An anthology series is the best approach for the Halloween franchise following the release of Halloween Ends. The 2022 release will mark the end of the conflict between Michael Myers and Laurie Strode, but after that, the franchise's future is up in the air. A new direction or a set of trilogies similar to the current reboot featuring Michael Myers could be the way to go.
Halloween III: Season Of The Witch is the franchise's first and only attempt at an anthology format, serving as the lone film in the franchise to not feature Michael Myers or follow any continuity surrounding his story. It instead followed Dr. Daniel Challis uncovering a sinister conspiracy involving a company known as Silver Shamrock. The film was a theatrical failure initially but has since gained a cult following in the ensuing years.
Despite Season Of The Witch's initially poor reception upon release, the Halloween franchise should consider an anthology series after Halloween Ends concludes Laurie and Michael's story. The cult following surrounding Season Of The Witch proves there will be fans willing to accept the franchise going this route. This interest can also extend to the producers of the franchise, such as John Carpenter and Ryan Freimann. The mixed reception of Halloween Kills and past sequels such as Halloween Ressurection also show that the franchise runs the risk of going stale if it continues with Michael Myers. Doing an anthology format has the potential to keep the franchise fresh and prevent it from losing relevance.
Season Of The Witch's cult status confirms that there's a renewed excitement for telling different stories within the Halloween franchise. Producers of the franchise could and have shared a similar enthusiasm. Following the original 1978 Halloween, John Carpenter and Debra Hill intended for the franchise to follow an anthology format. If given creative input for the franchise following Halloween Ends, it's likely that Carpenter still would agree this is the best route forward. In more concrete terms, producer Ryan Freimann stated in an interview (via Comicbook) that he has expressed interest in revisiting Season Of The Witch. This shows that even though it's not confirmed, the anthology route for the Halloween franchise is now popular enough to be considered.
As mentioned before, many of the Halloween sequels have ranged from receiving mixed to poor reception. One of the most reviled sequels in the franchise is that of Halloween: Ressurection. The negative reaction towards Resurrection left the franchise dormant until Rob Zombie's 2007 remake. More recently, Halloween Kills' reviews have been heavily mixed. This shows that, despite his status as a horror icon, the franchise should not keep its focus solely on Michael Myers in order to keep going. The anthology format could remedy that by telling different stories without relying too heavily on Myers' influence.
As of right now, there is no confirmation that Halloween will use an anthology series to continue the franchise following Halloween Ends. It's also more likely that Michael Myers will continue to return. Still, if the franchise wants to remain long-running in the years to come, the anthology approach is an effective way of making sure that happens.