Is Laurie Strode Michael Myers' Sister? 'Halloween' Continuity, Explained

For the past four decades, Michael Myers has left a bloody stain on the fictional town of Haddonfield, Illinois, making him one of the most iconic figures in the horror genre. First taking the screen in John Carpenter's 1978 hit movie Halloween, the Halloween franchise now has 13 films under its belt and several different continuities, spurring plenty of questions, including about Michael Myers' fixation with Jamie Lee Curtis' Laurie Strode, and perhaps more pressing, is Laurie Strode Michael Myers' sister? The answer: yes and no.

Like many of the other popular slasher franchises, the 13-film Halloween franchise consists of several different timelines and continuities, with each having slight differences in stories, characters, and their relation to one another. In three of those timelines – the original John Carpenter/Moustapha Akkad timeline (Halloween, Halloween II, Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers, and Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers), the H20 timeline (which includes the first two films, Halloween H20: 20 Years Later, and Halloween: Resurrection), and Rob Zombie's timeline (consisting of the 2007 and 2009 films) – Laurie is Michael's sister.

The sibling relation twist was first introduced in Halloween II. Taking place on the same night as Michael's massacre in Haddonfield in the original film, the movie finds Dr. Loomis searching for Michael as Laurie is in the hospital recovering. Towards the end of the movie, it is revealed that Laurie is Michael's secret little sister, a relationship that would go on to inspire much of the rest of the franchise and help explain Michael's fixation on killing her. In several of the sequels, including Halloween 4 and Halloween 5, that fixation is transferred to Jamie Lloyd, Laurie's daughter and Michael's niece. But the sibling storyline, for better or worse, proved to be controversial. Carpenter even spoke of his dislike of Halloween II, calling the film "an abomination and horrible movie" in a 1984 interview with Cinema Showcase.

Laurie being Michael's younger sister is not a relationship that is maintained throughout the franchise, though. While the most recent timeline includes Halloween (1978) in terms of continuity, it does not include Halloween II, with Halloween (2018) instead ignoring the events of the following films and acting as a direct sequel to the original movie. Set 40 years after "The Babysitter Murders," Laurie bares no relation to Michael, and is instead only a survivor from that fateful Haddonfield massacre. Over the course of David Gordon Green's trilogy – Halloween (2018), Halloween Kills (2021), and Halloween Ends (2022) – Laurie confronts Michael, with the logline "evil dies tonight" signaling an end to their 40-year saga.

While Michael and Laurie's story may be over, at least in terms of Green's trilogy, The Shape is set to continue haunting screens. In October, it was reported that Miramax secured TV rights to the Halloween franchise with plans to create a Halloween cinematic universe, meaning Michael Myers is likely to live on. It is unclear if any future projects will further play with the sibling relationship.