10 Movie Villains So Awesome They Ruined Their Franchise

5. Michael Myers - Halloween

The Dark Knight Joker
Universal Pictures

By all accounts, the Halloween franchise is in rude health. With 2018's sequel performing like gangbusters upon its release, and its sequel imminent, audiences can't get enough of Michael Myers.

And therein lies the problem. Carpenter's Halloween was never really intended to setup a franchise, and nor was the master of horror particularly interested in continuing Michael and Laurie's murder-adventures. So when director Tommy Lee Wallace broke away from The Shape for the series' third entry - Halloween III: Season of the Witch - it was in an attempt to turn the series into a seasonal anthology, away from Michael and his Haddonfield obsession.

Audiences at the time were less willing to let Michael go though, and so subsequent sequels quickly course-corrected, making the Halloween franchise all about Michael, in intimate detail. Audience and critical reaction has thankfully turned back in Season of the Witch's favour, with the film finding a cult follwing and appreciation online. Still, it's unlikely we'll ever see a Halloween without Michael Myers ever again. Especially not now Blumhouse have their mitts all over him.

Contributor
Contributor

A film critic and professional writer of over ten years, Joel Harley has a deep and abiding love of all things horror, Batman and Nicolas Cage. He can be found writing online and in print, all over the Internet and in especially good bookstores.