- John Carpenter believes Michael Myers’ longevity is due to his versatility as a character that caters to different audience preferences.
- Despite the Halloween franchise seemingly ending with Halloween Ends, more projects involving Michael Myers are being considered.
- With Miramax securing the TV rights to the franchise, Michael Myers is guaranteed to make a return in some form.
When John Carpenter created The Shape, he probably never imagined that the mysterious figure would become the renowned horror icon, Michael Myers. In a recent appearance at New York Comic-Con, Carpenter discussed his thoughts on the character’s enduring appeal and apparent invincibility.
The 1978 Halloween film depicted Michael Myers as a stalking, lurking killer with the focus being on suspense rather than a high body count. In contrast, the recent Halloween trilogy by Blumhouse and David Gordon Green transformed Myers into an unstoppable killing force. Despite Halloween Ends concluding the franchise, there are already talks of more Michael Myers-related projects in the pipeline.
According to Carpenter, the reason for Myers’ survival and longevity lies in his all-purpose nature. He stated during the NYCC panel, as reported by ScreenRant, “Well, I’ll tell you what, he’s an all-purpose character. If you want the first movie, you’ve got that. If you want him to be able to kill all the time, you’ve got that. The only other all-purpose monster is Godzilla.” In Halloween Ends, Myers meets his demise through a mulching machine, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the end of the character or the franchise.
Starting with a low-budget, low-gore premise in 1978, Halloween eventually became a franchise centered on Michael Myers. His fascination continues to endure through thirteen movies, despite mixed reception for some installments. The character has already been rebooted through Rob Zombie’s films and storylines from Halloween II were retconned by Green’s trilogy. Halloween III: The Season of the Witch is another interesting addition, having dabbled in an anthology format that didn’t solely focus on Myers.
The horror genre is known for its tendency to resurrect iconic monsters without much explanation, as seen in numerous Friday the 13th films. This fact alone suggests that Michael Myers and the Halloween franchise are far from gone. With Miramax now holding the TV rights for the franchise, Myers’ return seems even more certain. Though Carpenter may not be fully satisfied with Green’s interpretation of the series, he could still contribute to the future of Michael Myers through his music, producer credits, or other small ways.