This article contains spoilers for the whole Halloween series, including Halloween Ends.

Michael Myers is undeniably an iconic character, whether it’s his face that’s recognized or even the opening theme music from the first movie that has become a staple of his character. Since 1978, Michael Myers has been terrorizing the fictional town of Haddonfield, but what warranted 13 movies for one character?

Starting with the first installment of the franchise is Halloween, Michael’s first appearance in the series, alongside final girl Laurie Strode. The movie follows Laurie as she evades Michael. The film ends with Michael falling out of a window, and when the camera cuts back to him, he’s gone. This sets up for him to potentially return. Michael Myers rose to popularity quickly, earning 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. John Carpenter went on to produce a second movie. The sequel was less accepted, as Michael comes back for revenge on Laurie, and it is revealed that Laurie is his long-lost sister. This was later retconned in Halloween (2018). Only Halloween, Halloween (2018), Halloween Kills, and Halloween Ends are considered ‘canon,’ but what about some of the others?

Halloween III: Season of the Witch follows a completely different story about deadly masks cursed by Pagan magic, a far cry from the slasher who haunts Halloween nights but, what’s up with the change? It’s because that was the plan all along. The Halloween series was meant to follow a line of spooky murders on Halloween, hence the name, though Michael’s popularity made fans a little more than disappointed with #3’s lack of the slasher, so they went back to him in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers.  It seems from this point on that most fans agree the movies dropped in quality. They aren’t rated very well, and there are so many that it’s hard to keep the order of their release straight– or what’s officially part of the story.

Halloween (2018) shows Laurie as a mother, and it follows Laurie, her daughter Karen, and her granddaughter Allyson as they try to escape Michael Myers. In Halloween Kills, Michael kills Karen, and in Halloween Ends Laurie decides to finally get her revenge on Michael once and for all. Michael Myers takes on an ‘apprentice’ named Corey, who becomes a lackey for Michael and goes out to commit crimes for him. He ends up dying in a confrontation with Laurie. In the end, Michael dies after being thrown into a car crusher, much to his fan base’s dismay. 

Many fans say that after 44 years, the writing got sloppy and the plotlines were overused. In a google survey, one person said it should’ve ended 44 years ago when the first movie came out. Another said they expected Ends to have “bad writing.” At the end of the day, the purpose of movies is to entertain, and if viewers can find enjoyment in the series that’s all that matters.