The Halloween Franchise Actually Ended With Halloween H20

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The latest Halloween movie, Halloween Ends, came out in 2022 and was intended to be the final chapter. This film was the last of a three-part series produced by Blumhouse, and it disregarded the storylines from all previous Halloween sequels, remakes, and reboots. The first film in 2018 was a critical and commercial success, but by the time Halloween Ends arrived, much of that positive reception had faded. Both fans and critics were confused by the movie and didn’t quite believe it would truly be the last installment in the long-running Halloween franchise.

It always seemed unlikely that Blumhouse could convince fans that Halloween Ends offered a fitting conclusion to the iconic series, especially with its strange story about a young man influenced by Michael Myers’ evil. In Hollywood, profit usually wins, and a character as popular as Michael Myers – ‘The Shape’ – will likely keep appearing in new movies. Plus, the franchise already delivered a near-perfect ending back in 1998 with Halloween H20: Twenty Years Later, which achieved most of what the recent trilogy attempted, but in a concise 86 minutes instead of over five hours.

The Blumhouse Trilogy Set Laurie Strode On a Bumpy Road to Salvation

The 2018 film Halloween brought back Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode, portraying her with a compelling mix of strength and fragility. The movie disregarded Curtis’s previous roles in Halloween H20 and Halloween: Resurrection, and instead presented Strode as someone who had withdrawn from the world after the terrifying events of the original Halloween night in 1978.

I’ve always been fascinated by this version of the story. It’s so chilling that Laurie Strode never learned Michael Myers was her brother – apparently, the writer just needed a reason for him to keep after her, and that’s what he came up with! Because of that, she’s lived her whole adult life haunted by the fear that he’ll escape Smith’s Grove again and come after her. It makes her story so much more tragic, knowing she’s always looking over her shoulder for a threat that feels completely random and unstoppable.

This version of Laurie Strode has turned her home into a fortress, filled with traps in anticipation of Michael Myers’s return, making her preparation feel more like a serious horror film than a cartoon. Her constant focus on the possibility of Myers returning has damaged her relationships with her daughter, Karen, and granddaughter, Allyson, as it prevented them from living normal lives. She also struggles with alcohol and has a habit of pushing away those closest to her – all signs that she’s dealing with deep trauma in unhealthy ways. However, she’s ultimately proven right when Myers does return to Haddonfield and begins a new wave of terror.

I’ve been a huge fan of how the recent Halloween movies, directed by David Gordon Green, really focused on Laurie Strode’s struggle with the trauma Michael Myers inflicted on her. It wasn’t just about the scares; it showed her trying to cope, and validated her fear all along. What I loved most was seeing her finally take control and hunt Myers instead of running. And it wasn’t just about Laurie anymore; the latest film really explored how an entire town was affected by that horrific night and how everyone dealt with the lasting trauma.

In Halloween Ends, we meet Corey Cunningham, a young man who unexpectedly finds a weakened Michael Myers. Myers attacks him but then inexplicably lets him live, seemingly transferring his evil to Corey. Corey then takes Myers’ mask, commits a terrible act by killing his own mother, and attacks Laurie Strode. However, he’s quickly killed, leaving a large portion of the movie for the long-awaited final battle between Strode and Myers – it almost feels like the director realized he needed to deliver on that promise.

The reaction to the film was very divided. Some praised director Gordon Green for taking a risk and trying something new, but most viewers struggled with the extensive focus on a new character and their somewhat underdeveloped storyline about inherited trauma and evil. Many fans were disappointed that a trilogy which began so strongly, centered on the classic rivalry between Laurie Strode and Michael Myers, ultimately strayed into too many unrelated tangents before reaching the climactic showdown they’d been waiting for.

Halloween H20 Already Provided That Salvation Decades Earlier

You know, thinking about the recent Halloween movies from Blumhouse, especially the 2018 one, it feels a little like we’ve seen this all before. It reminds me a lot of what happened back in 1998 when Jamie Lee Curtis came back to play Laurie Strode after a really long break. She agreed to return, but only if the movie, H20, wrapped up the whole Laurie Strode versus Michael Myers story for good. It’s like they tried to do the same thing again, but with a new spin.

You know, it’s fascinating to learn that the director originally envisioned this film as the final Halloween movie! But Moustapha Akkad, the producer, wasn’t having it. He actually put a rule in everyone’s contracts saying they couldn’t kill Michael Myers. Honestly, it makes sense – Myers was his golden goose, the reason the franchise was so profitable, so why would he ever let that happen?

Ultimately, Curtis agreed to return because the film concluded with Strode decisively defeating her longtime enemy, with the screen then fading to black. She understood that the producers would likely find a way to continue the story, but she felt it was a satisfying way for her character to conclude her arc. Seeing Strode finally overcome her fear and vanquish her tormentor after so many years felt like a fitting end, allowing her to leave the series on her own terms with her character finding peace. Curtis also strongly insisted that the ending of H20 not suggest any future installments, making it appear as though the franchise had truly come to a close.

Despite Myers’ apparent defeat, the story continued, and Laurie Strode returned only to be killed off early in the next film. At the time, Jamie Lee Curtis was eager to move on from the series and agreed to appear only if her character was quickly eliminated. However, with the Blumhouse trilogy, the filmmakers rewrote history, bringing Strode back by ignoring the events of H20 and Resurrection. It seemed Curtis wanted a chance to give Strode’s story a more satisfying conclusion, but surprisingly, the character ended up facing similar challenges all over again.

Ultimately, Halloween (2018) Rehashed Many of Halloween H20’s Themes

The 2018 Halloween film often felt like a remake of H20 with a few updates, hoping audiences wouldn’t realize how similar they were. While this approach worked – the movie is generally well-regarded – it lacked truly original concepts. One example is the portrayal of Laurie Strode as someone deeply affected by past trauma, which wasn’t…

In H20, the character is portrayed as deeply traumatized, having faked her death and started a new life far away to escape her violent brother. Similar to Halloween (2018), she has a strained relationship with her son, John, a teenager she raised living in constant fear of Michael Myers. And, like in Halloween (2018), she deals with this ongoing anxiety by relying on alcohol.

The recent film showed Laurie Strode’s struggles with alcoholism and trauma very openly, but there’s a power in how Halloween H20 portrays her. It shows a scared woman desperately trying to conceal her pain from loved ones while still trying to be a good mother and school headmistress. This version of Strode feels more emotionally genuine than the one in the 2018 Halloween film, which sometimes feels exaggerated. The H20 Strode feels more realistic and relatable.

The film is particularly effective because, like the recent sequels, it leads to a powerful moment where Laurie Strode decides to confront her history instead of running from it, and finally takes the fight to Michael Myers. The emotional payoff is huge when she grabs an axe, yells his name, and begins to hunt him around the school grounds at night. For many viewers, seeing her ultimately chop off his head and the credits roll felt like a truly satisfying conclusion to the series.

Critics didn’t love Halloween H20, and it unfortunately became known as just another average sequel. While it’s not perfect – some felt Laurie Strode’s journey to overcoming her trauma felt rushed – the movie has a strong base. It’s actually more puzzling that the 2018 Halloween received praise, as it didn’t add much new depth to the character’s psychological state; it simply continued the story started in H20. In fact, by the end of Halloween Ends, Laurie Strode hasn’t really developed or changed significantly beyond where she was in H20 decades before.

Looking back, H20 really nailed the final showdown between Laurie Strode and Michael Myers. It was focused and impactful, which is more than I can say for the newer trilogy that’s left so many fans disappointed. H20 got right to the core of what made Halloween scary in the first place, and it did it so concisely. Honestly, the series should have ended there. Halloween Ends feels like a huge letdown, and a real misstep by Blumhouse. They should have left it with H20.

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2025-11-09 01:08