Despite being quite possibly the softest person I know, some part of me has always been entranced by horror movies. 

It started with the classics, more child-oriented family Halloween movies, such as Beetlejuice or any of the Scooby-Doo movies. But over time, this fascination with the genre grew to include the more psychologically thrilling pictures, including the Scream films and the iconic—and so aptly-named—Halloween franchise.

Comprised of thirteen total films and five different timelines, I think it’s safe to say that the Halloween series—if one could even call it that—doesn’t fit into the conventional category of easy-to-follow.

Starting with the original 1978 Halloween, the antagonist of this story is clear: Michael Myers—played by numerous actors credited as “The Shape” since we never see his face. He was merely six years old when he killed his sister. Fifteen years later, babysitter Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), must navigate her way through the return of Myers—now masked and even more menacing than before—to his hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois. At this point, his motive remains unknown as he attempts to carry out his vendetta against Laurie.

Flash-forward nearly 40 years, and a direct sequel—yes, confusingly enough, on a separate timeline from the previous nine sequels—was released. Halloween (2018) follows the story of its namesake from 1978, reintroducing Laurie Strode, the only surviving victim of any of Myers’ killing sprees, as a recluse with PTSD trying to fix the strained relationship with her daughter, Karen (Judy Greer). Just like before, Michael manages to escape from the institution he had been placed in, and he proceeds on his search for Strode. 

Over the following four years, two more sequels were released, directly continuing this facet of the story: Halloween Kills (2021) and, the most recent, Halloween Ends (2022). 

Through the years, there have been many instances that seemed to have set the series up to finally be resolved; none of them followed through.

Until this one. 

The newest film resulted in my physical need to release an ambiguous sigh of relief and indecision all at once. 

It takes place four years, following Laurie’s last encounter with Michael. In the beginning, the movie zeroes in on a babysitter named Corey (Rohan Campbell). After what seems like a freak accident, he is accused of killing the child he had been babysitting, which brings a revival of sorts to the trauma involved with the original masked murderer. 

So much happens in this movie that, in the most conflicting way possible, it’s incredibly fascinating to watch. 

In terms of the acting, it’s phenomenal. This is one of the movies in which I’m genuinely concerned for the well-being of the actors, because of the intensity of their scenes and their flawless execution. Jamie Lee Curtis, as per usual, is immaculate in her representation of the conflict her character experiences, and the newest addition, Rohan Campbell, brings light to the complexity of his character and the turmoil he faces. 

As is to be expected with such a convoluted franchise as Halloween, the plot is slightly confusing at parts. There were scenes where I was completely lost, but I still managed to piece things together on my own. I do believe there was plenty of opportunity to elucidate things better, but the perplexity brought on adds to the integrity of the movie as a whole. 

The movies in the Halloween franchise typically end in a way that’s incredibly frustrating to watch, considering that nothing ever really gets resolved, and there’s always a kicker.

Halloween Ends was the one to break that chain.

The ending is a spine-chilling resolution of the events that have been plaguing the town of Haddonfield for over forty years. 

I do think, however, that the ending is slightly ambiguous. There is a clear ending, and it is executed perfectly, but there are still questions left unanswered and bridges unburned. If this movie didn’t say in the name that it’s the final film of the series, I would expect another picture following this one. 

That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the movie—it was an immaculate representation of the whole situation, but I don’t know whether to be overly impressed or mildly disappointed.

Halloween Ends is a compelling finale to the ever-running franchise, and I think this will make a fantastic scary movie to watch yearly around Halloween.