place four years after the events of Halloween Kills and would incorporate elements of the pandemic into the story.

• After several test screenings, the original final confrontation between Laurie Strode and Michael Myers as well as the ending sequence were discarded, and re-shoots for new scenes took place in August 2022, two months before the film's premiere. It was decided that the film's conclusion should be more "modest" and "intimate" as opposed to the "super noisy and aggressive" ending of Kills, with Green wishing to return the series to its "simple dramatic roots".

• Halloween Ends premiered at Grauman's Chinese Theater, Los Angeles, as part of Beyond Fest on October 11, 2022. The premiere coincided with Curtis's induction ceremony at the Hollywood Walk of Fame in front of the theater the following day. The film was released theatrically in the United States by Universal Pictures on October 14, 2022, playing in 3,901 theaters. In addition, the film started streaming simultaneously on paid tiers of Peacock for 60 days.It was initially set to release on October 15, 2021, before being delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

• In the United States and Canada, Halloween Ends was projected to gross $50–60 million from 3,901 theaters in its opening weekend. The film made $20.2 million on its first day, including $5.4 million from Thursday night previews, up 11% from Kills's $4.85 million the year prior. It went on to debut with $40.1 million, topping the box office but finishing below projections. The under-performance was blamed on the simultaneous streaming release on Peacock and middling critic and audience reactions. Universal reported it was the most watched film or series ever on the platform over a two-day period.

• On future possible entries of the franchise, John Carpenter joked about how future installments could be produced if the film would be a success, although he acknowledged that Green was adamant in Ends being their story's ending. In an interview with The New York Times, Jamie Lee Curtis commented that the four films, commencing with the 1978 Halloween and concluding with Halloween Ends, were self-contained, although there was still the possibility of a new narrative being adapted into future films. Curtis had previously confirmed in an essay for People that Halloween Ends marked her last appearance in the franchise.[85] Jason Blum reiterated that, while it would not be the final film in the franchise, it will be the last Halloween movie under Blumhouse Productions, with the rights of the film series reverting to producer Malek Akkad following the release of Ends.