#Should the Franchise Revisit the Original Anthology Plan?
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“Should the Franchise Revisit the Original Anthology Plan?”
However, the Halloween franchise is commendable in that 44 years after the original, Jamie Lee Curtis is still gearing up to do battle with Michael Myers in what producer Malek Akkad is calling “a more contained film.” The film will take place four years after the events of Halloween Kills. According to Jamie Lee Curtis, this entry will be divisive in some bold choices we may see unfold from director David Gordon Green, who helmed the previous two entries.
Already dividing fans are rumors the film will be incorporating the Covid-19 pandemic into the film. While horror enthusiasts certainly enjoy being treated to the nightmare of an unstoppable psychopath, some feel the pandemic should be left to the realm of reality. While the film may lean into the political struggles baked into pandemic-related conflicts, striking that particular balance with an icon like Michael Myers may prove to be a tight rope to tread. On the other hand, if muffled voices under masks with lots of intense eye acting help the overall stressful tone of the film, it could add a provocative layer of conflict and claustrophobia.
Some creative decisions in Halloween Kills also divided audiences with commentary on mob mentality. Regardless, Halloween Ends will surely carry a level of horror filmmaking competence that is always a treat to witness, especially in theaters. This franchise’s particular brand of graphic violence has always been handled carefully, never feeling too cruel or abusive toward the audience but rather fitting a well-established style of big studio horror that remains enjoyable to mass audiences who can stomach a certain level of cinematic slaughter.
The Original Plan
In 1981, a sequel to Halloween was released to give John Carpenter’s successful 1978 film a conclusion. Then the brand would become free to explore its anthology potential, where everything imaginable under the Halloween umbrella could be explored. Each year, audiences would be treated to a big studio take on a creepy and macabre concept. Halloween III: Season of The Witch kicked things off in 1982 and is a movie overflowing with gonzo horror creativity. The film was received horribly upon its release. For years, it was trashed as the ugly duckling of the franchise, having nothing to do with Michael Myers. It was a marketing mistake, but rather than stay the course with the anthology plan, the franchise owners retraced their steps and began delivering the redundancy audiences apparently wanted.
Michael Myers would repeat his formula nine more times, with Halloween Ends as the tenth entry of a plot revolving around a masked killer murdering everyone. Season of The Witch is about ancient Stonehenge magic in the hands of a brilliant psychopath with an army of robots. He has devised a plan to murder all the children of the world by tapping into ancient cosmic sorcery. The film’s plot is so wildly creative that it forces you to reconcile a kind of travesty that has played out with the demands of the masses versus a carnival of Halloween-inspired wonders that could have been. A collective guilt perhaps is felt by horror enthusiasts who now recognize the brilliance of Halloween 3 and regret a mass demand for endless Michael Myers films.
John Carpenter was quoted as saying:
“Let me explain the movie business to you: if you take a dollar sign and attach it to anything, there will be somebody who wants to do a sequel. It will live. If the dollar sign is not big enough, no matter what, it will not live. I don’t know, man. I don’t know. This time, I do not know. They really want to end. They’re going to shut it off, end it. It’s what David has in mind. That’s fine.”
It could be that Michael Myers’ monopoly of the Halloween brand has run its course. After all, the value proposition of Halloween could be explored much further than the confines of Michael Myers. The cultural and economic increase in the holiday itself inspires a more dynamic way to imagine the cinematic possibilities. It may, in fact, exceed the value of Michael Myers himself or simply unleash the greater universe in which Michael Myers is but one entry.
Getting Back on Track
As we prepare to say goodbye to Michael Myers and thank him for all the bloody memories, perhaps it is fitting the film may include Covid-19 masks and mandates. A simultaneous farewell to “The Shape” and the pandemic will surely be a satisfying time at the movies. Moving forward, it can only mean an explosion of creativity that has been trying to break out of the Halloween brand for nearly 40 years. With overt references to Season of The Witch in David Gordon Green’s Halloween movies, it’s possible the director agrees. Should Halloween Ends be followed up by a completely different approach to what a Halloween horror film can be, it is possible with the right messaging, audiences may finally get on board the anthology concept. If the right formula is conceived (and makes a lot of money), it may signal a renaissance for the franchise. The risk is certainly high.
There will undoubtedly be an audience angry that they aren’t getting Michael Myers again and again, but a solution could simply be in the form of a title change. Michael could be a calculated way to separate the serial killer franchise from the bonds of the Halloween title, which could now be free to explore the anthology potential. Either that or Season of The Witch gets a direct sequel which would surely excite a more extreme wing of the fan base.
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