Is ‘Halloween’ finished? Here’s where the franchise could go next

The following article contains spoilers for Halloween Ends.

The time is finally here. The Halloween franchise is finally over, done, and finished forever with the release of Halloween Ends. Or is it? It would not be the first time a reboot, reimaging, or sequel wormed its way into a horror franchise with this last film being the 13th entry in the slasher franchise. Let’s take a lengthy look at Halloween, and speculate as to whether the franchise will come back. 

Where could Halloween go next?

Halloween Ends and this new Halloween trilogy, helmed by David Gordon Green, promised one thing: that evil would die on Halloween night. Sure enough, by the finale of Halloween Ends, Michael Myers, aka “The Shape,” had finally been killed. Of course, he was not present for most of the movie. The main killer we followed was a new one, a young man named Corey (Rohan Campbell). After accidentally killing a young boy he was babysitting, Haddonfield turned against him. When he met Michael in the sewers, Corey took it upon himself to become his protégé and learned how he stalked and murdered his victims before going on his own murder spree. His end game was to do what Michael never did, and kill Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis). Fortunately, Laurie had been preparing for Michael’s return for more than half her life, so she was ready for the amateur slasher.

At least it is assumed that he is dead. We never saw a body, unlike Michael’s, his remains were not paraded through Haddonfield before being ripped apart in an industrial wrecker. There might be a planned idea to continue the legacy of the Halloween franchise not with Michael Myers, but with Corey taking on the identity of The Shape.

It would not be the first time an antagonist has suddenly survived a seemingly fatal wound after not murdering the final girl. If the filmmakers do choose to make another installment with Corey, it would most likely not follow Laurie. Instead, the attention would turn to her granddaughter, Allyson (Andi Matichak). Not only does Jamie Lee Curtis seem (rightfully) done with the franchise, but Laurie should also be allowed to have a happy ending. Plus Corey and Allyson being in a relationship for half of the film make her being the final girl the obvious and perfect choice.

There are two other options for another Halloween movie if the creators wish to carry on the franchise. They could go back to Halloween III: Season of the Witch. It could follow the original intention for the 1982 flick, which was not to make a sequel but produce something more self-contained. The idea for Season of the Witch was to make an anthology series out of the Halloween franchise, so they could go on to make future movies that are not related to any of the previous films, instead focusing on new stories that also take place during Halloween. 

The Halloween franchise could go on an earned break, and not return for a number of years. This would allow for a reboot or remake like Rob Zombie’s Halloween, except hopefully it would be much better than that film. Allow audiences to miss Michael Myers and then bring him back when people either haven’t seen the character for 20 years while telling a new origin story for people who are just experiencing the franchise for the first time. 

They could even combine the two options, coming back for an anthology story every few years and returning eventually to The Shape. That way, they could keep the name Halloween alive while keeping Michael dormant, waiting for his eventual return. It would not be a smart move for an immediate return or reboot of Michael, as the reception, both critically and commercially, of Halloween Ends was mixed at best. At the time of writing it currently has a 39 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 57 percent for its audience score. As for its performance at the box office, it sharply declined in its second week, and it was already the lowest opening weekend of the new trilogy. 

It does seem like the Halloween franchise needs to be put to rest for a while. Hopefully, they won’t try and have an immediate comeback because that might hurt the franchise more than it would help. If you have not seen it yet, go check out Halloween Ends which is in theaters now, or stream it on Peacock.