Myers Monday: What if Halloween III: Season of the Witch was successful?

After two Michael Myers outings, the Halloween franchise changed seasons and hit a huge witch speed bump. But what if the 1982 sequel was a success?

Halloween III: Season of the Witch was a terrible failure…but what is it wasn’t?

Season of the Sequel

After the smash success of the original Halloween, Michael returns to wreak more holiday havoc. Bursting onto the cinema scene in October of 1981, Halloween II is an immediate success upon arrival. Effectively killing off Michael Myers and Dr. Loomis in a flammable finale, the sequel doesn’t leave room for more Boogeyman.

But after a year, the franchise reemerges and brings a witch with it. When audiences hit multiplexes in search of more thrills, they find a different experience — and hate it.

One of the most controversial sequels in history, Halloween III  tremendously failed three decades ago. But with the plan to turn the increasingly popular franchise into an anthology series, what if the film found success?

The Night Anthologies Come Home

More from Halloween

• 31 Days of Horror: The secrets of The Nightmare Before Christmas!
• Is David Gordon Green’s sequel to The Exorcist doomed to fail?
• Where can I stream the original Halloween and all of its sequels?
• 31 Days of Horror Movies: Halloween Ends, I Bet I’m About to Offend You
• Interview with Michele Dawson, Nurse Deb in Halloween Ends

If Halloween III: Season of the Witch finds success in 1982, the whole franchise changes. Gone are white masks and protective doctors, causing the costume business to dwindle. In it’s place, although certainly tantalizing, is an anthology franchise featuring random stories with little to no connection. Given most are profitable, we get a long line of unique stories all wrapped around the year’s greatest holiday. It would be Michael Dougherty‘s Trick ‘r Treat, only each story would get its own feature length.

No Sleep ‘Till Haddonfield

Of course, if this happens, Michael Myers is just a notch in a much bigger belt. The legacy surrounding the Boogeyman vanishes, and with it, goes Laurie Strode, Haddonfield and Loomis’ importance to the horror genre. Sure, they would still exist but longevity and ideologies surrounding the characters is drastically diminished.

Just think of it. Really place yourself there, seeing a completely different story every October. Gone is The Return of Michael Myers and it’s opening credit status in the genre. The Revenge of Michael Myers disappears in an instant and….OK, I’m fine with that. Watching Halloween 5 is like someone punching you in the stomach constantly while eating ice cream — you should be enjoying it way more than you are. But we also don’t get Halloween H20: Twenty Years Later, an extremely underrated sequel. And a year from now, I’m sure it’ll be the same with the new sequel/reboot.

Tricks or Treats

While the idea is exciting, I’m glad history is what it is. Even though an anthology series could help bring new voices and change the genre, it would drastically diminish Michael Myers’ place in horror history. And although you never know what history could have been, giving up the Boogeyman is something I’d never do. I mean, would you?

This has been another edition of Myers Monday. We’ll see you next week walking aimlessly around Smith’s Grove Sanitarium.

Next: Myers Monday: Should we mourn Brady in Halloween 4?

Fan of the Halloween franchise? Thinking the series going anthology could have been great? Let the other Haddonfielders know what you think in the comment section below.