This month, horror fans will be met with the release of Halloween Ends, the latest installment of the Halloween movie series. Back in 1978, the franchise kicked off with John Carpenter’s original film which introduced Jamie Lee Curtis as final girl Laurie Strode. Throughout the movie series, Curtis has popped back up as Laurie at different points, but the marketing for Halloween Ends strongly implies that her run in the role finally comes to an end with this new movie.
“This is Laurie Strode’s last stand,” an official description of the film from Universal Pictures reads. “After 45 years, the most acclaimed, revered horror franchise in film history reaches its epic, terrifying conclusion as Laurie Strode faces off for the last time against the embodiment of evil, Michael Myers, in a final confrontation unlike any captured on-screen before. Only one of them will survive.”
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
You can’t kill the Boogeyman, and we can bet that Michael Myers will return in Halloween movies for years to come, even if the franchise gets rebooted again in order for that to happen. The bigger question is if Curtis is really finished as Laurie, as her character has been killed off previously in the franchise, but that did not stop her return in this new trilogy from Blumhouse and director David Gordon Green. In a new interview with SFX (via Games Radar), Curtis explained how she never imagined she’d have returned for this new trilogy of films so she’s not completely writing off the idea of coming back one day for another.
“The last thing I thought five years ago that I would be doing would be a Halloween movie,” Curtis said with a laugh. “And here I am, having now completed three of them with a fantastic creative group of people. That has not only been satisfying for me personally and creatively, but it has launched me creatively into a whole other world. I have a creative life now, because of the Halloween movie, and the success. I now have a partnership with Jason Blum at Blumhouse, I have a production company, I’ve written a horror film that I will direct, I am producing television series, I am buying books.”
She added, “All of that was the last thing I thought I would be doing five years ago. So to say never is stupid.”
Jamie Lee Curtis Has Been Playing Laurie Strode For Over Four Decades
Compass International Pictures
Curtis might be keeping that door open, but she still went into Halloween Ends with the mindset that this will be her final movie as Laurie Strode. In a previous interview with Salon, the actress noted how it felt to film her final shot in character as Laurie, believing that she had just finished what had become a 45-year journey.
“It was deeply emotional and cathartic,” Curtis said, understanding the term “final girl” now more than ever. “I mean, when you call her a final girl — I never really understood how important that name was until I made this last movie. And now I really understand it. And I think you’ll be very happy.”
Halloween Ends will premiere in theaters on Oct. 14, 2022. That same day, the film will also be made available for streaming on Peacock, mirroring last year’s day-and-date release of Halloween Kills. You can check out the official trailer for Halloween Ends below to get a sneak peek at what will likely be JLC’s final performance as Laurie Strode.
