The following contains spoilers for Halloween Ends, now in theaters and streaming on Peacock.
As a franchise, Halloween has given fans various iterations of Michael Myers. Whether he was a traditional serial killer, a supernatural terminator or a broken man pushed by visions of his past, there's a Michael for any type of fan. That said, this new Halloween trilogy offered something different that had never been fully explored. Rather than explore what Michael was at his core, it managed to show audiences the myth of the character. To do so, the initial intention was to ground the character in a way; however, as the trilogy continued, that became harder to follow.
While the direction was muddled from beginning to end, the film still managed to make Michael utterly terrifying and relentless, even in his old age. Being that he wasn't as spry as he used to be, he became a tank in a way never seen before, as he had to hit harder since he wasn't as strong as he once was. However, even though this was the vision for the character, it didn't always pan out and was undermined due to its inconsistencies.
David Gordon Green's Halloween Trilogy Promised a Grounded Michael
In Halloween (2018), Michael's actions matched how someone of his age and stature operated. His reactions to pain, like when his fingers were shot off, made sense. There was a human quality to him that gave viewers a chance to believe those brief moments when he powered through injuries. As a result, it made the character scary again without giving a sense of supernatural qualities to the killer. However, while Halloween Kills showed Michael's violence at an all-time high, his actions and tolerance to pain went above and beyond what was revealed. Because of this, the moment that he got back up after being beaten half to death by the community felt like he had gained a literal power similar to when he was tied to the Cult of Thorn.
While this direction could've worked well enough, had the film stuck to the direction, Michael's weakened actions in Halloween Ends undermined it. With the direction visually different, the moment Michael "reawakened" after taking a life felt more like he gained supernatural strength once again rather than rekindling his bloodlust. As a whole, this made the direction of his character feel more confusing than clear.
How Did Inconsistency Hurt Michael Myers' Journey in Halloween?
Michael Myers' being an older man who endured grievous injuries could work on screen had the kills he committed played to his strengths. In doing so, it would've meant that Michael would have had to lean more into his sneaking and stalking, as he was no longer the killer he once was. However, what happened was he was treated even stronger than he was when he first appeared, to the point that it became unbelievable how he could act supernaturally strong in one instance and then weaker in the next. While the latter direction works for this version of the character, the former didn't help to sell that angle.
While Michael Myers' journey has always been to kill anyone in his way, it's still one that's crucial to the story, as it's told through his actions. Therefore, it worked when Michael appeared as a man of slightly stronger strength for his age. However, as he killed more, his abilities contradicted how weak he should've been. Then, when the time came to see him as half the man he was, it made less sense and was disjointed from the power he was previously shown to have, ultimately sabotaging the vision for Michael.
Halloween Ends is in theaters and streaming on Peacock.