Halloween Ends: Rohan Campbell was warned a lot of people wouldn’t be happy with the film

With the release of Halloween Ends (read our review HERE) in theatres and on the Peacock streaming service, Halloween fans have been delivered another divisive entry in the franchise. Some love it, some hate it. Some have even put together a petition demanding the movie be reshot entirely. No matter which way we feel about it, now we know for sure why John Carpenter described it as “a departure from the others” and why original Michael Myers performer Nick Castle said it was going to be “surprising”. Director David Gordon Green and star Jamie Lee Curtis knew all along that Halloween Ends wasn’t going to go over well with some fans – and they even warned cast member Rohan Campbell about that when he was cast a few years ago.

If you haven’t watched Halloween Ends yet, beware of SPOILERS.

Campbell plays Corey, a character we never heard about until the film’s official synopsis was unveiled close to the release, but who turned out to have a very large role in the movie. Green was so adamant that the details of Corey’s role be keep under wraps, he didn’t even want Campbell to do press for Halloween Ends before it was released. Speaking with Variety after the release, Campbell said, “You want to do it so bad as an actor, but it’s really scary to step into this. You can’t doubt yourself for a second. When David offered me the role he was like, ‘I need you to know that a lot of people are going to really, really, really not be happy with what we’re choosing to do here. You’ll probably hear a lot of that.’ Jamie [Lee Curtis] reached out and said the same thing. … This to me feels like the most David Gordon Green movie ever made. Stuff is funny, man. When you sit with certain audiences, they either get it right away or they’re halfway through the movie and you can audibly hear them being like, ‘What is the tone of this?’ and not giving themselves permission to dive into the humor or bizarreness. … There were three weeks where the crew was so confused about what movie we were making. It was romance scene after romance scene… I was upstairs shooting an indie movie with Andi — a rooftop romance — while people were getting their tongues cut off downstairs.“

If you have seen Halloween Ends, or have read the spoilers, you’re well aware that Corey does more killing in the movie than Michael Myers does. And even steals Myers’ mask along the way. Campbell told Variety, “Corey can’t handle the idea that Shape let him live. That’s the thing that throws a spanner in his brain and short-circuits something. … (The blowtorch kill is) so not what Shape would do. He’s so artistic with it. Everything’s like a painting for him. Everything’s art. With Corey, it’s just fury and hurt.“

While some fans hate Corey for having such a large presence in Halloween Ends, he has picked up his share of fans as well. But Campbell doesn’t want to see fans going too far with their defense of his character. “’I could have saved Corey’ is such a funny thing to say. I’m so protective of Corey and his choices. When I talk about Corey, I’m like, ‘Yeah, of course he did those things! What do you mean? What else was he supposed to do?’ When I left the theater in Toronto, a group of people recognized me and the only thing they yelled was ‘Corey is innocent.’ Guys, no… He’s not. That’s not the point of the story, man! The story’s about choices, choices, choices.“

Green, who was also at the helm of Halloween 2018 and Halloween Kills, directed Halloween Ends from a screenplay he wrote with Danny McBride, Paul Brad Logan, and Chris Bernier. The film has the following synopsis:

Four years after the events of last year’s Halloween Kills, Laurie is living with her granddaughter Allyson and is finishing writing her memoir. Michael Myers hasn’t been seen since. Laurie, after allowing the specter of Michael to determine and drive her reality for decades, has decided to liberate herself from fear and rage and embrace life. But when a young man, Corey Cunningham, is accused of killing a boy he was babysitting, it ignites a cascade of violence and terror that will force Laurie to finally confront the evil she can’t control, once and for all.

Campbell is joined in the cast by Jamie Lee Curtis, Andi Matichak, and James Jude Courtney.

What did you think of Rohan Campbell’s role in Halloween Ends? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below. To read more of the interview with Campbell, click over to Variety.