Instead of yet another Halloween timeline reboot, the best approach for the franchise moving forward is only bringing back Michael Myers.
Warning: Spoilers Below For Halloween EndsInstead of being another Halloween timeline reboot, all the next entry really has to do is bring back Michael Myers and start fresh. The continuity of the Halloween saga is notoriously tangled due to being ripped up and restarted so many times. Halloween 2018 took the bold approach of throwing out everything bar the original, which certainly paid off. With Halloween Ends, the Blumhouse chapter has drawn to a close, but followers of the saga are already wondering what the next step will be. Ends saw Michael Myers die in a VERY conclusive manner, so the next outing is unlikely to pick up from that timeline.
At its core, Halloween is a very simple premise; a borderline ghostly slasher stalks victims on Halloween night. Piling on further lore or retcons to that premise tended to result in the worst outings (e.g. The Curse Of Michael Myers). Halloween Ends was the “epic” finale to the Laurie Strode saga, but instead of picking up from another abandoned timeline, Halloween desperately needs to go back to basics. No cults, secret siblings or reality TV shows are necessary. In fact, if Michael is the only major character to return for the next Halloween, that just might be the best way to continue the series.
How Michael Myers Can Return After Halloween Ends
Halloween Ends saw Laurie bring her – and by extension, Haddonfield’s – trauma to a close by grinding Michael Myers up in an industrial shredder. In the unlikely case of a direct follow-up, either a copycat similiar to Ends‘ Corey Cunningham could pick up The Shape’s mask – which notably wasn’t destroyed – or he could return as some kind of phantom. Co-creator John Carpenter once pitched a version of Halloween 4 with that very concept, but it was rejected. The next Halloween might decide to just ignore the Blumhouse sequels entirely and have Myers stalk a new town during the scariest night of the year.
Could A Blumhouse Halloween 4 Really Happen?
Prior to Halloween 2018, the property was in rough shape. While Rob Zombie’s Halloween remakes were both successful, they were dark, hyperviolent slashers that received polarized receptions. The Blumhouse legacy sequel trilogy also got mixed reviews but were hugely profitable. They also brought the supernatural Michael Myers back to modern audiences and created a template for similar revivals like Scream 2022. It might be tempting to revisit this timeline, but with Michael and Corey dead and Laurie finally moving on, it feels like there’s little incentive to do so. Plus, it would go back on the filmmakers’ promise to finish off the story they set up.
Jamie Lloyd Is The Best Legacy Sequel Option
In truth, the producers behind the Halloween series will likely cast a very wide net before deciding their next step. Starting fresh with Michael and a new cast of characters feels like the best approach – but nostalgia is a powerful motivator for the fanbase too. If Halloween absolutely MUST return to an abandoned continuity, it should consider offering redemption for poor Jamie Lloyd (Danielle Harris). Jamie appeared in the Halloween 4-6 timeline, and was the daughter of Laurie; following her mother’s offscreen demise, she then became the focus of her uncle Michael’s murderous attention.
The character suffered endless trauma and attempted murders, before being killed in unpleasantly brutal fashion during Halloween: The Curse Of Michael Myers’ opening. Adding insult to injury, a reference to her existence was cut from Halloween H20, as this seventh entry chose to ignore parts 4 to 6. Having a Halloween sequel that picks up from the fifth movie and finding a grown Jamie stalked by Michael has potential, and would certainly appease major fans. That said, such a storyline risks simply repeating the one already told in Blumhouse’s Halloween.
