Warning: Spoilers Below For Halloween EndsHalloween Ends lived up to its title by finally killing Michael Myers, but if it follows a rejected John Carpenter concept, even death won't stop "The Shape." Halloween creator Carpenter felt the story of Michael Myers and Laurie Strode ended with the first film, but pressure for a sequel saw him write and produce Halloween 2. That outing killed Michael in the finale, but when the studio still requested another, he pitched an anthology focusing on the holiday itself. Sadly, Halloween III: Season Of The Witch was a financial dud, and Carpenter stepped aside from 1988's Halloween 4: The Return Of Michael Myers.
Prior to his exit from the fourth film, he developed a pitch with writer Dennis Etchison. This saw the deceased Michael become a literal bogeyman, where Haddonfield's fear and paranoia he might return causes him to materialize. This concept was rejected, but if Blumhouse ever picked up from Halloween Ends, it could still be reworked. In the finale of Halloween Ends, Michael is killed by Laurie and fed into a shredder, but the final shot reveals his mask is still around. A fourth Blumhouse Halloween could use Carpenter's pitch to make a more supernatural entry, where Michael has become a literal manifestation of Haddonfield's collective trauma.
Halloween 4 Can Literally Turn Michael Myers Into "The Shape"
Every Halloween movie has portrayed Michael as a flesh and blood killer, regardless of his ability to withstand seemingly fatal wounds. That said, one of the defining elements of Michael is the utter absence of character; he has no real motivation or drives beyond killing. In fact, he earned the nickname "The Shape" in Carpenter and Debra Hill's screenplay because that's basically what he is for most of the story. While Halloween Ends closed the door on one chapter, it could shift genres by finally going the phantom route.
Halloween Ends has attracted backlash for essentially making Michael feel like a guest character. The bulk of the story centers on new killer Corey Cunningham, who becomes a Michael copycat with some mentorship from Myers. It's a strange dynamic, but one that offered a fresh take on the franchise. The future of the series is unclear, but returning to Carpenter's more psychological take on Halloween 4 and showing Michael "transcend" - to borrow Laurie's oft-repeated Halloween Kills quote - to a new form is worth exploring. If anything, that script's exploration of generational trauma and the power of fear would be even more potent 30 years on.
Michael's Halloween Return In Inevitable
All signs point to both Blumhouse and Halloween Ends creative team moving on from the property. While he might be very, VERY dead by the time Ends' credits roll, there's no chance Michael will stay that way. Eventually, the saga will be rebooted with a fresh take on The Shape, and one that will hopefully take in a unique direction. Halloween fans are used to it hitting the reset switch every decade or so, and Halloween Ends at least offers the next entry a clean slate. Whether it's Carpenter's phantom idea or revisiting Jamie Lloyd, the only certainty is Michael will come home once again.