Have you heard? Just one year on from Halloween Ends promising to conclude the saga of Laurie Strode vs. Michael Myers for good, a bidding war is being waged to win the rights to further expand the legendary horror franchise. Specifically, Trancas International Films — which owns the Halloween television rights while Miramax takes care of the film rights — is looking to make a deal with a lucky studio, so presumably we’re headed for some kind of Halloween TV show.
Well, if that’s the case, I want to make my prayer to the horror gods of Hollywood right here and now: Sure, go ahead and continue the Halloween brand, but please, please, please, do not resurrect Michael Myers again. That might sound oxymoronic, but it is in fact possible to have Halloween without The Shape. That was the franchise’s creator John Carpenter’s original plan to keep the series going after all. Now, Carpenter’s ambitions can finally come to fruition. That is, if whoever ends up making a Halloween TV show gets creative.
A Halloween TV series should take inspiration from the franchise’s most overlooked entry
Horror history lesson time: After 1981’s Halloween II, Carpenter thought Myers’ storyline had run its course but had an interest in keeping the Halloween tradition going. His solution was 1982’s Halloween III: Season of the Witch, which tells an entirely different story with an occult flavor about cursed Halloween masks. Carpenter’s intention was to turn the franchise into an anthology, with each film telling unique stories. Unfortunately, the third film tanked at the time, necessitating Michael’s return in 1988’s imaginatively titled Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (which Carpenter neglected to direct).
These days, Season of the Witch is actually better regarded and considered a cult favorite; it was even somewhat brought back into continuity thanks to some Easter eggs hidden in the Blumhouse Halloween trilogy. While Carpenter might’ve jumped the gun back in 1981, it certainly feels like the well of ideas for more Michael Myers stories has dried up post-Ends — which resorted to filling up its runtime with junior killer Corey Cunningham, anyway — so now is the perfect time to revisit Carpenter’s anthology concept.
So how about a Halloween TV series that takes its lead from American Horror Story and tells a different storyline, tangentially connected to the movies, each season? Maybe it could be always set in Haddonfield but in different periods of history, revealing that it’s been cursed with murder and bloodshed throughout time? How about getting Paul Rudd back as his Tommy Doyle, who’s become a detective or something? Or, I don’t know, introduce a new killer who has a mask based on Spock instead of Captain Kirk.
I realize that, in talking trash about Michael, I’m basically that character in a horror movie who denies the danger and is doomed to get stabbed within two minutes, but I had to speak my truth. If you don’t hear from me again, then you know what’s happened. Just promise to honor my memory by never watching Halloween Ends again.