Since the release of John Carpenter's original back in 1978, Halloween has remained one of the most prominent franchises in horror. And while it has seen its share of faux final entries, the alleged true conclusion to the saga comes later this year, in the form of David Gordon Green's trilogy-capper Halloween Ends.
According to comments from many of the cast and crew, Green and co. have set out to bring things to a close in an unexpected fashion, as Jamie Lee Curtis, Nick Castle and even Green himself have all begun trying to ease audiences into the idea that Halloween Ends is going to have an insane twist ending.
The first hint was from none other than the final girl herself, Jamie Lee Curtis, who during the Halloween Kills press tour told NME that the final film would "blow people's minds open" and make fans "angry". Shortly thereafter in an interview with THR, David Gordon Green said he "just came up with a new twist ending" for the film that would further deliver unexpected surprises. Lastly, original Michael Myers actor Nick Castle said at a recent convention that the film would have a "surprising" ending that audiences would not see coming.
So what exactly is going on here? From these comments, it certainly seems as if the film will not simply end in standard fashion, but rather with some unbelievable, possibly rage-inducing twist. And while it could go any number of ways, the filmmakers have made some rather distinct choices over the course of this trilogy that would seem to illuminate things.
Halloween III's Triumphant Return
In an interview with UPROXX, Green noted his fondness for Tommy Lee Wallace's cult classic threequel, Halloween III: Season of the Witch. That film infamously did not feature Michael Myers, but rather an evil mask-making corporation known as Silver Shamrock who broadcast signals which melted the minds of children wearing their masks on Halloween night.
Both prior installments of the current Halloween trilogy have featured prominent cameos of these Silver Shamrock masks and notably, Halloween Kills goes out of its way to show audiences a never-before-seen radio tower in the middle of town both in its 1978-set flashback and in the modern-day events. This radio tower and the continued presence of the masks could be used as the basis for a twist revealing that Silver Shamrock is actually canon in this iteration of the story as well, maybe even making them the creators of Michael's iconic mask.
Christine Meets Michael Myers
Another piece of the puzzle is that when asked by Empire which John Carpenter film Halloween Ends would be most similar to, he responded with an odd answer: "Christine". Stephen King's story of an evil car possessing a young man may not bear many similarities to Halloween on the surface, but Green goes on to refer to Halloween Ends as a "coming-of-age story," which paints a much clearer picture.
Allyson, Laurie Strode's granddaughter, ends Halloween Kills with both her mother and father having been murdered by Michael Myers. So it's safe to say that a good portion of Halloween Ends will involve her and Laurie overcoming their collective grief. Pair this with Laurie's insistence at the end of Halloween Kills that "the more [Michael Myers] kills, the more he ascends" and it wouldn't be too surprising to see Allyson grappling with a more concentrated version of the rabid madness the town experienced in Halloween Kills, turning her into a villain in the final moments. Heck, she could even kill Laurie and Michael. That would certainly make some folks mad, as Curtis predicted. This would even mirror a similar twist at the end of Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, another sequel that has gotten its fair share of references in the prior films.
Loose Ends From the Halloween Franchise
There's speculation about any number of oddities from earlier films showing back up as a final head-scratching shock (the Cult of Thorn from Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, a reprise of the "It's not Michael under the mask" twist from Halloween: Resurrection, a familial reveal a la Halloween II), but these elements were all pretty unloved to begin with, so it would be odd to see Green circle back to them.
Whatever twists are in-store, here's hoping that Halloween Ends is able to deliver a finale that not only surprises audiences but also does the story and characters justice.
The final chapter of Michael Myers' saga, Halloween Ends, hits theaters on October 14, 2022.