To the surprise of no one, Michael Myers will surely return. However, his comeback won’t be on the big screen as the horror icon is scheduled to have his first-ever television series. This is coming off Blumhouse’s recent Halloween trilogy, which pits an older Laurie Strode against the returning monster. That franchise started well, but the quality dipped with each passing film. We all knew that Halloween Ends wasn’t truly the final outing for Michael Myers, though no one believed that Myers’s return would be on the small screen.
Halloween (2018) managed to find a way to breathe new life into a dying brand. There’s no official synopsis for the upcoming series yet; however, it’s been confirmed by the head of Miramax Television, Marc Helwig, that the series will go back to the events of the very first film. Can a television series of the iconic brand work?
Halloween Going To The Small Screen Isn’t Much Of A Surprise When You Think About It
Infamous horror movies making the transition over to the small screen is nothing new. The Exorcist, Scream, Chucky, Bates Motel, Hannibal, and Sleepy Hollow are just some of the recent examples. To be honest, some of these shows managed to be surprisingly good! Sure, there are clunkers like the ill-forgotten Purge series, but the genius behind the shows mentioned above is that they expand on the lore of the film, but make sure that the premise works under the television format. Horror films with a one-note premise can work with the right creator attached.
Bates Motel explored the strange relationship between Norman Bates and his mother, Norma. Sleepy Hollow took the concept of the headless horsemen and made it into a fun and campy sci-fi/action adventure. The Exorcist focused on the religious themes that were integral in the original film. The point is, that a great series can spawn out of the Halloween franchise. The key thing is that they expand on the world beyond Laurie Strode and Michael Myers. Of course, the slasher roots should remain intact, but the creators need to find a fresh approach to the well-worn subject.
Halloween Needed A Different Approach To The Series After The David Gordon Green Films
The David Gordon Green trilogy will stand out as one of the more polarizing series in the horror genre. Halloween Kills has an excellent premise, but bad execution. Pitting the town vs. Michael Myers should’ve been a thrilling concept, especially since some of the legacy characters returned for the second film. The problem is, that the recent trilogy was always about Michael Myers vs. Laurie Strode. No one else was going to kill him except Laurie. Halloween Kills became an endless barrage of gruesome deaths and illogical plotting.
Halloween Ends was also in the same boat. An interesting premise that could’ve worked if it originally started with the concept that evil can spread beyond Michael Myers. The problem was the sudden shift in tone and character motivation was so jarring from the previous entries that it failed to deliver the satisfying conclusion that audiences truly wanted. The franchise needs to take a different approach because it ended on a sour note amongst fans. While it would’ve been great if Halloween Ends was truly the end of the series, the reboot made too much money for the studio to put this brand on the sidelines.
Can Michael Myers Work In A Television Format?
The thing about Michael Myers is that he’s always worked best when there’s little information about his past. Since it’s been confirmed that the events of the first film will be revisited, there’s a strong likelihood that the backstory surrounding him will be explored. This has happened in the past with several films, most notably, Rob Zombie‘s take on the series and it killed the mystique of the character.
A big problem was that he made the character a sympathetic buffoon. That’s in contrast to the cold and emotionless character that was introduced in the very first film. But it wasn’t just the simple fact that the backstory changed the dynamic of the series. The execution felt a bit clunky and the retelling of the original film was eye-rolling. Still, there is a good way to expand on the story of Michael Myers, Laurie Strode, and the town of Haddonfield, Illinois.
A showrunner has yet to be confirmed for the upcoming series, but I’m going to be optimistic about the possibility of Halloween transiting over to the small screen. Again, the one-note premise of the films won’t work because seeing Michael mindlessly kill victims throughout the season will grow tiresome. There’s some much mystery regarding the character and his world that a good creator can restore the Halloween name and finally give it the content it deserves.
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