Halloween Trilogy Review; Michael Myers’ Modern Trilogy is Still a Disappointment

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Few slasher movie series have become as iconic as *A Nightmare on Elm Street* or *Friday the 13th*. While *Terrifier* has recently found success, many fans still prefer the original classics, and none are more representative of that than *Halloween*. What began as a single 1978 film directed by John Carpenter—about a murderous escaped mental patient—has become a cornerstone of the slasher genre, essentially defining the “masked killer” concept. After a previous attempt to revive the series failed, David Gordon Green and Blumhouse Productions took on the challenge with a new trilogy starting in 2018.

Despite starting with promise, this trilogy, even after nearly ten years, demonstrates how a strong initial concept often fails to translate beyond a single film. Intended to recapture the spirit of the original *Halloween*, it instead became as convoluted as its predecessors, but far less compelling. Ultimately, what was hoped to be a triumphant revival has become a major letdown for fans of horror and slasher films alike.

Halloween (2018) Starts Strong (But the Cracks Start to Show Early On)

The film boldly disregards everything established in previous movies, changing Michael and Laurie’s relationship and portraying Michael not as a helpless victim, but as someone destined to continue killing until his family line is finished. While some of these changes were clever, the movie ultimately demonstrates the value of remaining true to the core ideas that made the original trilogy successful.

The 2018 film *Halloween* revisits Haddonfield, Illinois, where true crime podcasters attempt to provoke a response from Michael Myers, who is confined to a sanatorium and has been largely quiet and non-violent. After escaping, he kills the podcasters and returns home to continue his killing spree. Meanwhile, Jamie Lee Curtis reprises her role as Laurie Strode, now a reclusive and heavily prepared survivalist. Haunted by decades of fear, she’s alienated everyone except her granddaughter as she anticipates Michael’s inevitable return.

The 2018 film *Halloween* is so effective because it consistently delivers genuine scares. Michael Myers is portrayed as incredibly brutal and unstoppable, feeling like a natural progression of the character from the original movie. Despite his age, he remains powerfully menacing and sticks to his classic methods, making his confrontation with Laurie Strode particularly engaging because she’s prepared for a fight while he isn’t. Ultimately, the film demonstrates that a legacy sequel benefits from characters who are ready to fight back – similar to Sidney Prescott in the *Scream* series – proving that a proactive final girl is just as compelling as one simply trying to survive. Seeing Michael Myers at his most terrifying, seemingly unchanged over the years, is a major highlight of the film.

Look, I really enjoyed the 2018 *Halloween*. It’s a solid slasher. But honestly, its biggest flaw is what comes after. The movie spends a lot of time with characters trying to *explain* Michael Myers, building him up into something more than just a terrifying presence. Laurie sees him as personally targeting her, others see him as pure, unstoppable evil, and they’re all desperate for him to *say* something. It’s intriguing at first, but it feels like they’re trying too hard to give him a motive. The sequels then attempt to really dig into those ideas, to unpack the ‘why’ of Michael, and ultimately, it just doesn’t work. It feels like they lost the spirit of what made the original *Halloween* so scary. Knowing where the story goes, and how those interesting concepts are ultimately undermined, kind of drags down the 2018 film when you look back on it. It’s a good movie, but it’s unfortunately weighed down by the knowledge of what’s to come.

Halloween Kills Tries to Hard to Be Anything But a Halloween Movie

The line “Evil dies tonight!” is instantly recognizable to anyone who saw *Halloween Kills* in 2021. Along with the repeated speeches about Michael Myers’ 40-year reign of terror, those moments really stand out. However, to understand the film’s weaknesses, it’s important to acknowledge its strengths. *Halloween Kills* is arguably the most violent and brutal installment in the entire *Halloween* franchise, featuring some of the most shocking deaths. This relentless brutality begins immediately, with Michael Myers emerging from the house fire and brutally attacking all the firefighters who try to help.

The movie starts strong, creating a mysterious and otherworldly feeling around Michael Myers and hinting that something powerful drives his actions. While Laurie Strode spends much of the film in the hospital, *Halloween Kills* focuses on Michael and the town of Haddonfield, which effectively highlights the strange connection he has with them. However, this trilogy ultimately fails to deliver on the supernatural elements it initially suggests. Michael is simply portrayed as an incredibly resilient man, and eventually, his unbelievable endurance becomes frustrating because it begs for a logical explanation that never comes.

The film also portrays the residents of Haddonfield as remarkably reckless, with some so eager to stop Michael that they end up harming themselves. Even when the town tries to hunt him down, they fail to actually kill him, and he inevitably returns, seemingly stronger than before, with many supporting characters dying in the process. What’s frustrating is that his actions are still presented as being driven by some supernatural force. However, the movie actually reveals that Michael’s only goal is to reach his bedroom window and remain inactive, just as he did after his original killing spree in 1978. While this aligns with the character’s historically weak motivations, it paradoxically reduces his frightening nature by giving him a specific, almost mundane, purpose.

Halloween Kills delivers on its promise as an action-packed horror film, showing Michael Myers wreaking havoc on a town consumed by fear and turning on itself. The movie explores interesting themes about group behavior and the limits of justice, even raising questions about whether punishing someone for Michael’s crimes is justified. However, while aiming for a realistic feel, the film also introduces supernatural elements that don’t quite fit the tone of a traditional Halloween movie.

Halloween Ends Captures Every Issue With the Trilogy

Similar to *Halloween III: Season of the Witch*, *Halloween Ends* feels very different from the typical Michael Myers story. The film, influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, takes place a few years after the previous installment. Haddonfield is still reeling from Michael’s actions and is filled with anger, quickly turning on anyone suspected of wrongdoing. The story centers on a young man who becomes a scapegoat after a tragic accident – an incident that unfolds in one of the most compelling opening sequences in recent horror films. This accident involves a boy who was targeted by a cruel prank played on him by Corey, leading to his accidental death.

Corey always felt like an outcast, and his life changed when he met Allyson, Laurie Strode’s granddaughter, who was being raised by Laurie after her parents were killed. However, Corey has been struggling with increasing instability since a past tragedy in the town, and a single event pushes him over the edge, turning him into a killer. He encounters Michael Myers and the two begin a violent partnership, eventually leading Corey to attempt to become the new Michael.

Ultimately, the movie falters as a true *Halloween* film because it tries to explain why an elderly Michael Myers would still be killing. The explanation – that Michael was passing his evil onto another character, Corey, before Corey takes his mask – is a bold idea, but doesn’t quite work. The biggest issue is that audiences expected a final confrontation with Michael himself. Instead, they got a drawn-out and unnecessary romance between Corey and Allyson, feeling like a detour from what they wanted to see – more of Michael Myers – especially in what should have been a major cinematic event.

David Gordon Green and Blumhouse’s *Halloween* trilogy had a promising concept: reviving a legendary slasher for today’s viewers while focusing on what made the original films great. The first installments were well-received, but *Halloween Ends* highlights a key flaw: this type of trilogy needs a consistent internal logic. The story struggled because it presented Michael as both a purely human killer and something more, especially when explaining his influence over Corey. If the focus was meant to be on Michael’s effect on the town and his embodiment of evil, the connection with Corey should have been established much earlier. Ultimately, audiences crave consistency, and the only consistent element throughout the trilogy was the conflict between Michael and Laurie, though even that felt unfulfilling since the film reveals he never truly cared for her.

The *Halloween* trilogy had a lot of potential, but it tried to do too much, and ultimately didn’t deliver on any of its ideas. This is reflected in the fact that the series hasn’t been revisited in theaters since. Beyond the first film, the sequels are generally viewed negatively by most fans, with very few holding them in high regard. As a result, what once looked like a promising series has become a major disappointment in the horror genre and a letdown for slasher film fans.

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2025-10-08 01:13