Halloween Ends: Who Has Survived Michael Myers?
Halloween Kills, the twelfth installment in the Halloween franchise, brought together three generations of victims to defeat their greatest foe: the un-killable Michael Myers. Final girls Laurie, Karen, and Allyson Strode, as well as a group of other survivors, decided to hunt this murderer and end his decades of terror.
But who are these survivors, and how did they escape the infamous killer’s knife? Let’s break down their stories below* and see what it takes to outrun Michael’s unending terror. However, not everyone is a survivor forever. Now that Halloween Ends is released (in theaters and streaming on Peacock), it’s anybody’s guess who will be safe in the end.
*This blog will only reference the original and modern timeline films, encompassing the currently canon Halloween (1978), Halloween (2018), and Halloween Kills (2021) continuity.
Spoilers ahead for Halloween Kills.
The Strode Women
Laurie Strode is the sole survivor of Michael Myers’ 1978 killing spree. She is a teenager living in the town of Haddonfield, Illinois, at the time of his first escape and subsequent Halloween massacre. On October 31, Michael witnesses Laurie dropping off a key at his abandoned childhood home. He then stalks her, killing many of her friends along the way before injuring her during a chase sequence. She flees, stabs him with a knitting needle, runs, is found again, and then stabs Michael with both a coat hanger and his own knife. In their final confrontation, Laurie unmasks Michael, and Dr. Loomis (Michael’s psychiatrist) shoots the escaped patient six times. Laurie escapes with her her life — but so does Michael.
The events in her hometown leave Laurie suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and alcoholism. Still living in a reinforced house in Haddonfield in 2018, Laurie has an estranged daughter named Karen Nelson as well as a granddaughter named Allyson. Karen is dismissive and suspicious of her mother’s fears until she and Allyson have to confront the masked killer following his escape from prison. Laurie saves her family even though she gets stabbed by Michael in the process. In a final display of bravery, strength, and determination, the three Strode women manage to chain Michael Myers in a basement and set the house ablaze. Hitchhiking to safety, the trio watch the fire, comforted by the knowledge that they’ve finally escaped Laurie’s boogeyman.
Updates from Halloween Kills
Of course, Michael Myers is never down for long. After escaping from the inferno, Michael resumes his reign of terror in Haddonfield. Even while pursued by an angry mob, Michael manages to take down plenty of victims new and old. Halloween Kills brings the end of Vanessa and Marcus as well as the couple living in Michael’s childhood home.
By the end of the film, it seems as if the Strode women might make it after all. Laurie is recovering in the hospital. Her daughter Karen leads Michael into the mob so she can save her own daughter Allyson. Except, Michael survives the mob and returns to kill Karen, who had mocked him earlier. Now only Laurie and Allyson remain for Halloween Ends.
Tommy Doyle and Lindsey Wallace
In the original Halloween (1978), Laurie is babysitting Tommy Doyle and Lindsey Wallace on the night that Michael Myers attacks. Since Michael never pursues the kids, Laurie is considered the sole survivor of his murder spree, but Tommy and Lindsey were instrumental in Laurie’s survival.
They hide while Michael is in the house but, when asked to by Laurie, they call for help. The children are just as horrified and traumatized by the event as their babysitter. We last see them running from the house before Loomis intervenes, and these characters don’t appear in Halloween (2018).
Despite their disappearance from the story, Tommy and Lindsey return in Halloween Kills as part of the group prepared to take down Michael Myers once and for all. Tommy leads the mob that tries to end Michael Myers once and for all. Lindsey even gets caught in the clutches of the masked killer, shouting “Do it!” as he presses down a knife toward her chest. While Lindsey survives to fight another day, Michael kills Tommy along with the rest of the mob. Looks like it pays to not follow the crowd.
Julian Morrisey
In Halloween (2018), Julian Morrisey tells his babysitter Vicky — Allyson’s best friend — that he sees someone in the hallway standing outside his bedroom door. Although Julian warns Vicky and Dave about the intruder, Michael Myers kills the babysitter and her boyfriend. Julian only catches a small glimpse of Michael Myers, but that’s enough to send him sprinting downstairs and out the door. Fast and smart, Julian flees his home, managing to survive Michael thanks to the teens’ sacrifice. Will he return? Only time will tell.
Marion Chambers
Nurse Marion Chambers assists Dr. Loomis at Smith’s Grove Sanitarium. Her initial appearance is brief; she and the doctor arrive on a rainy night to escort Michael to a court hearing, but Michael steals their car. Marion is terrorized (but not killed) by Michael during his escape. It’s clear that she cannot move past the incident or Michael’s subsequent massacres after her unwilling and unwitting aide. But after Halloween Kills and Marion’s death, she won’t be doing much moving anyway.
Deputy Frank Hawkins
He is the man who arrested Michael Myers in the ’70s, but Deputy Frank Hawkins isn’t exactly a direct victim of Michael Myers. Instead, Hawkins is stabbed and run over by Dr. Sartain, an obsessive Myers fan who orchestrated Michael’s escape from prison in 2018. This officer continues to survive in his pursuit of justice. Plus, his insight into Michael’s (lack of) motivation is unsettling in Halloween Kills.
Lonnie Elam
Lonnie Elam’s brief-but-chilling encounter with Michael Myers is pictured above. In the original film, he’s running outside of the school and bumps into Michael. The killer holds him for a moment before releasing him. Lonnie is considered a survivor because he came face-to-mask with the killer and lived to bully Tommy Doyle another day.
His only other scene in the film is one where he stands brazenly on the Myers porch to prove his courage, but no real danger results from the stunt. Still, he’s willing to stand with the other Haddonfield victims In Halloween Kills, Lonnie has reconciled with Tommy. The two friends lead the mob against Michael Myers. They’re even joined by Cameron Elam, Lonnie’s son and Allyson’s former boyfriend. Neither Lonnie nor Cameron escape Michael’s wrath.
Who do you think will make it out alive in Halloween Ends?
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