Michael Myers is a real man of mystery. The Haddonfield bogeyman and main antagonist of the Halloween movies is well and truly embedded in our collective subconscious, which is unsurprising considering he’s appeared in 12 movies since 1978.
John Carpenter’s Halloween (1978) was a game-changer for the slasher genre, paving the way for other iconic franchises like Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Scream. Now, Halloween is 13 films strong (although one doesn’t feature Michael Myers).
With 13 films under its belt, Halloween spans multiple timelines. We won’t get into all that (just check out our Halloween movies timelines breakdown), but let’s talk about all of Michael Myers’ varying motives, from sibling rivalry to evil cults.
Related: Does Michael Myers Actually Talk In ‘Halloween Kills’?!
Halloween (1978)
John Carpenter’s original 1978 film mastered the art of simplicity. Michael Myers (Nick Castle) is a man in plain coveralls — featureless attire that symbolizes the absence of conscience — and a white mask that represents a human face whose master lacks humanity.
The film itself is also very simple: after being locked up for 15 years for murdering his sister, Michael escapes to go trick or treating in his hometown on Halloween. Who knows why he waited so long — a “silent alarm” as Dr. Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasence) alludes to, perhaps?
Coupled with his ghostly appearance, the lack of motive is what makes Michael terrifying. Though there are shades of him attempting to relive the night he killed his sister (he steals her tombstone and stalks female babysitters), otherwise, there’s simply no rhyme or reason.
Halloween II & Halloween H20: 20 Years Later
Directed by Rick Rosenthal, Halloween II (1981) retcons the 1978 film by revealing that Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and Michael Myers (Dick Warlock) are siblings, which implies that the bogeyman is simply trying to kill his remaining sister and nothing more.
Subsequent Halloween movies ran with this concept, from Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988) through Halloween: Resurrection (2002). Even Rob Zombie’s remakes, Halloween (2007) and Halloween II (2009), refused to tire of this motivation.
However, Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998), in which Michael Myers (Chris Durand) returns to finish what he started, is the only direct sequel to the 1981 film. While this story has been done to death, there’s something very creepy about Michael’s relentless mission.
Halloween 4 and Halloween 5
Before H20, Halloween II was followed up by the very mixed bag that is the Thorn trilogy, which is comprised of Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989), and Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995).
From the get-go, Halloween 4 reveals that Laurie Strode has died off screen, leaving her orphaned daughter Jamie Lloyd (Danielle Harris) in Haddonfield with an adopted family. So, with Laurie now dead, Michael Myers (George P Wilbur) sets out to kill his own niece.
However, there are moments in Halloween 4 when he attempts to “possess” her (a promising storyline that’s swiftly done away with). But in Halloween 6, he kills Jamie — although she’s been recast with JC Brandy by this point, which makes it a bit easier to watch.
Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers
In Halloween 6, we learn that the bogeyman is nothing more than a puppet for an ancient cult. Yes, you read that right — some nonsense involving Samhain, Stone Henge, and a certain constellation of stars, has enabled a powerful cult to control Michael Myers.
The final installment in the Thorn trilogy is by far the most bizarre entry in the entire Halloween franchise (which is saying something next to the anthology film Halloween III: Season of the Witch, which features evil robots and face-melting Halloween masks).
Though we’d happily try to explain Michael’s motives in Halloween 6, it’s easier to accept that they’re about as existent as a coherent script. Simply put, the 1995 sequel is an absolute hodgepodge in filmmaking, and even the marginally superior producer’s cut is awful.
Rob Zombie’s Halloween & Halloween II
Though we’ve already touched upon the sibling storyline, Rob Zombie’s 2007 remake differs somewhat to previous iterations. For starters, Michael Myers (Tyler Mane) seems rather protective of his sister Laurie Strode (Scout Taylor-Compton) — at least in the beginning.
But after being shot in the face by Laurie during the third-act showdown, he becomes much less sentimental. In 2009’s Halloween II, we learn that the ghost of Michael’s dead mother (although it could all be in his head) is guiding him to reunite with his sister.
And so it appears that Michael isn’t trying to kill Laurie in this film, either. Some pretentious imagery (including all the ghost stuff) suggests that he is, in his mind, still a young boy who’s just trying to bring his family back together. He has a funny way of showing it, though.
Related: A Recap of the ‘Halloween’ Franchise Before You Watch ‘Halloween Ends’
David Gordon Green’s Halloween Trilogy
David Gordon Green’s Halloween trilogy, which is comprised of Halloween (2018), Halloween Kills (2018), and Halloween Ends (2022), took things back to basics by ignoring every single film in the franchise except for John Carpenter’s 1978 slasher classic.
As such, Michael Myers (James Jude Courtney) is not Laurie Strode’s brother in this timeline. There’s even a joke about this retcon in the 2018 sequel, although it makes no sense when you think about it as the sibling storyline was first introduced in the 1981 sequel.
That said, Halloween Kills even uses footage of Annie Brackett’s body from the defunct Halloween II. But we digress. Michael has no real motivation in this trilogy other than causing total chaos on October 31. In other words, he just really loves trick or treating. He’s nothing more than the embodiment of pure evil. And that is downright terrifying.
Halloween TV Series/Reboot
A Halloween shared cinematic universe is currently in development. The first installment will be a television series that will focus on characters yet to be explored. It’s expected that the series will lead to new Halloween movies further down the line.
Do you agree with this ranking of Michael Myers’ motives in the Halloween movies? Let Disney Fanatic know in the comments down below!
