Halloween Ends Theory: Michael Dies & His Copycat Is The Final Villain

Warning: Potential Spoilers For Halloween EndsHalloween Ends promises a final showdown between Jamie Lee Curtis’ Laurie Strode and Michael Myers, but the sequel may reveal The Shape’s copycat is the ultimate villain. Followers of the Halloween saga soon became used to filmmakers hitting the reset switch whenever the series got too convoluted. The Halloween movies have multiple timelines, including the Michael Myers-less one introduced in 1982’s Halloween III: Season Of The Witch.

Halloween 2018 was – at least in purely financial terms – the most successful rebooting. The film brought back both Jamie Lee Curtis and John Carpenter and gave audiences the intense slasher thriller they were seeking after years of disappointment. The legacy sequel ignored all previous outing bar the original, with the film grossing over $250 million worldwide. Blumhouse quickly greenlit two further outings, though 2021’s Halloween Kills – while another financial success – met with a much more lukewarm reception for its lack of suspense, weak story and clumsy attempts at social commentary.

Halloween Kills scored the highest bodycount of the saga, but Halloween Ends will dial things back to a more intimate scale. This trilogy capper picks up four years on from the first two movies, with a Michael Myers copycat killer emerging in Haddonfield – which brings the real deal back to town. This sets the stage for Laurie and Michael’s last fight, but the sequel may upend expectations by killing The Shape first.

A Copycat Brings Michael Back To Haddonfield

Story details about Halloween Ends are still mostly under wraps, though it’s known the sequel will feature a Michael Myers copycat killer. The most likely candidate to take up this mantle is a teenager named Corey Cunningham (Rohan Campbell), who is accused of murdering a child he was babysitting when the story begin. Corey is also the love interest of Laurie’s granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak), which should guarantee some good drama if he really is the copycat.

Halloween Ends director David Gordon Green and Curtis have confirmed that the copycat killings are what bring Michael out of hiding. In a behind the scenes featurette (via YouTube), Green comments that when the story begins Myers – who famously never talks – has “gone dormant” for years and is in “bad shape.” Green also states that like his rotting mask, the killer is essentially waiting to die, and it’s only the new killer’s arrival that awakens him.

Laurie Vs Michael: Round 3

A big centerpiece of the Halloween Ends trailers and previews is a fight sequence between Laurie and Michael – or potentially, Michael’s doppelganger. From the snippets revealed of this bout it looks like it will be a particularly nasty brawl, and that only one of them is likely to walk away. This is where Halloween Ends might take a risk, however. The filmmakers behind the film have teased it will have some “shocking” twists and might even make viewers angry, and one big swing it could take is to kill Michael Myers long before the credits roll.

The aforementioned featurette also shows a scene of a shellshocked Laurie – who has died three times in past movies – standing outside the house, surrounded by police with Allyson comforting her. Her hands and clothes are covered in blood also. It appears she won the battle waged in the trailers and concerning Green’s previous comments on Michael, perhaps the sense of “rot” that crept into the slasher since the last two movies weakened Myers to the point she could overpower him. This Halloween Ends fight recreates many famous shots from Halloween too, such as Michael attempting to stab Laurie with a knitting needle or the latter bursting out of a closet to attack Michael – just like the killer did to poor Bob in the 1978 film.

This battle has the look and feel of the final showdown between the old foes, so if it ends with Laurie stabbing Michael to death with his own knife – as the previews also imply – that might be the perfect Halloween ending. Of course, Laurie could also be battling the Michael copycat instead, and that’s who she kills. It’s also possible she kills neither and her attacker escapes, but the BTS look strongly suggests that the last option won’t be the case.

Michael’s Copycat Could Be The Final Villain

If Myers is essentially waiting to die when Halloween Ends begins, maybe his copycat is seeking to inherit his mantle. The trailers might be focusing on the draw of it being Laurie and Michael’s last dance, but Allyson will also be a major character. If Laurie is focused on stopping Michael once and for all, maybe it’s up to Allyson to take down Corey – again, assuming he is the new killer – and overcome the trauma of the previous entries.

Instead of ending with Corey’s demise, Halloween Ends – whose title is a total lie – could see the copycat captured and taken to Smith’s Grove. Like Michael, he would retreat into himself and remain mute, waiting one day to return to Haddonfield like Michael did, with Allyson left waiting for that day to come. The title and comments from Blumhouse strongly suggest Halloween Ends will live it to its promise and close out this particular chapter of the franchise, so this wouldn’t be suggesting Corey would take over the franchise. Instead, it lives up to the evil never dies premise that kicked off with the first film. If Halloween Ends does choose to kill Michael Myers off halfway through or towards the end, this will undoubtedly be a controversial choice.

It would go against the “You can’t kill the boogeyman” mantra of the saga, but Curtis’ Laurie already managed this once before – with 1998’s Halloween H20 (which has many Scream references) – and it’s unlikely he will still be alive when the sequel comes to a close. It would also be a bold swing for the final act to focus on the copycat instead, who might be possessed by whatever dark force compelled Michael to kill in the first place. If that’s what Ends is setting up, there will almost certainly anger certain fans, who could accuse the film of weakening the famously unstoppable killer. Closing out such a major saga is destined to upset some viewers regards, so if this is the way Halloween Ends is closing the casket on Michael Myers, hopefully it will deliver on bringing the trilogy to a satisfying close.