8 Worst Slasher Horror Movie Fakeout Endings

On its own merits, the ending of Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers is a jaw-dropping, game-changing moment that looked to turn the Halloween franchise on its head.

So, why does The Return of Michael Myers make this list, then?

The answer to that is in how this genuinely shocking finale isn't followed up on in any meaningful way. In fact, it's essentially swept under the rug by the time Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers rolled around one year later.

For those unfamiliar with Halloween 4, the final moments of this 1988 picture sees young Jamie Lloyd - Michael's niece - stab her foster mother several times with a pair of scissors. Not just that, but the emotionless Jamie does so while wearing an outfit that mimics the costume worn by six-year-old Michael when he murdered his sister Judith.

Upon seeing Jamie holding the bloodied scissors, franchise fave Sam Loomis screams in terror, realising that the evil that has resided in Myers for so long has now reared its head in Danielle Harris' character. With that, Halloween 4 ends, as the franchise looks to position Jamie Lloyd as Michaels' protégé.

Unfortunately, Halloween 5 caused its predecessor's traumatic finale to be rendered a redundant fakeout. Rather than pick things up with Jamie at her uncle's side, Lloyd is instead turned into an institutionalised mute who has a bizarre pyschic bond with the Shape.