Entertainment
Hated Remake Starring The Ultimate ‘70s Icon Is Secretly Brilliant
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
Ever watch the fandom collectively turn on a beloved franchise all at once? For Star Wars fans, it happened when The Last Jedi derailed decades of lore in favor of doing something completely different. For Star Trek fans, it happened when Starfleet Academy stopped exploring strange new worlds and started exploring Zoomer slang and CW-style teen drama. Meanwhile, for Halloween fans, it happened when Halloween Ends mostly replaced Michael Myers with a much more modern villain: a troubled young man who decides to solve all his problems, one murder at a time. At 40 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s safe to say that Halloween Ends is one of the most reviled films in the entire franchise.
Here’s the thing, though: in the parlance of The Dark Knight, Halloween Ends wasn’t the film that franchise fans deserved, but it was the one they needed. After Myers became a figure of borderline parody in Halloween Kills, Halloween Ends did something we haven’t seen since the third film in the series: it took the focus off the most famous masked killer in horror history. The result (assuming you can ignore the goofy climax) is one of the most provocative horror films of the last decade, and you can check it out for yourself on Netflix.
Mikey Likes It
Halloween Ends begins with a babysitter (played by Rohan Campbell) accidentally killing the child he is watching in a freak accident. He becomes an outcast and pariah in Haddonfield, where even bored high school bullies harass him. After an unexpected run-in with a decidedly decrepit-looking Michael Myers, this bullied babysitter finally becomes the monster the whole town thinks he is. Things get messier when he falls in love with the granddaughter (played by Andi Matichak) of Laurie Strode (played by OG scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis), Myers’ oldest surviving victim. As the bodies pile up, the film barrels towards an explosive finale in which different generations of god and evil must fight for whatever is left of this troubled town’s soul.
While critics largely hated it, Halloween Ends deserves credit for taking big creative swings. David Gordon Green’s first Halloween movie was a solid reboot of the franchise, situating itself as a direct sequel to the John Carpenter slasher that started it all. That movie was good but not great, and much of what made it special was bogged down by weighty and sometimes awkward world-building. Halloween Kills, meanwhile, felt like a gonzo parody of the whole franchise, pairing over-the-top violence with cheesy dialogue and relentless nostalgia slop. Comparatively, Halloween Ends feels like a unique and fully-formed commentary on both the franchise and America’s epidemic of violence.
A Stab From The Past
Admittedly, some of the criticisms of Halloween Ends are fair. The tone is inconsistent, waffling between slow-burning psychological thrills and boiling slasher violence. The finale (a clearly shot-for-the-trailer, hilariously geriatric showdown between Laurie and Michael Myers )is unambiguously the worst part of the film. The characters are written as modern American archetypes, which sometimes interferes with the otherwise grounded storytelling. Finally, the film de-centers Myers in favor of a young, new killer, which will be off-putting to anyone who tuned in to see their favorite masked madman engaging in a bit of the old ultraviolence.
However, that last criticism is most definitely a feature of Halloween Ends rather than a bug. The brutal truth is that, narratively speaking, Michael Myers is played out and has almost nothing left to offer to this franchise. Director David Gordon Green wisely ignored the tangled continuity of Myers’ lore, returning him to his default state as the embodiment of pure evil. But there’s only so much you can do with “evil man is evil,” which is why Halloween Kills gave him nothing to do but hack up everyone he ran into. Halloween Ends, however, posits that Myers’ evil is infectious, effectively spreading throughout the entire town like a cancer.
Little Boy Blues
It certainly spread into our protagonist, a young man whose life is forever changed when he accidentally kills a boy. He shares something important in common with Myers: putting on a mask is how he leaves his humanity behind, fully embracing his identity as a monster. However, he is much more sympathetic than Myers because he fights his destiny, trying to rebuild his life after it is shattered into a thousand pieces. Thanks to Rohan Campbell’s compelling performance, audiences are forced to ask how culpable he is for his brutal actions and how much blame can be placed on Michael Myers, a legend who is simultaneously Haddonfield’s most immovable object and its most unstoppable force.
It helps that Campbell has very natural chemistry with Andi Matichak. Her character has endured so much tragedy in such a short time that she is in a perfect position to fall in love with the town’s resident bad boy. Together, they form a decidedly postmodern pair of star-crossed lovers: she just wants to escape from it all, while her serial killer boyfriend wants to tear everything down. Their relationship is as passionate as it is dysfunctional, and their doomed romance is every bit as compelling as the film’s satisfyingly gory kills.
Evil Smiles Tonight
Is Halloween Ends the best film in the franchise? Of course not. That honor goes to the John Carpenter original, a bloody slice of slasher perfection. But Ends is better than most of the original sequels (especially Halloween III and Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers), and it’s infinitely better than both of Rob Zombie’s remakes put together. If you can get over the relative lack of Michael Myers, it’s even better than Green’s first Halloween film because it offers us a genuinely fresh story set in this venerable cinematic universe. Throw in great kills, crunchy actor chemistry, and a pitch-perfect performance from original Final Girl Jamie Lee Curtis, and you’ve got something truly special.
Care to decide for yourself if this hated film is secretly brilliant? Want to wash away the fetid odor of several stinkers in the franchise, or maybe just get the phrase “EVIL DIES TONIGHT” out of your head? All you have to do is stream Halloween Ends on Netflix to experience this melancholic meta-slasher for yourself. By the time the credits roll, you’ll have a new respect for one of horror’s most notorious modern films. But you’ll likely join the legion of Halloween fans who are all united by a single, simple hope: that Myers stays dead a little bit longer before Hollywood tries to bring this slasher series back to life again.
Entertainment
This robotic pool vacuum is basically a Roomba that can swim, and it’s $449 off today
SAVE 35%: As of May 6, you can get the Beatbot AquaSense 2 for $849 at Amazon, down from $1,298. That’s a 35% discount or $449 savings.
$849
at Amazon
$1,298
Save $449
I don’t have a pool (well, not a personal one, anyway; I live in an apartment complex), but I do have a robot vacuum, and I know the joy of watching a little machine clean my floors while I do other things. If you apply that same logic to pool maintenance (which I imagine is a lot more annoying than keeping your floors clean), then investing in a robo pool cleaner makes a lot of sense.
Mashable Trend Report
And, right now, you can get one of Amazon’s top-rated models for a fraction of the price. As of May 6, you can get the Beatbot AquaSense 2 for $849 at Amazon, down from $1,298. That’s a 35% discount or $449 savings. It’s also the lowest price we’ve seen this model go for. The only problem? Amazon marked this as a “limited-time deal,” and the countdown clock shows it ends in about 16 hours.
This thing works just like an indoor robot vacuum; it maps out its cleaning path and then uses an onboard 4-core CPU and 16 sensors to navigate using an S-path for the pool floor and an N-path to scrub the walls and waterline. It also has a “Double-Pass Scrubbing” feature for the waterline, so it’ll get the grimiest spots twice per pass. Bonus: When it’s done cleaning (or when the battery runs low), it automatically parks itself at the surface of the water so you don’t have to go diving to retrieve it.
Entertainment
Grandma Anne’s Secret Jell-O
I love making food that people appreciate — the kind of meal that makes the whole table go quiet at the first bite. But you know what I kind of love more? Making food that makes the whole table shriek like kids chasing the ice-cream truck.
So, when I happened upon a “secret Jell-O” recipe in chef Hillary Sterling’s new cookbook, Ammazza! — titled for the Roman slang term, which roughly translates to “wowee!” — I knew I had to share.
“This was the defining treat of my childhood,” explains Hillary. Growing up, her Grandma Anne always kept a bowl of Jell-O in the fridge. “She added halved grapes, and they’d hover in the middle while it ‘jellified.’ It tasted so cool, refreshing, and delicious.” As adults, Hillary and her sister tried to replicate it, but never managed to get the taste just right. That’s when their grandpa clued them in to Grandma Anne’s secret ingredient: sweet liqueur. “Turns out, our favorite childhood dessert was one part Grandma, one part frat party.”
Hillary’s own adaptation is a little more cocktail-party than frat, but just as festive: a ruby-red confection, studded with plums and served in a champagne coupe. Plus, it’s incredibly simple, with less than 10 minutes of active cooking time. And while I’ll give Grandma Anne the benefit of the doubt, and say she probably wasn’t trying to inebriate her grandchildren, this recipe has almost a shot’s worth of brandy per serving (wowee, indeed!). So, let’s maybe keep it at the grown-ups table.
Grandma Anne’s Secret Jell-O
from Ammazza! by Hillary Sterling
Serves 4
1/2 cup (115 g) prunes*
3/4 cup (180 ml) brandy
1 85-gram package cherry gelatin
*It’s true, prunes are dried plums. Here, they’re essentially rehydrated in the cooking process.
In a small pot, combine the prunes and 1/2 cup (120 ml) of the brandy. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat low, and cook until the prunes absorb all the liquid (about 5 minutes). Set aside. In a separate small saucepan, bring 1 cup (240 ml) of water to a boil. Place the gelatin in a heatproof bowl, then pour the hot water over it, whisking until fully dissolved (about 2 minutes). Stir in the remaining 1/4 cup (60 ml) of brandy and 1 cup (240 ml) of cold water.
Divide half of the gelatin mixture evenly among four glasses, filling them about halfway. (“This is the time to break out your heirloom wine glasses or champagne coupes,” says Hillary. “Style and presentation meant everything to my grandmother.”) Arrange the glasses on a small sheet pan for stability. Refrigerate, uncovered, until just set (about 1 hour).
Finally, divide the steeped prunes evenly among the glasses, gently placing them on top of the set layer. Top each glass with the remaining gelatin — the fruit will “float” as it sets. Cover and refrigerate until firm but still jiggly (about 1 hour more). Serve, and enjoy!
Thank you so much, Hillary! And congratulations on your beautiful cookbook.
P.S. More fun party recipes, including a chaotic pavlova and a pasta cake.
(Photos by Kelly Puleio. Excerpted with permission from Ammazza!, on sale now from Scribner, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. Copyright © 2026 by Hillary Sterling)
Entertainment
The Bradley Cooper Horror Movie That Will Break Your Brain
By Sean Thiessen
| Published
What do you get when you cross Bradley Cooper with a Clive Barker horror story? The answer: 2008’s gory cult classic The Midnight Meat Train. Though a slashed theatrical release buried the film, this disturbing bloodbath has finally been unearthed on Tubi.
Riding The Rails Has Never Been More Dangerous
Bradley Cooper leads The Midnight Meat Train as Leon Kaufman, a photographer keen on capturing the grit of city life. After his portfolio is rejected by a high-profile gallery owner for being too safe, Leon ventures out in search of danger. Spoiler alert: he finds it.
Leon captures a brutal act of violence on a subway and becomes obsessed with tracking down a serial killer who has been enacting carnage on the late-night train for years. Leon spirals down a tunnel of mystery that slowly unravels a conspiracy that goes all the way to the bottom. He struggles to gain the support of the police and even his own girlfriend, portrayed by actress Leslie Bibb. The Midnight Meat Train speeds toward a sinister conclusion that is a must-see for horror fans.
This Bradley Cooper film is unlike any other. The Midnight Meat Train was adapted from Barker’s short story by Pet Sematary (2019) screenwriter Jeff Buhler and directed by Japanese filmmaker Ryûhei Kitamura. The result is a dark, tense, and revolting horror mystery, complete with the hyper-stylized sensibilities of 2008.
The film was originally set as the feature directorial debut of Patrick Tatopoulos, a special effects wizard and production designer who cut his teeth on movies like Independence Day, I, Robot, and Underworld. It was scheduled to shoot in New York City in 2005.
Tatopoulos was replaced by Kitamura and, in an effort to cut costs, Bradley Cooper and the rest of the gang shot The Midnight Meat Train in the Los Angeles metro system. Production finally began in the spring of 2007.
Lionsgate distributed the film but only opened the movie in the secondary theatrical market, limiting the release to about 100 screens. It was then quickly released on DVD, much to the filmmakers’ dismay. Clive Barker openly criticized Lionsgate’s Joe Drake for burying other films in order to venerate The Strangers, for which Drake was a producer.
Critics twho saw The Midnight Meat Train generally liked it, praising the acting from Bradley Cooper, Leslie Bibb, Vinnie Jones, and the rest of the cast. The film carries a 70 percent critical score on Rotten Tomatoes on the consensus that it delivers the thrills, scares, and gore its target audience seeks.
Bradley Cooper’s Career Took Off After Midnight Meat Train
Bradley Cooper jumped from Midnight Meat Train into the following year’s breakout hit The Hangover. That film launched Cooper from a solid supporting actor to a bankable leading man. The Hangover spawned a lucrative trilogy of comedies that provided a steady stream for Cooper as he expanded to dramatic horizons.
Cooper has since led an exciting and successful career as an actor, director, and producer. His performance in 2012’s Silver Linings Playbook earned the actor his first Oscar nomination, which he followed up with nominations for his work in American Hustle, American Sniper, and A Star is Born. As a producer, his films Joker, A Star is Born, American Sniper, and Nightmare Alley were nominated for Best Picture.
Bradley Cooper’s horror background with Midnight Meat Train paired with the gnarly sensibilities of director James Gunn to bring about Rocket Raccoon in the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy. The character may be Cooper’s most iconic, but it is easy to forget that such a high-profile actor lurks beneath the CGI surface of the lovable a-hole.
The evolution of Cooper’s career is a fascinating one, and The Midnight Meat Train is an important piece of the puzzle. It stands out among his list of comedies, dramas, and action films, and the film’s troubled release leaves it begging for rediscovery.
Now, nearly 20 years after its release, fans of Bradley Cooper can head on over to Tubi and ride The Midnight Meat Train all the way to the end of the bloody line.
Graeme McDowell hopes LIV can move on from controversy
This robotic pool vacuum is basically a Roomba that can swim, and it’s $449 off today
