Halloween Kills' alternate ending is slightly better, but here's why it still doesn't quite work. Halloween Kills is the second entry in Blumhouse's rebooted franchise, which was kickstarted by Halloween 2018. While this was the eleventh overall installment of the saga, it took the bold step of ignoring every other sequel/reboot and acted as a direct follow-up to 1978's original Halloween. This saw Jamie Lee Curtis return as Laurie Strode, who takes on Michael Myers with help from her daughter and granddaughter.
In addition to honoring Carpenter's peerless original, Halloween 2018 was a very entertaining update of the series. It was soon confirmed two more entries would follow, with Halloween Kills eventually landing in 2021 while Halloween Ends is currently set to hit screens in 2022. Sadly, Halloween Kills proved a disappointment to many. Halloween Kills combined a nostalgia-baiting, unfocused screenplay with oddly mean-spirited violence and touched on intriguing themes without ever really digging into them. While the movie was a solid hit, it left many devotees of the series unhappy with the direction it took the Laurie Strode/Michael Myers story.
Halloween Kills' theatrical cut ended on a shocking note, which saw Michael killing Laurie's daughter Karen (Judy Greer). For a time, it appeared Michael would be dispatched by an angry Haddonfield mob, but he managed to overpower his attackers and later murdered Karen in his old home. This wasn't the original planned ending, and the Halloween Kills Extended Cut revealed the intended finale. This saw Laurie call Karen on his cell phone after Michael had already killed her, with Myers (AKA The Shape) answering the call and breathing down the line. Laurie, realizing Karen is dead, vows to come for Michael and the movie ends as she walks out of the hospital with a knife.
In contrast to the rather abrupt ending to Halloween Kills' theatrical cut, this ending is definitely superior. Laurie felt relatively sidelined through the 2021 sequel, so to have some direct contact between her and Michael - and confirming her worst fear that Karen was killed - adds emotional weight to the story. It also calls back to the original film in very literal terms, where Laurie called her friend Lynda - who was strangled by Michael - and she heard The Shape breathing down the line. However, it's easy to see why this Halloween Kills ending was trimmed.
For one, this Halloween Kills finale cuts around Michael Myers answering Karen's cell for one specific reason: The Shape answering a mobile phone would be an inherently silly sight. Secondly, having Laurie pick up the butcher's knife and leave the hospital implies Halloween Ends would also take place on the same night as Halloween 2018 and Halloween Kills. It's since been confirmed by director David Gordon Green that Halloween Ends will have a time jump, so this finale implying Laurie's revenge was imminent wouldn't have worked. After regretfully sidelining Laurie Strode for much of the story, Halloween Kills' alternate ending at least made a direct link behind her and Michael Myers - it's just a shame it still didn't quite work emotionally.