- "When I look at you, I know I can tell the truth. I'm not afraid of those people. I'm not afraid anymore. You tell me that you want to burn it down, or you tell me you want to burn it to the ground."
- ―Corey to Allyson Nelson as he reveals to her his obsessive and possessive side after everything he went through with the Shape[src]
Corey Cunningham is the main antagonist of Halloween Ends. He was originally a sweet, shy young man whose life changed forever when he accidentally killed a young boy named Jeremy.
Biography[]
Accidental murderer[]
On Halloween 2019, Corey arrives at the Allen house on his bicycle to babysit their son Jeremy. Theresa opened the door for him, calling Corey a lifesaver as she announced to Roger that their son's babysitter had arrived. Corey waved at Roger, who did not appear to hear him as he played the piano, and Theresa yelled her husband's name, Roger remarking that he hoped Corey was better at childcare than he was at yard work. Corey comes over to him and starts to speak before he is interrupted by Theresa, who asks Corey if he is saving for college and asks where he had said he was going. Corey explained that he was applying to a few engineering programs and saving money as Theresa moved away from him and shouted for Jeremy to inform him that his sitter was there. Jeremy comes down wearing a mask and asks Corey to show him how to make a thunder bomber as his dad did. Roger told Corey, "no pressure," as he walked past. Corey agrees, saying he will give it a shot, and Roger asks Jeremy if he will be good for "Mr. Corey." Theresa whispers for Corey in the corner and asks if she can talk to him for a second. Corey obliges and walks away with her. As Theresa writes, Roger tells Corey that they will leave the candy on the porch so the trick-or-treaters can help themselves. Theresa tells Corey to help himself to anything in the fridge, and Corey laughs as Roger jokes about the fridge food's lack of quality.
Theresa informs Corey of Jeremy's bedwetting that started after the 2018 Halloween murder spree by Michael Myers. Corey offers to read Jeremy a story, and Theresa cuts him off to say that Jeremy talks in his sleep. Corey dismisses it as "normal kid imagination," and Theresa tells him that Jeremy can have no TV or candy and then Jeremy should go to bed after they play until 8:30 or 8:45. Roger calls it easy money. Corey turns his head as Jeremy asks if Corey will come to play with him. Corey smiles and says they're going to have a good time tonight. Jeremy and Corey watch monster movies, and as Jeremy reacts unnervingly, Corey notices and tells him they can turn it off if he's scared. Jeremy refutes this and adds that Corey is scared. Corey says that he is 21 years old and does not get scared. Jeremy further that Corey is afraid because he knows Michael Myers is still out there. Corey jokingly says the Boogeyman will get Jeremy, and the latter refutes this by claiming that Michael Myers gets babysitters, not children.
As the film depicts a head coming off a body, Corey admits that it is disgusting and probably not appropriate for kids, before suggesting that they shut the film off and play hide-and-seek before bed. As Corey furthers that Jeremy's parents are going to be home soon, Jeremy snaps that he does not want to play hide-and-seek because it is "stupid" and wants to watch the film, adding that he does not want to pretend to be friends "with an ugly-ass boy babysitter." Offended, he tells Jeremy that he has five minutes before he has to go to bed. Jeremy replies that Corey sucks at babysitting, and Corey refutes this by declaring he is not a babysitter. Corey goes into the kitchen to get chocolate milk out of the refrigerator, and as he begins cutting a brownie, he hears a noise and goes back to tell Jeremy to turn the movie off. Corey looks around the house and sees the door open. Going outside as he calls Jeremy's name and calls for him to come out. Corey proceeds to look in closets and under beds. He hears a scream upstairs and calls the boy's name again. Jeremy calls for Corey to help him, and Corey begins walking upstairs.
Corey goes into the attic and looks around for Jeremy, the door shutting behind him as Jeremy shouts that the boogeyman will get Corey when he least expects it. Jeremy's parents pull up outside, and Corey progressively gets angrier as he pleads for the boy to let him out. Corey tells him that he is going to get them both in trouble. As Roger and Theresa come into the house, Corey tells Jeremy that he will kill him, unintentionally kicking the door into Jeremy and sending the boy to his death. Roger and Theresa run over to the boy's corpse, and Corey stares at the sight as Theresa yells out in horror. Later, he is arrested by Doug Mulaney.
Meeting Laurie and Allyson[]
Corey meets Terry Tramer, Billy, Stacy, and Margo
Four days before Halloween 2022, Corey goes to the gas station and buys some milk. He is approached by Terry Tramer, Stacy, Billy and Margo. Terry explains that the group are high school seniors that are part of a marching band and are wondering if he could be a "cool new friend" and buy them a couple of six-packs. Corey politely smiles and shakes his head as he starts to walk away, but Terry tries to persuade him by saying it would just be for him and his friends and takes Corey's arm. Corey declines and tells them he cannot do it before Stacy reveals that she knows who he is, and Billy adds that he did something messy. Terry identifies Corey as that "psycho babysitter", and Stacy asks if he killed "that kid." Stacy proceeds to mock Corey for killing a child but being too cowardly to buy them some beer, and Terry tells Corey that he is "a little pedo" and sarcastically asks Corey if he's a "pedo creep" and when his next victim will be. Corey becomes so angry that he smashes his glass of milk and spills it on Terry, who pushes Corey to the ground.
Corey meets Laurie Strode
The latter looks at his now cut hand, and Terry continues to mock him until Laurie Strode shouts at the group to knock it off. Terry mocks the meeting of Laurie and Corey as a "psycho" meeting, a "freak show," and the group walks away. As Corey tends to his hand, Laurie extends her hand and asks if Corey is the "psycho" or the "freak show." Laurie stands by a recovering Corey and stares at the band's car, pulling out a knife and asking Corey if he wants to do it or if he wants her to do it. Corey looks at her and then at the car, stabbing it with Laurie's knife and getting into her car afterward as they drive off. The two arrive at the office of Dr. Mathis, with Laurie explaining to her granddaughter Allyson Nelson that Corey had an accident and needs a fix-up. Mathis works on Corey's hand, telling him that he has significant inflammation and will numb it so his assistant can clean it up. Mathis asks Corey if Allyson is cute, and Corey struggles to form a response before Mathis's table falls over, the latter screaming at Allyson and Corey trying to take the blame before Allyson asserts it was her fault. Mathis walks out of the room, and Corey tells Allyson that she should not let him talk to her like that, Allyson partially turning her face to him. Corey tells her it will make her sad even if she thinks it does not, and Allyson smiles as she declares that she has dealt with much worse. Allyson begins checking his hand, telling him that she has been dealing with it on the premise that she might get a promotion, and Corey asks her if it is worth it.
Allyson asks how Corey's hand became injured, and Corey explains that he had an accident at work. Allyson remarks that his job sucks too and asks where he works, Corey revealing it is a mechanic shop. Allyson tells him that her car has been rattling, and Corey tells her that the exhaust system clamp has come loose and that it would be an easy fix that takes around five minutes. After her work on his hand is done, Corey goes under Allyson's car, who tells him that he does not have to fix it right away. Corey says he does not have his equipment, but he will when he returns to the shop the next day and can fix it. Allyson jokes about bicycles not being able to stand on their own, and Corey tells her that he is getting rid of the bike, offering it to her as he reveals that he is getting a motorcycle. Allyson asks Corey if he will teach her how to ride it, and he says that he will. Allyson says that he has dirt on his back, and she goes behind him to clean it off, telling him that the pair should go out sometime and do something. Corey asks if she is with him, and she replies that she means with both. Corey smiles and tells her that she does not want to do that. Corey tells her that he is going to be late for dinner, but that he appreciates the hand, pointing to his as he tells her that it feels better already.
At dinner, Joan asks Corey if his hand is infected and what the doctor says. Corey tells her that the doctor said it would be fine and there was nothing to worry about. Joan tells his stepfather that she might have to send Corey back to Devon at the call center if he cannot be given proper supervision. Corey then receives a text from Allyson. Joan angrily asks Corey what he is doing and who is calling him under the dinner table. Corey dismisses her and responds to Allyson's suggestion of a costume party by telling her that he does not have a costume. Allyson answers that she can fix that, and Corey tells Joan that it is no one. Joan tells Corey that boys who keep secrets are not given custard for dessert and walks away.
The next day, Corey drives his motorcycle around the lot when Allyson arrives in her car. He pulls up to her as she stands and gets off the motorcycle while telling her to get on. She complies, and Corey gives her instructions on how to ride it, finishing by saying that it is simple, and Allyson replies that it does not sound simple. Corey is called over to a new car that has been pulled in and shares a glance with Terry, whose father chews him out for not knowing how to change a tire on an automobile and insults his intelligence. Corey tells Allyson that he is going to go help Ronald and that he will then fix her rattle. Allyson says she does not care about the rattle and comes to see him.
Meeting the Shape[]
Allyson drives Corey to the costume party, introducing him to Deb Jennings, who asks Allyson who is under the mask. Corey tells her that he is a scarecrow and repeats this louder when she cannot hear him. Corey sees another man who shows him his organ costume, and he sits alone as Allyson comes over with drinks for the two. Corey dances with her, and they take pictures together. Corey is visibly annoyed when someone photobombs their picture. At one point during their dance, Corey gets on the floor and laughs as Allyson caresses his face, and they laugh together. She continues dancing as he walks to the bar, where he requests a drink and is spotted by Theresa. The smiling mother asks Corey if he is just there dancing and having a good time, and Corey tells her that he is sorry. She tells him about her pain and that he does not understand if he thinks he can come out and party with his friends, screaming at him that he got mad at her little boy and lost his mind. An angered Corey leaves the party, and Allyson follows behind. Corey ignores Allyson as she calls his name and nearly gets hit by a car. Allyson tells him to talk to her, and he asks her why she took him in there and that this is why he does not go out. Corey asks her where she was, and Allyson says she does not know what happened. Allyson asserts that she was trying to help him, and Corey tells her that he is not her project, which she insists she knows. Allyson furthers that she knows what it is like to have people looking at you and thinking they know what you have been through, and that she just saw a person when she looked at him the other day. Corey explains he is seen as a monster, and she is seen as a survivor. Her being viewed as a hero, while he is seen as a kid killer. Corey tells Allyson that she may think she can fix him, but she cannot, and he will spare her heartache before walking away.
Continuing his return home on foot, Corey is confronted by the school band from the gas station. Terry puts his hands on Corey's chest as he tells him he wants to apologize and extends his hand to make amends. Corey does not extend him in return, and Billy tells him not to leave Terry hanging. Corey moves past Terry, who pushes him to the ground as it is revealed this is their payback for Corey letting the air out of their tires. Billy smashes Corey's glasses with his shoes and pushes Corey against their car, the latter pulling out a knife and ordering them to stay back. Billy rhetorically asks Corey if he is going to murder them the same way he murdered that kid, and knocks the knife out of his hand. Corey pushes Billy as he tells him that he does not know what he is talking about, and tells Terry that he acts the way he does because his father treats him poorly, referencing the exchange he saw at the mechanic shop. Terry asks Corey what he just said to him, and Corey replies that he knows what it looks like when someone hates another person, and Terry's father certainly hates him. Billy grabs Corey by the back, and Terry throws him off the bridge.
Believing him to be dead, the band drives away. Nelson Christopher is to the side singing, and Michael emerges from his cave to grab Corey, dragging the unconscious young man inside as Nelson observes. Corey regains consciousness and sees rats, staggering as he looks around. Michael appears out of a corner and grabs Corey by the throat, the latter looking into his eyes before he screams and leaves the cave. Corey staggers outside and stares into the cave before Nelson confronts him to ask if he saw the man in there and explains that Michael takes people in there, and they do not come out. Nelson wonders why Corey was allowed to live and tells him to go back inside and get Michael's mask. Nelson tells Corey that he is Michael Myers as he pulls a knife on him and tells him that Michael is not done with him; Corey switches the knife's position to fatally strike Nelson in their struggle. Corey goes to his house, and Joan asks him where he's been, in addition to telling him that she has been sick and almost called a missing persons line. Corey goes into the bathroom and ignores his mother's pleas for her to let her inside as he removes his shirt and stares at his own reflection.
Corey arrives at Laurie's home and stands by her bush as he stares upward, reminding her of when Michael stared at her on Halloween 1978. Laurie comes outside, and Corey comes from behind her, startling the grandmother. He apologizes for frightening her and says he is just waiting for Allyson. The latter calls his name as she comes outside and asks him if everything is okay. Corey revealed that he was jumped by the group from the gas station. Laurie apologizes to him, and Corey tells Allyson that he wants to talk to her and tells her that while there is no excuse, he would like for her to just take a walk with him. Allyson complies, and Corey reveals to her that he killed someone. Allyson stops in her tracks and stares at him. Corey extends his hand to her, and she looks into his eyes. He takes her to the now-abandoned Allen home and recounts Jeremy's death, lamenting that everything happened so fast and that he just wanted it to be a fun night. He kneels by the spot Jeremy landed on when he died and looked upstairs. Allyson reveals that she heard what happened, and while admitting that it might sound crazy, she felt that she knew him when people would talk about him and then her grandmother brought him to her.
Descending into madness[]
Corey and Allyson go to a diner, and Allyson recounts her life after the death of her parents, and Corey asks her why she would stay. Corey tells her that he thinks her grandmother feels guilty about her parents being killed and is making Allyson her child. Allyson admits that she is worried about what would have happened if she had left Laurie by herself, and Corey asks if she plans to stay in Haddonfield and protect her from herself forever. Corey apologizes for losing his head at the party and walking away, calling it a mistake, and tells her that he knows he can tell her the truth when he looks at her. Corey furthers that he is no longer afraid and is interrupted by officer Doug Mulaney, who also happens to be Allyson's ex-boyfriend. He confronts her about never calling him, and she tells him she is with someone. Mulaney apologizes to Corey and offers the pair a slice of Joe's cake after they finish what they are doing, but Allyson tells him they are good. Mulaney continues trying to talk to Allyson, but Corey shouts that she said they were good, and Mulaney turns to him, asking Corey if he has a problem.
Corey repeats that they are good, and Mulaney then recognizes him, the latter asking Allyson if she calls "Mr. Aggravated Manslaughter" when she cannot sleep and asks if she feels safe with him when she sees the Boogeyman in her nightmares. Corey raises from his seat, and Mulaney backs off, walking to his seat. Corey sits back down and puts his hand on Allyson's shoulder as she tells him to burn it all to the ground, and he replies that he will light the match. Corey drives Allyson back to her home on his motorcycle, and she asks if he wants to come in. Corey tells her another night, and the two kiss before she goes inside. Mulaney goes to the site of the cave and looks around with a flashlight, stumbling across Nelson's corpse as Corey covers his face with a jacket and tackles him to the ground. Mulaney punches Corey in the face, and the latter runs away as he laughs and retreats into the cave. Mulaney follows him in and shines a flashlight as he yells out threats. Corey stands still as Mulaney finds him and smiles before Michael rushes Mulaney. Corey punches Mulaney and takes his flashlight, telling Michael to get up and show him how to do it. He screams for Michael to get up, and the latter reaches for a knife, Corey overpowering Mulaney and holding him in place as Michael stabs him to death.
Corey goes to Allyson's house and knocks on the door. Allyson notices the scars on his face and asks if he is okay. Corey tells her that he does not know what is happening to him and sits on the couch. Allyson asks who did this to him, and Corey asks if Michael let her live or if she escaped. Allyson touches the side of his forehead and asks him if it hurts. Corey replies that it does not, and she answers that her mother saved her. Corey follows Allyson upstairs, the pair kissing as they walk. The two have sex, and Allyson falls asleep while Corey notices his mask on her dresser, taking it. The following day, after Dr. Mathis promotes Deb over Allyson due to his affair with her, Michael and Corey head to the doctor's house. Corey stabs Mathis to death by the pool and is noticed by Deb, who begins screaming and catches Corey's attention. He rushes to attack her, and she closes the door on his hand. Corey yells in pain and bangs on the glass door as she calls the police. He stops as he notices Michael coming from behind her, grabbing Deb by the throat and pinning her to a wall. Corey pulls his mask up as he watches Michael finish her off and puts his hand on the glass.
Corey and Allyson go to the top of the radio tower, where he recounts how the site became one of his places to go after the accident. Corey tells her that he has to get away from everyone who knows him, but he does not want to do it alone. Corey is standing by the edge and telling Allyson that he thinks she is scared she does not have enough bandages to keep him together before he jumps. Allyson looks over and realizes how short the fall was, asking Corey if he is okay as he laughs and asks if he is insane or suicidal. Corey tells her that he is not interested in immortality and falls to the ground. Sean Schrider comes out of the building, inquires about what they are doing, and recognizes Corey, mocking him by saying that he will scare all the kids. Sean warns them to get off his property before he harms them, and Allyson tells Corey that she does not want to be in Haddonfield anymore and wants to be with him, the pair embracing. Returning home, Joan confronts Corey over the time he spends with Allyson and accuses her of trying to take him away from her, telling him to go before slapping him. Joan quickly apologizes and walks away, with Ronald telling Corey that he hopes he finds love.
Halloween 2022[]
On Halloween, 2022, Corey wakes up to the sound of a thud, which he mistakes for Allyson as he looks forward. Laurie reveals herself as she throws a thunder bomber, and she explains the two kinds of evil; the evil that exists as an external force that threatens the well-being of a tribe and the other one that lives inside us, like a sickness or infection. Corey asks Laurie if he is a bad person, and she laughs. Corey asks if she is, and Laurie tells him she wants to help him or find him help before adding that Allyson is not equipped for their kind of relationship and ordering him to stay away. Corey yells at her by reminding her that she introduced them to each other and that she is the one to blame. Corey sits on the staircase, telling Laurie that no one will have Allyson if he cannot have her, and tells Laurie to let Allyson live her life if she wants to help him. Corey tells Laurie that she should give in and surrender to that feeling she had the first time she looked into Michael's eyes, adding that she secretly hopes Michael returns for her. He repeats Terry's line from the gas station, saying he is the "psycho" and she is the "freak show." Corey realizes that Laurie is left and goes by the window to see if he can spot her, playing on the piano as he looks around.
Corey calls Allyson while driving his motorcycle and tells her they must leave. Allyson says she cannot due to her currently working, and Corey tells her they can do it tonight and asks if she can meet him at the diner at 9:00 to discuss her grandmother, claiming that Laurie wants to kill him and that he cannot take it anymore. It is time to say goodbye to Haddonfield. Corey goes into the cave and sees Michael standing there, telling the latter he has something he needs as he lunges at him. Michael throws him to the ground, and the pair continue wrestling until Corey pins Michael, calling him "just a man in a Halloween mask" and asking what he will do now before climbing out of the cave with the mask. After the band enters the gas station, Corey spots their car and carves "PSYCHO" into the vehicle. The band notices it as they come from inside, and they see Corey looking back at them, the latter starting his motorcycle and driving off as Terry declares, "He's dead!" The group follows Corey to the mechanic shop where he works, but Corey is nowhere to be seen, although the latter sneaks around to lock the gate behind them.
Corey amid his junkyard murders
Terry devises a plan to take Corey's motorcycle and tie it to their car so they can drag it until nothing is left. Corey kills Billy with a drumstick to the face, and Terry calls for him until he discovers his corpse. Corey then reveals himself as the truck driver and forwards to Margo and Stacy, the latter hooping over the closed gate while Margo gets caught under it after Corey runs into it. Terry goes to get Ronald for help, and Stacy goes to Margo's side as she inquires if her friend is okay. Corey removes himself from the vehicle and slowly steps over to the distracted Stacy with a wrench, fatally striking her right after the latter screams in terror. Ronald goes to help Margo, who points out Corey to Ronald. As the latter recognizes him, Terry points his gun to shoot at him, and Ronald tells him not to as he raises up from his crouching position and is shot in the head accidentally. Terry rushes to Margo's side, and Corey approaches him from behind, grabbing the gun from his hand and knocking him to the ground. He uses a blowtorch to burn Terry's face, killing him, and stomps Margo's face to kill her.
Corey kills Willy the Kid
Corey returns home and is mistaken by his mother as Ronald, as Joan is watching a television program. Corey goes into the kitchen and retrieves a knife from a drawer. He silently approaches his mother from behind, and she turns to see him, screaming before he kills her. Corey travels to the radio tower and encounters Susan, promptly killing her with repeated stabbings as Sean listens to the loud music he is playing. Corey goes into Sean's room, and the latter asks him who he is before Corey grabs him and hits his head repeatedly against a turntable. Corey takes Sean's head and uses a pair of scissors to cut off his tongue, throwing him down as he leaves and leaving the man's tongue on the record player. Corey then goes to Laurie's house, and the latter realizes he is there. She shoots a pumpkin in her room and leans against a corner. Corey peaks into the room, and Laurie sarcastically asks if he thought she would kill herself before shooting him twice and sending Corey falling down the stairs.
The heavily injured and weakened Corey is killed by Michael
Corey is lying on the ground, pulling his mask off as he bleeds from the mouth. Laurie walks down the stairs, and Corey sits up; Laurie grabs him by the hair as she says that she has tried to have compassion and find mercy. Laurie tells Corey to kill her since that is what he came to do, and he reaches for his knife. Allyson pulls up in her car outside, and Corey smiles at Laurie as he realizes this. He laughs, and Laurie says that we all learn the truth about each other and sarcastically asks him if he thought Allyson would be with him. Corey recites his previous line, "If I can't have her," and stabs himself in the side of the neck. He drops to the floor, and Laurie bends down and insults him as he grabs the knife from his throat. Allyson then comes into the house and loudly questions what Laurie did to him. Allyson holds Corey's face as she screams and then tearfully leaves the house to report her to the police. Laurie goes to sit in the kitchen, and Michael makes his way over to Corey's body, reaching for his knife before Corey grabs his arm. Michael grabs Corey by the face and snaps his neck. Corey's corpse is later found by Frank Hawkins and the other members of the Haddonfield police.
Personality[]
Before the accident, Corey was a normal, well-adjusted youth who wanted to make an honest living and was very respectful. His one character flaw was having a temper, which only seemed to manifest when he was insulted in some harsh way or being made fun of. This temperament would become a fatal flaw when he babysat Jeremy, as it led to his anger from the boy's prank and the accidental killing that ensued. After the accident, he became reclusive, a side effect of the persecution that he felt from the town of Haddonfield, and largely kept to himself. When he did leave the house, it was only for either work or to perform a menial task like getting a drink from the gas station, things that were either essential or necessary for him to get some of the few joys in his life. In the three years that followed the death, Corey's existence was that of either persecution by the townsfolk or desperate attempts to avoid as much contact with them as possible.
After years of being a town pariah, Corey succeeded another widely-disliked resident, Michael Myers, as the local serial killer
After coming into contact with Michael, Corey became calmer and content with murdering. Although he differed from Michael in solely targeting those that he felt had slighted him in some way, he shared his commonality of not sparing anyone who got in his way, as he killed Susan without having every encountered her before and just for her proximity to Willy the Kid. He also maintained much of Michael's brutality and sadism, as he melted Terry's face in front of Margo and promptly killed the latter quickly when it seemed he had no one to witness her demise. He took delight in his conquests, as he laughed to himself while leading Mulaney into a trap by going into the cave, and smiled both at Mulaney when the latter spotted him with his flashlight and at Laurie when he hatched his plan to make her appear to be his murderer. Multiple of Corey's kills consisted of him luring a subject into a trap. This happened the first time with Mulaney, who he led to find a body and then teased to get him to pursue him into the cave. The second instance was with the high school band, as he waited for them to find his vandalism of their car and drove off as soon as they spotted him so they would end up pursuing him to the junkyard.
Ronald saw Corey unmasked during his junkyard murders
Corey lived with his mother Joan for his entire life, the latter being very strict with him, not even allowing her grown son to use his cell phone at the dinner table and trying to punish him by taking away his dessert. In her own twisted way, she did love Corey, as she spoke highly of him when being met by Laurie and was worried about him when he did not come home the previous night. However, Joan was extremely possessive of Corey, even convincing herself that Allyson was trying to take Corey away from her and slapping him. Corey seemed to meekly go along with her rules and beliefs until his encounter with Michael, after which he became more open to not listening to her. Corey also lived with his uncle Ronald, who helped him in getting a job at his junkyard and gifted him a motorcycle. Notably, while Corey avoided killing Ronald, who instead was accidentally killed by Terry, he came for his mother and killed her without hesitation.
Though he initially got along well with Laurie, he frightened her after his meeting with Michael
Laurie became familiar with Corey Cunningham after his accidental killing of Jeremy, though they were formally introduced to each other when she stood up for him at a gas station. They elicited comparisons for their odd or otherwise unique backgrounds, with her being a survivor of a serial killer who was blamed for his second murder spree, and Corey being an accidental murderer who was shunned for an unintended tragedy. She thought highly enough of him to introduce him to Allyson but would soon afterward be put off with his mannerisms, which reminded her of Michael. When she warned him to stay away from her granddaughter, he instantly reminded her that the pair only met because of her and refused to back out of a relationship with Allyson, even lying to that latter when claiming that Laurie wanted to kill him. In actuality this was projection, as Corey wanted to kill Laurie, but found himself severely outclassed when attempting to do so. Laurie mocked him both for thinking she was suicidal (as it showed he did not know her as well as he thought he did) and for believing he would be with Allyson. Corey aimed to have a legacy by destroying Laurie and Allyson's relationship with a suicide that made it appear Laurie had killed him, but this quickly failed thanks to his own actions, as Allyson realized he set the radio tower on fire and was just as awful as Laurie had asserted.
In the days leading up to Halloween 2022, Corey developed an antagonism with Terry and the three members of his school band. This dispute started when Corey refused to aid them in underage drinking and only worsened when they taunted him over Jeremy's death and assaulted him for an unintended spilling of his drink on the group. While the group was wrong for their behavior toward Corey, the latter escalated the conflict by letting the air out of tires, which initiated their finding of him after he left the costume party and indirectly caused his first encounter with Michael. Corey from then on no longer had reluctance in his actions toward them and found meaning in Terry calling him a "psycho", as he repeated the line both in a conversation with Laurie and when writing it on the band's car as he goaded them into a trap. Corey murdered the group for their continuous misdeeds toward him, even killing Margo, the sole member who had not supported his harassment.
Corey developed a romance with Allyson as his murderous tendencies came to the forefront
Corey developed a romance with Allyson after they were introduced to each other by Laurie. Allyson had heard of Corey's story from others and sympathized with him as a person with a unique past that others thought they knew or could characterize based off of what they heard about them. Because of his past, he was reluctant to spend time with her around others and even tried discouraging her from hanging out with him. While they had fun at first, Corey became frustrated during their attendance of a costume party and told Allyson that he was not her project, even making it clear that he did not have any desire to have a future with her. Following his run-in with Michael, Corey made it a priority to go to Allyson and inform him of his new killing, the latter taking his hand in a show of support. The pair were quickly attached to each other, and Allyson became very defensive of him, to the point of siding with him over her own grandmother. Allyson did not realize Corey's purposeful murderous tendencies until after he died, and admitted to Laurie that she was right about him. While Corey certainly manipulated Allyson with lies about her grandmother and omissions of his murderous ways, it is highly possible he genuinely cared about her, as she's one of the few people he never tries to harm in any way, which added to the trust that she had in him.
In many ways, he served as a dark reflection of Karen Nelson, the late daughter of Laurie and mother of Allyson. Karen was trained by Laurie to protect herself while Corey took on training to murder by Michael. Both Corey and Karen came from single parent homes with an absent father and a mother with whom they had a strained relationship due to their obsessive treatments of them, though Karen was removed from her mother's home as a youth while Corey remained with his mother into his adult years. Karen was also a well-liked member of the Haddonfield community who mostly escaped any negative associations the townspeople had toward her mother while Corey was a highly-disliked civilian who was used by others to berate anyone who was involved with him. Although both were very fond of Allyson and saw themselves as wanting to give her a better life, Karen sought to shield Allyson from the ramblings of her mother through never explicitly was opposed to their closeness while Corey aimed to shield Allyson from his murderous ways and tried manipulating her against her grandmother with lies. While the two had rocky relationships with Laurie at various points, Karen ultimately proved her devotion to protecting her mother during their final days together while Corey unsuccessfully tried ending her life. Both Karen and Corey would meet a similar fate of being murdered by Michael after having survived previous encounters with him and being shown to be capable of defending themselves against him with their demises profoundly impacting Allyson and playing some role in deteriorating her relationship with Laurie.
Corey also had parallels with Ranbir Sartain, the late doctor who Michael killed on Halloween 2018. They both purposefully attempt killing people, wear Michael's mask (although Corey's duration with it is much longer), and have some curiosity in his murderous tendencies, as Sartain wanted to see Michael in the wild while Corey orders Michael to show him how he kills when weakening Mulaney for him. Both have some connection to Laurie and Allyson, as Sartain first met both of them on Halloween 2018 and his death allowed Allyson to escape from Michael while Corey met Allyson through Laurie and dated her. They also meet a similar fate, as both are murdered by Myers via some fatal injury to their head or neck while laying on the ground and making some request of him, Corey trying to stop him from taking the knife he dropped and Sartain instructing Michael to say something.
Victims[]
- Jeremy Allen: Accidentally knocked a door into his face, causing him to fall over a railing and break his neck
- Nelson Christopher: Stabbed repeatedly in the stomach (self-defense)
- Tanner Mathis: Stabbed multiple times in the neck with a corkscrew
- Billy: Stabbed in the eye with a drumstick
- Stacy: Bludgeoned with a wrench
- Terry Tramer: Face burned with a blowtorch
- Margo: Head stomped in against a metal grate
- Joan Cunningham: Stabbed repeatedly in the chest then pushed through wardrobe glass
- Susan: Beaten with a crowbar
- Willy the Kid: Face bashed repeatedly against a turntable, and his tongue cut off with scissors
Notes and trivia[]
- Corey Cunningham has an alliterative name, just like the other main villains in Halloween films: Michael Myers and Conal Cochran.
- Corey's role in Halloween Ends, was met with criticism, due to the main focus being on him rather than on Michael.
- The film that Corey and Jeremy watch while Corey is babysitting is the 1982 film The Thing directed by John Carpenter, who also directed the original Halloween film.
- Corey is shown indulging in chocolate milk twice, first at the Allen house in the opening scene and again when he goes to the gas station.
- Corey is the first character in the Halloween franchise to have more kills in a movie than Michael. This was due to Michael being absent for most of the events of Halloween Ends, until the second half.
- Corey is the fifth character in the series to wear Michael's mask, after Myers himself, the Paramedic, Steven Haley, and Ranbir Sartain.
- Frank Hawkins is the only survivor of Halloween Kills who has no scenes with Corey, despite telling Laurie that he knows him.
- Along with Michael, Corey is one of two people to die in Laurie's home on Halloween 2022.
- Deb and Laurie are the only characters Corey tries to kill but fails to, although Deb is killed by Michael shortly thereafter.
- Both of Corey's would-be victims manage to fight back against him. Deb slams the door on his hand, infuriating him to the point of hitting the glass repeatedly afterward, and Laurie shoots him twice, severely injuring him and preventing him from fighting back against her.
- Allyson and Ronald are the only named-characters in Ends that Corey does not try to kill.
- Of the three encounters he has with Terry, Margo, Billy, and Stacy over the course of the film, two of them are at the gas station and the last is the only one he initiates.
- Corey's murder of Billy by stabbing him in the eye may be a reference to the fact that Billy broke his glasses and in effect hindered his eyesight.
- Susan is the only person Corey kills that he never met before on Halloween 2022.
- Corey is the third of Allyson's boyfriends to be killed by Michael, after Cameron Elam and Mulaney.
- Corey is the second named character in the series to unintentionally kill someone, after Laurie Strode in the H20 Timeline.
- Halloween Ends director David Gordon Green cited a desire to not have Corey's fate left ambiguous: "If you’re going to continue the franchise in some form beyond me, then you take him and he dons the mask and it’s Shape 2.0 or whatever the variation might be. But I kind of felt like the more specific my vision for this film got, the more possessive of Corey I got. Once I met Rohan, I fell in love with what we could do with that character, and then I wanted to make sure we didn’t leave it so open-ended."[1]
- Corey is the last person killed by Michael in the 2018 Timeline.
- Corey is a witness to each of Michael's murders in Halloween Ends. He helps Michael kill Doug, observes as he pins Deb to a wall with a knife after his own failed attempt to get her, and unsuccessfully tries to fight back against Michael before the kills him.