Halloween is ending in 2022 with the final part of David Gordon Green’s slasher trilogy, Halloween Ends.
If you’ve been having nightmares that the Shape is stalking you since the trilogy began in 2018 or ever since Michael Myers first breathed off-camera in 1978, now you can enjoy the same experience in real life. At least, it’s as near to real-life as is safely allowed.
Escape Michael Myers is a free-to-play retro mobile game that puts you in the shoes of cinema’s most famous final girl, Laurie Strode.
Be the Final Girl
The game’s simple mechanics will be familiar to anyone who’s played endless runner games like Temple Run or Super Mario Run. Only this is Halloween, and the stakes are a little higher. Players control Laurie, who isn’t stopping unless something goes very wrong. Players control her movements left and right, allowing her to avoid obstacles like rocks, fires, and even moving police officers on her sprint through Haddonfield. Of course, Michael is right behind her. Hit too many obstacles, and Laurie gets in range of her enigmatic stalker as a pumpkin scale counts down her remaining life.
The good news is that Haddonfield is out to help Laurie almost as much as hinder her. Highlighted weapons like sticks, guns, and knives can be picked up by steering Laurie into them. Once she has one, Myers flashes red as he takes an instant hit.
If you make it far enough, you’ll earn a place on the leaderboard, although some impressively big hitters have already laid down some impressive scores. Welcome to your new Haddonfield addiction.
Running to the end
Escape Michael Myers is a fun way to kick off the Halloween season, complete with its retro stylings and slimmed-down version of John Carpenter’s classic Halloween theme. Those iconic notes always sound particularly good 8-bitting from a phone.
It’s not all about whiling away the time as the nights draw in. The game is an update of a 2018 version that promoted the release of Halloween. This time, it’s a promotional tie-in to the release of Halloween Ends.
We’re not sure how much the game will reflect the movie, although we have an idea it’s not at all. The official synopsis from Universal Pictures suggests a different tone from the full-on Myers assault that closed Halloween Kills:
“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 his last brutal rampage. 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.”
Expect the unexpected, with both original Michael Nick Castle and John Carpenter suggesting that the finale is quite a departure from previous movies.
While we wait to see how the final confrontation between Michael and Laurie plays out, this fun little game should keep you busy.
How long can you escape Michael Myers?
Escape Michael Myers is free to play on desktop and phone browsers. Halloween Ends will be released in movie theaters and on Peacock on Oct. 14.
Published: Oct 1, 2022 10:06 am