WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Halloween, now in theaters.


Halloween serves as a straight follow-up to the original film in the franchise, forgoing many of the elements that were introduced in the sequels. At one point the film even mocks its past, like when Allyson Strode reveals the “rumor” of Michael Myers and Laurie Strode being siblings as just “something people added later.”

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But where do things stand at the end of this Halloween? While there’s been a high body count and many of the loose ends have been tied up, there are still a few things worth exploring when it comes to the ending of Halloween.

Getting To The Cabin In The Woods

Laurie Strode spends much of Halloween estranged from her grown daughter, Karen. Living in the woods and “praying” for the day that Michael escapes, she’s lost connection with the world at large and her daughter especially. She has a kind relationship with her granddaughter Allyson, but even that is strained by Laurie’s hardline attitude. When Michael escapes, Laurie comes for her family to take them to her home/bunker. Karen and her husband Ray go, but Allyson is missing.

Allyson is trying to walk home when she finds herself fleeing Michael. Although she’s picked up by officer Frank Hawkins after he runs down Michael with his car, Dr. Ranbir Sartain kills Hawkins before he gets the chance to finish Michael off once and for all. Sartain has become obsessed with Michael and his methods, even donning the iconic mask while dragging Michael into the police cruiser.

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Michael ends up regaining consciousness and brutally killing Sartain, letting Allyson escape into the woods to try and reach the rest of her family. Michael gets there first, though, stealing a police car and driving there. He promptly kills Ray, and heads into the house for an extended game of cat and mouse with Laurie.

The Strode Girls

Laurie manages to wound Michael and blow off some of his fingers with a shotgun blast. While Karen hides in the basement, Laurie stalks the house and seals the various exits. But Michael is able to lure her into a trap using his own blood as the bait, wounding her and tossing her out a window.

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The arrival of Allyson distracts Michael, giving Laurie the chance to escape (in a nice nod to the original Halloween). Allyson finds Karen, who lures Michael towards the basement with feigned screaming and panicking, only to shoot Michael straight on. She was listening to her mother after all.

Halloween

A surprise hit by Laurie manages to knock him into the basement, while the girls try to escape. Although Michael grabs Karen, Allyson manages to stab him. All three Strode girls manage to wound him. They seal Michael in the basement, and Laurie reveals the entire house is a trap.

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Laurie activates a number of heaters around the house, quickly lighting the entire place on fire. The whole time, Michael just stares up at the Strode girls from the basement, watching. Laurie says goodbye to Michael, and they rush out of the house. Allyson manages to flag down a passing truck, and the three Strode women are driven to safety while Laurie’s house burns to the ground, with Michael trapped in the basement.

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Where Does That Leave Us

As the credits roll, we’re left with potentially a clean ending to the franchise. The original last girl, Laurie Strode, has managed to survive her final encounter with the killer that has haunted her for 40 years, in large part due to her daughter and granddaughter. Michael, meanwhile, has been left for dead in a massive fire.

Karen’s concerns that Laurie was needlessly obsessing over Michael are thoroughly disproven, and the family is poised to reconnect as they drive off the safety, even if Ray is among the dead. It’s a fitting send-off for the character and the franchise, with Laurie finally conquering her trauma and reconnecting with her family.

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So, could there even be a follow-up to this film? Earlier in Halloween, all the other mental patients who were released during Michael’s escape were said to have been captured, so it’s not like any more of them are out there to “become inspired” by Michael.

Dr. Sartain seemed poised to become a “new” Michael Myers when he took the mask from a seemingly dead Michael and put it on, but just a few minutes later he gets his head graphically crushed under Michael’s boot for his trouble.

But could Michael have survived?

Even being trapped in a burning building with no means of escape, he has a history of somehow coming back from anything. And at the end of the credits, his signature heavy breathing overtakes the music. Looks like Michael might be back for more sooner rather than later.

Halloween, directed by David Gordon Green and starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, Andi Matichak, Will Patton, Virginia Gardner, Nick Castle, Jefferson Hall, Rhian Rees, Toby Huss, and Haluk Bilginer is currently in theaters.