Warning: Major Spoilers for Halloween Ends below!Halloween Ends doubles the threat of Michael Myers by using Corey Cunningham as the masked killer's protégé. In a surprise twist that had been teased since the release of the first trailer for Halloween Ends, Michael takes the back burner this time as Corey steps into his shoes, beginning another murderous rampage across Haddonfield four years later. Corey is first introduced as a timid man who is fearful of his peers after being involved in a tragic accident that resulted in the death of a young boy called Jeremy, whom he was babysitting. From the get-go, it's clear that the town of Haddonfield sees him as the new boogeyman.
The first half of Halloween Ends, possibly the franchise's last film, focuses on what life is like for Corey after the accident, completely ostracized in the town he calls home. After being attacked by a group of high schoolers, Laurie comes to his aid and takes him to the local hospital, where Allyson, now a nurse, stitches him up. The pair begin a budding relationship, but it isn't enough to protect Corey from the angry townsfolk who still believe him to be a murderer. Allyson then takes Corey to a Halloween party, but he leaves early after he bumps into Jeremy's mother and is then attacked on his way home by the same group of high schoolers, who push him off a bridge. Michael Myers then finds and drags Corey into the sewers, but rather than killing him; the pair build an unusual bond that sees Corey slowly become another version of Michael, hungry for revenge.
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Why Michael Myers Originally Lets Corey Live In Halloween Ends
While Halloween Ends shows Michael initially attacking Corey by strangling him, he has a change of heart that is sure to divide the fanbase and decides to let Corey go. Throughout Halloween Ends, there are a lot of references to eyes. When Michael looked into Corey's eyes, it was as though he saw everything he had been through. This understanding helps Michael develop a twisted kinship towards Corey, potentially seeing himself. However, Michael's reasoning for letting Corey live is unexplained mainly, with Halloween Ends focusing more on Michael's impact on Corey rather than the other way around.
Does Michael Myers Turn Corey Evil Through A Psychic Connection?
In Halloween Kills, Michael Myers is described as being the literal embodiment of evil itself. Therefore, it's most likely that staring at this pure evil reminded Corey of the evil that he had been accused of, as well as acting as a mirror of his own evil nature. As Michael sees himself in Corey, Corey also sees himself in Michael, drastically taking him on a turn for the worse as he slowly begins to embody him. Whatever connection happened between the two, it is possible that Michael pushed Corey towards evil, or helped foster something that was already there.
Was Corey Cunningham Always Evil?
A thematic element in Halloween Ends is that not all evil is born, and sometimes it can be forged. In Corey Cunningham's case, his evil was forged. After Laurie grows suspicious of Corey, she approaches his mother. The latter is adamant that the town of Haddonfield turned her son into a monstrosity due to needing someone to blame after Michael Myers disappeared. Jeremy's father also talks about how Corey was always a great kid, expressing how he wanted to prove his wife wrong and show that he could be forgiven for the untimely death of his son.
However, Jeremy's father later states that when he saw Corey walking along the streets, he didn't recognize him anymore, hinting that he was now on a dark path. This results in Laurie explaining to Corey that there are two types of evil, one that is all-consuming and destroys everything and another which is inside everyone. Essentially, while Corey, as most people by Laurie's theory, always had the potential to be evil, it was Haddonfield that truly brought it out of him. Overall, Halloween Ends is a critique of society's habit of always needing someone to blame, questioning how responsible society is in creating monsters such as Corey Cunningham.
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Why Corey Wants To Be The Next Michael Myers
There are various reasons why Corey would want to be the next Michael Myers in Halloween Ends. However, perhaps the most fitting is that Corey wanted the power to induce fear into the citizens of Haddonfield in the same way that Michael Myers had done years prior. The townsfolk of Haddonfield were so convinced that Corey was a psychopath that he eventually became the monster they portrayed him to be. After years of living in fear, Corey used Michael Myers to be able to reclaim his power, becoming everything that he once swore he wasn't.
Why Michael Myers Needed To Kill Corey (For Good)
After Corey attempts to frame Laurie for his murder by stabbing himself in the neck, Michael Myers arrives at Laurie's house in pursuit of Corey after he attacks him and steals his mask in the sewer. Michael then snaps Corey's neck, ending his rampage and killing him for good. This death reminded the audience that Corey is simply a by-product of Michael's evil. It also emphasizes the fact that Corey is just a regular man in a mask, something he had called Michael when stealing his mask earlier in Halloween Ends, highlighting that he is not an unstoppable force to be reckoned with nor more powerful than the man who essentially created him.
Next: Does Michael Myers Die In Halloween Ends?
