Interview: Andi Matichak Talks HALLOWEEN ENDS and Reflects on Her Experiences Being Involved with the HALLOWEEN Franchise

It’s all been leading to this, horror fans. This weekend, Halloween Ends, the final installment in David Gordon Green’s Halloween trilogy arrives in theaters and also debuts on Peacock, giving fans one last showdown between Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and everyone’s favorite cinematic boogeyman, Michael Myers (James Jude Courtney). In this film, Laurie and her granddaughter, Allyson (Andi Matichak), are now living together four years after the events of Halloween (2018) and Halloween Kills, and they are doing their best to move on with their lives in the wake of all that they have lost due to Michael’s murderous tendencies.

During the recent press day for Halloween Ends, Daily Dead had the opportunity to speak with Andi Matichak about her involvement with the Halloween franchise, and during our conversation, she discussed how she has evolved, both personally and professionally, over the course of making these three movies. Matichak also chatted about working with Jamie Lee Curtis over the years as well as franchise newcomer Rohan Campbell for Halloween Ends, and she also reflected on her experiences being a part of the Halloween franchise.

So great to speak with you, Andi. We're definitely going to talk about Allyson, but I wanna ask, from your perspective, thinking about who you were coming into Halloween (2018) to where you are now—what has been the biggest change for you? Maybe something personally or professionally that you've experienced throughout this journey?

Andi Matichak: It's everything. It's both professional and personal. It's so much. I signed on to do this film in 2017 and we're going on almost five years now. We have had the same group of people making these three movies. I mean, obviously, there have been some rotating cast members, given the nature of what these films are, but it's been the same crew for all three films. So it's been a really incredible growing experience collectively as a unit for everybody. We have lived alongside each other and so much of my life personally took place within those five years. So I really shared it with these people and it has been a really collective experience from top to bottom for all of us.

When I first started, I had no idea what I was getting into. I remember booking it and just being mind blown at that part alone since I had no idea that this thing would ultimately spiral into what it has. I never could have expected the response from the 2018 film that we got, and then to give us these next two films and, and to be alongside that ride with Jamie Lee and get to watch her take her last walk in Laurie Strode’s shoes has been incredibly humbling and special.

One of the things that I really enjoyed about Ends was getting to see the evolution of Allyson's relationship with Laurie. In the first two films, there is a sense of affection but there is still a little bit of a disconnect and I just love the way your characters were able to come together for this story. From your perspective, how was it exploring that new dynamic within this third film?

Andi Matichak: It was really fun. I think that Allyson is a little bit of a mirror of Laurie in the 2018 movie and in Halloween Kills where you're pretty much just watching this young person react to what is happening in front of them. But then, having a four-year time jump and having the dust settle where these characters have been figuring it all out, Jamie and I took the time to sit down so that we could really understand what happened in those four years and how these two came together and supported each other and were there for each other and pushed each other and called each other out on their bullshit, for a lack of a better, better way of saying it (laughs).

But we spent a lot of time crafting that time period in the lives of these characters and it was a lot of fun being able to work so closely with Jamie on that. I think that what you find in this film is that they've come a long way in terms of their relationship. They've leaned on each other quite a bit, but there are a lot of big scary things that are in the shadows that they have not talked about that they need to. That's what creates some of the friction between these two.

Something else that I thought was interesting was how David is exploring in this film how people have worked through trauma, whether it's collectively or individually. And I think for a lot of us, especially considering what's been going on for the last few years, I think that's something that is extremely relatable. From your perspective, was that something that sort of stuck out to you at all when you were in production on Halloween Ends?

Andi Matichak: Yeah, the thing that really stuck out to me, and to piggyback on what you said, because those things one hundred percent exist in this and were very palpable. The other thing that snuck up on me when we were filming and definitely once I saw it was the fact that there’s this point of view of the town where all these people are reaching over and taking Allyson's pain, taking Laurie's pain, and taking Corey's pain and turning it into what they think it was and making it about themselves. We see that quite a bit in society where people are so quick to label someone else's experience and put judgment on it, or make it about themselves, whether they intended to or not. That was something that was really eye-opening and made me humbled as I was navigating my way through this film.

I'm really glad that you brought up the character of Corey, because you and Rohan have some really fantastic scenes in this that explore this fascinating connection between these two characters. How was it working with him?

Andi Matichak: Yeah, Rohan is phenomenal. When I read the script, I was like, “Oh wow, how are they gonna find a person that can do this with such integrity and vulnerability?” And he absolutely brought it. What is so special about the relationship between Allyson and Corey and why I think it works is what I touched on earlier is that you have these two people that have been completely ostracized by the same community. Both of them have this shared experience of what that's like when people will point at them and look at them and turn their heads when they walk by and project their opinions on them.

It's completely unfair, but the two of them are able to just see each other for each other and understand that it's all very complicated and complex and they can remove the judgment. Some of the best scenes in this film for the two of them is when they're able to just be so candid with each other because they can be and they can't have that with anyone else.

I know we're already getting close on time, but I know it's always fun to get work and to be out there and performing and being part of things. But I'm curious—for you to be part of this franchise and this journey that you guys have all been able to take together over the course of these three movies, how much has it meant to you to be a part of the Halloween franchise’s legacy?

Andi Matichak: It's really hard to put it into words. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I had the pleasure of doing three times. And not only that, but I got to do it alongside Jamie Lee Curtis, who is the embodiment of Halloween in a huge way. And having John Carpenter be involved, as well as the heavy hitters at Blumhouse who are the people pioneering horror in the modern day—it's a collaborative dream. Of course, the franchise, it's not just a franchise, it's like the horror franchise, so it's been a monumental experience from top to bottom and the fans have been, for the most part, very welcoming to all of us, so these films are something that I will always be incredibly grateful for.

[Photo Credit: Above photo by Ryan Green/Universal Pictures.]