The Halloween Franchise ... but with Variety!

 

   1978’s “Halloween” is one of the great horror movie classics, and one of my favorites to re-visit during the season. Having said that, I always felt that a movie baring the title of the holiday could have … should have … more to offer, beyond just a killer in a mask. While the “Halloween” franchise has expanded with 13 movies total, they mainly (and unfortunately) continued to revolve around the exact same formula of a single masked killer with a knife. In my personal opinion, it’s a complete waist, as I feel a series baring the title HALLOWEEN should have so much more variety to it. Thus, I thought it would be fun to go through each instalment in the series, give each film a different terrifying Halloween themed story, and each with a different premise. Now, if you’re a fan of the series as it already is, then please continue to enjoy it, and don’t let me spoil anything. This is just me having fun, and experimenting with the variety this series could have had if it was more anthology based. There are thirteen movies in total, and I’m going to present each with a different frightening premise for the holiday season. Also, as a quick side note, I'll be using photo's from various other movies to visually represent my story thoughts, and at the end, I'll list where all the Images come from.     

 

The First Halloween Movie …

It goes without saying that I’ve always loved the original 1978 “Halloween” classic, and I wouldn’t change a thing about it. Escaped mental patient Michael Myers takes on the look of a masked killer, adorns the title of the towns “Boogie-Man”, and stocks a group of baby-sitters on Halloween night. It’s so simple, yet executed perfectly, and has rightfully become a classic. Both Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasence are iconic in their respected roles of Laurie Strode and Dr. Sam Loomis. Also, John Carpenters score is personally my favorite horror movie track of all time. It’s just a great classic, and not a single thing needs to be changed. However, much like how the first “Star Wars” eventually got a title to differentiate it from other films in its lengthy series, I think it would be interesting to give this film its own sub-title, just to separate it from the following films. I’d always refer to it as “Halloween”, but for the sake of individual titles, I’d call it …  

“Halloween 1: Night of the Boogie-Man”  

 

The Second Halloween Movie …

While the 1981 sequel “Halloween 2” is regarded by fans to be one of the better films, it’s important to establish variety from the start, as well as introduce new villains, and bring in supernatural terror. That’s not to say the villainess Michael Myers is gone for good, he could still appear in other sequels … just not the first sequel. Also, it’s important to have variety in our main hero’s/victim’s. Sometimes it can be teenagers like in the first film, other times adults like in the soon to be mentioned third film, but for this spooky outing … it’s going to have kids take center stage. Still an R ratted horror movie, but with kids as the leads, just like in Steven Kings "IT", as it gives the film a different personality. 

This tale will revolve around a group of four young friends between fourth and fifth grade, one girl and two boys, who are about to have their first trick r’ treat with a mysterious, yet friendly new student, who's also a boy. Both excitement and dread are in the air, as the kids are naturally excited, yet also leery of the night. Still, the four get together for trick r’ treat, each dressed as the main characters from “The Wizard of Oz”, and our first clue to the mysterious new villain comes in the form of one of the parents dressed as The Wicked Witch of the West. As the night takes many dark and frightening turns, it’s revealed that the mother in the Wicked Witch costume is in-fact … a real witch … one who’s kept herself alive over hundreds of years ... by draining the essence of children. 

Think of it as Disney’s “Hocus Pocus” … but actually scary. Further dark twists reveal that her son … the mysterious new friend, who went out as the scarecrow ... is in-fact a creation of the Witch, and one meant to round-up a small number of “friends” to be her offering. One last hurdle is that only the kids can see her for what she is, while the adults can only acknowledge her as an ordinary mother in an Oz costume. As an extension of her terrifying abilities, she erases the memories of all her victims, making is seem like they never existed in the first place. This leaves the kids on their own to survive the Halloween night, with a real Witch chasing after them, and their new friend acting as a wild-card who could either help them or betray them. 

In general, I’ve always loved the look and design of The Wicked Witch of the West, and always felt that she could have been a Halloween horror mascot. With the premise of a real Witch dressed up for Trick r’ Treat, it would allow her to act with the personality of the Oz character, and recreate select visuals, like hurdling fire from the top of a house roof, but she'd also be an original character at the same time. In short, while the first was about teens trying to survive the night with a masked killer, this sequel will be about kids trying to survive from the grasp of a witch ... one who just happens to be dressed as the Wicked Witch. That would be the premise of the second film in the series, and it should be titled …             

“Halloween 2: Season of the Witch”

 

The Third Halloween Movie …

The 1982 sequel titled “Halloween 3: Season of the Witch”, is that rare instalment in this series that actually did something different with the franchise. It revolved around two adults unraveling the mystery of a Halloween costume factory, and they discover it’s the base of a cult. Their leader aims to use their company Halloween masks in a plot to sacrifice a number of children as part of some pagan ritual. While I’ve never been a fan of this film, I’ll leave it just the way it is, simply because it still gives the series some variety. The only alteration I’d make is with the title. Obviously, I just used “Season of the Witch” as the title of the second movie, as that was more fitting, and this film really has nothing to do with Witch’s at all. Thus, I feel a more appropriate title for this entry would be …     

“Halloween 3: Mask of Death”

 

The Fourth Halloween Movie …

The 1988 sequel titled “Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers” went back to the basic formula, and tied back to the continuity set by the first. This film is often regarded by fans as one of the better films. It introduced Danielle Harris in the role of Michael Myers niece Jamie, and once again … I don’t mind leaving this film the way it is. After two different stand-alone anthology films, it’s nice to have the franchises original villain return for another outing. It would just have to make slight tweaks to only reference continuity from the first film as I’ve replaced the second. Also, I’ve never liked the popularity of the name Michael Myers, and how that was the title always associated with the villain. The first movie already referred to him as the figurative Boogie-Man, so why not make that the name associated with the character. As such, lets change this title to …

“Halloween 4: The Boogie-Man Returns”

 

The Fifth Halloween Movie …

The 1989 sequel “Halloween 5: Revenge of Michael Myers” once again continued the story of Michael Myers chasing after his niece Jamie ... been there, done that. So, I’ll go ahead and craft another new idea for this fifth Halloween sequel, which will be another simplistic stand-alone horror anthology story. For this instalment idea, I’ll be taking a page from “Die Hard”, and making this spooky venture set in the confines of building that’s hosting an all-night Halloween Party. The horror takes shape when the building gets locked down, with the party guests trapped inside, unable to contact anyone, and lurking in their midst is a mysterious masked killer. 

The added touch to this set-up is that the killer is switching between seven different costumes, to throw off his identity, place the blame on similarly dressed gusts, and making it harder to speculate which costumed character in either the background or even front in center could be the killer. Along the way, clues are discovered and secrets will be unlocked as to who the possible culprit could be, and where his motivations stem from. I’ve always liked the idea of a night-long Halloween party as the center place for a thriller, as well as the idea of a villain who could blend into the crowd. Instead of one image to identify the threat, I wanted to change-up the format with the villain changing his appearance through several different costumes, as it would keep the audience on their toes, as well as lending to a number of creatively spooky costume designs. That would be the premise of this fifth instalment, and I’d call it …

“Halloween 5: The Killer with Seven Faces”   

 

The Sixth Halloween Movie …

1995’s “Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers” brought finality to a figurative trilogy revolving around the niece Jamie … and achieved deeply negative results, as it’s often regarded as the absolute worst of the franchise. While I will get back to both Jamie and Michael further down the line, I still feel content to just put a book mark on their stories. As such, I feel this sixth instalment needs to continue with my anthology format, but this time back to more supernatural terror, with a brand-new villain. Turns out, there’s one such character I’ve always wanted to see physically present as the main threat in a horror film … none other than the hooded Gryme Reaper himself . 

For this set-up, death has taken it upon himself to assume the physical form of the Gryme Reaper on Halloween night, and go's out to claim select victims all over the world. This would mark the first chapter of the series that won't be isolated in a single location … this time it's a global concern. Also, the events will cover more then a single Halloween night. The story will focus on a family-man (an African-American, just to give some variety in ethnicity), who’s a scholar, and he’s analyzing mysterious deaths that have been regularly accruing on Halloween. 

After much investigating, tense build-up, and even witnessing one of the kills ... he discovers that the Reaper is marking people for death all over the world, and he’ll claim their lives on the witching hour of Halloween. Thus, he along with his accomplices must solve the mystery of how and why the Reaper is selecting his targets, and if anything can be done to spare the Reapers proclaimed victims. Things get more intense when our Scholar discovers that a member of his family may be marked for death by the reaper, which makes this a time sensitive dilemma, as he needs to find his answers before Halloween night. I think this would make for a fascinating change-up to the formula, it would be awesome to see the Gryme Reaper as a villain, and the title of the movie should be …           

“Halloween 6: When the Reaper Comes Calling”

 

The Seventh Halloween Movie …

The 1998 sequel titled “Halloween: H20” is often regarded as one of the better films, and brought back Jamie Lee Curtis in her signature role of Laurie Strode from the first movie. Oddly enough, this film actually ignores all the previous films, except for the first, making it a direct sequel set twenty years later, and putting the original lead against the original villain. For the most part, I once again don’t mind leaving this film just the way it is. I think for every two movies that don’t feature Michael Myers, another will occasionally bring him back as the frequently reoccurring mascot. I’d only make two changes to this film. First, I’d at least mention some continuity, like Myers little niece Jamie, who in my continuity has gone missing after the events of her last film. Second, I’ve always hatted that title, and thus I’d change it to …       

“Halloween 7: Twenty Years of Fear”

 

The Eighth Halloween Movie …

In 2002, there was another sequel titled “Halloween Resurrection”, which brought back both the main villain, and main hero for another appearance. It also had its own style, set in an abandoned house, and done in the style of a reality based found footage movie, just with a horror mascot thrown in the mix. Universally regarded as one of the worst, it goes without saying this film needs to be replaced. Obviously, I want to go back to the stand-alone anthology format, but not without taking some inspiration from the actual sequel. I like the idea of College students spending a Halloween night in an abandoned old house, and hosting a live broadcast on the internet. The found footage style gives the film its own identity, but drop all ties to the previous films, and have more of a mystery building. As the broadcast goes on, mysterious deaths begin to take shape, leaving our group to follow clues, and leave the audience in the dark as to what’s going on. It could be supernatural oddities tied to the abandoned house, or maybe it’s an elaborate scheme set in motion by one of the students to increase both ratings and viewership on their live broadcast. That would be the premise of the film, and it would be called …

 “Halloween 8: Dead Live!”

 

The Ninth Halloween Movie …

Director Rob Zombie remade “Halloween” in 2007, which had mixed results from fans. Some liked the changes to the killer’s origin, while others found it pointless to remake a classic. Personally, I’d keep this new story the way it is, but with one huge difference … all the characters names are different, and this was the origin to a new masked killer. Yeah, why not have more then one iconic killer in a mask for this series. In fact, we see this guy in an Orange mask … let's make that his signature look. Also, sense the original killer was named Michael Myers, it's only appropriate that this one should be named Dan Carvey ... its a nod to "Wayne's World". Of course, he also needs a spooky nick-name, and this one will simply be referred to by locals as … The Ghoul. Likewise, all the other character names should be changed, that way it can coast on the familiar, but stand apart as its own character story without the baggage of being a remake. Lastly, the appropriate title of the movie would be …

“Halloween 9: The Ghoul comes at Night”

 

The Tenth Halloween Movie …

Naturally, Rob Zombies remake had a sequel in 2009 titled “Halloween 2”, and it was more of the same old, same old, same old … so, no thanks. Instead, here’s a new anthology story to take place on Halloween, but this one will be a little different, as it will be a stand-alone story ... yet still tie-in with the continuity of a previously mentioned film. It’ll start on Halloween night, and we see a little costumed girl being rushed into a hospital. Both her identity and condition are kept vague at first, and as the doctors begin performing an emergency procedure, we travel into the dark unconsciousness of her mind … and that’s where we’ll be for the entire film. 

Think of it as “Alice in Wonderland”, except set inside a girl’s twisted and disturbed mind. It’s a place filled with nightmarish visuals, but there’s also subtext to the imagery, as this girl is figuratively facing her inner demons on an astral plane. As we discover more about this girl, her regrets, and her personal horrors, we discover that it’s none other than Michael Myers little niece Jamie, and we’re finally picking-up where her story left off after the events of the fourth film. 

Now, Michael Myers himself won’t take any form in this film, and instead, Jamie will come face-to-face with herself … a deranged killer child that’s lying dormant in her subconscious. In the end, she finally emerges from her nightmare, it’s still Halloween night … but there’s one last twist … she’s now older, and played by a grown-up Danielle Harris. Apparently, she’s been in a comma for several years, it started on a Halloween night, and was bookended by the same holiday when she finally awoke. This way, we can have a movie that still ties into some set-continuity, and develops a character further, but’s it’s also a stand-alone experience from the other films, and what title would be more perfect then …       

“Halloween 10: Night of the Eternal Nightmare”

 

The Eleventh Halloween Movie …

Nine years after Rob Zombies remakes came yet another reboot simply titled “Halloween”, but this outing one once again brought back Jamie Lee Curtis in her signature role of Laurie Strode, and she's back to battle her arch foe Michael Myers. This film once again stayed in continuity with the first movie, but ignored every other sequel in the franchise. Sense I’ve had three movies without Michael Myers, I once again don’t mind leaving this one as is. Besides, it’s the very first “Halloween” sequel to get mostly positive reviews from critics. The only things I’d change again are … keeping previous films in continuity, but only lightly mentioned, and finally ... change that stupid and unoriginal title. Instead, how about we call this movie … 

“Halloween 11: The Vengeance of Lorry Strode”

The Twelfth Halloween Movie …

As expected, the 2018 reboot was a hit, and a sequel came out soon after in 2021 titled "Halloween Kills". Guess what, the plot revolves around Michael Myers going on a killing spree ... in other words ... the same old shtick. So, to keep the variety going, I'm once again going to bounce away from continuity, and dive into something different ... and I mean really different ... like, outside of a contemporary setting. This twelfth instalment will be the first of the series to go back to ancient times, and focusing on the very origins of the holiday, as well as the original haunts of twilight superstitions. I'll admit, I'm not sure how to construct a narrative around that, but ever sense the third movie mentioned "the Festival of Samhain", I was always interested in a Halloween movie set during those archaic times. That would be the general concept of a twelfth instalment, and I’d call it …

“Halloween 12: The Dawn of Terror”

The Thirteenth Halloween Movie …

At last, we come to what is currently our final instalment. In 2022, there was another sequel titled “Halloween Ends”, making it the thirteenth instalment overall ... surprise, surprise … it featured Laurie Strode finishing off Michael Myers again ... but for my continuity, he died for good back in the eleventh film . Thus, for this one, I'll still make it a big event ... but this time crossing over with multiple established characters over the previously established films. This story will open with Tom Atkins reprising his signature role as an aged Dr. Daniel Challis from the third film. In the years sense that story, he’s been following-up on different cults that are likewise trying to bring back pigeon sacrifices on Halloween night.  

One such group he’s been investigating is the illusive Thorne Cult, who are a little more subtle in their approach with seasonal sacrifices, but still very disturbed. Basically, they have their own personal masked executioner who they send out on Halloween night, and in a surprise twist … it’s the second masked killer I created for Rob Zombies ninth film … the one I called Dan Carvey, or The Ghoul for short. While the Ghoul is serving the Thorn cult well, they know he's unpredictable, and can’t live forever. Thus, they aim to plant the seeds of a new evil descendent to carry on after him, and one they'd control from the ground-up. Their target comes in the form of none other than Michael Myers grown-up niece Jamie, who’s played again by Danielle Harris. After finally awakening from her coma in my previous tenth film, she’s at long last concurred her inner demons, is married, is with child, and is finally meeting Laurie Strode for the first time. This will mark a special case in which both the franchise’s female leads are together on screen for the first time.

Meanwhile, the Thorn cult believe Jamie’s figurative family curse may still linger on her child, and thus, they send their mask fiend to kidnap her, and ensure that she gives birth in their secret inner circle. Laurie soon after teams up with Dr. Daniel Challis, which will be another exciting meeting between two different aged hero characters in this franchise. The two naturally set-out on Halloween to rescue Jamie, come face to face with the latest masked killer, and hopefully bring an end to the Thorn Cults rain of terror. In the end, Jamie goes through with the birth, and while she promises to raise the child well, the question still remains … will the child be good, or has a new evil seed been planted? That would be a fitting way to close the franchise, and all that remains is the title … how about …  

“Halloween 13: The Night Evil Dies”

 

  “Few” … that was a fun project. Again, if you’re a fan of the “Halloween” franchise as it already is, then keep enjoying it, and have a good time with further sequels down the line. As for me, I still wish this series followed my anthology layout, as I still feel a series baring the name of the holiday could have so much more variety to offer then one continuously repeated formula.

Either way, October has come again … and let’s make every day of the month feel like Halloween.

All additional Movie images not from the "Halloween" Franchise were from "Trick r' Treat" (2007), "Oz the Great and Powerful" (2013), "Oz on Ice" (1996), "The Wizard of Oz" (1939), "Cemetery Man" (1994), "The Frightners" (1996), "Se7en" (1995), "[Rec.]" (2007), "Hocus Pocus" (1993), "The Phantom of the Opera" (1925), "Labyrinth" (1986), and "Red Riding Hood" (2011).