Obviously, we have seen this in numerous films starting as early, if not earlier, as Halloween (1978). Michael Myers falls after taking the brunt of
Loomis's shots, falls down on the grass, Loomis turns away to check on Strode, turns to the lawn, and see an impression in the grass as Michael Myers has
made his retreat.
(Michael oddly enough becomes an infrequent offender of this cliche, as not till Halloween: Resurrection does he get another such ending)
Other examples:
F13 part 2: Ginnie and Paul think that they have thwarted Jason, but he comes through the window at the end (surprisingly, the next film to end with the warning that JV may not have been thwarted is not till part 6, 7-8 contain no such implication, while 9 is covered below)
NOES: Nancy thinks that she has defeated Freddy, but has one last dream (Freddy Krueger is pretty much one of the biggest offenders in the "but its not over category", since except for Freddy's Dead and perhaps New Nightmare, each of the films end with some hint that he is not defeated, and he even crashes the end of a Friday the 13th movie [Jason Goes to Hell] to announce that he is not down for the count)
Leatherface: other than the end of Leatherface: TCM 3, I can think of no film which ends with Leatherface's apparent death or defeat only for him to show up in the last reel
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
He's not a slasher (he is an aggressor or a vigilante), but the Exterminator (John Eastland) actually had such an ending. In the last shots of the film, he emerges form Ellis Island, his flack vest having saved him. This is the only time that a crimefighter in a film has had such an ending to my knowledge.
(Michael oddly enough becomes an infrequent offender of this cliche, as not till Halloween: Resurrection does he get another such ending)
Other examples:
F13 part 2: Ginnie and Paul think that they have thwarted Jason, but he comes through the window at the end (surprisingly, the next film to end with the warning that JV may not have been thwarted is not till part 6, 7-8 contain no such implication, while 9 is covered below)
NOES: Nancy thinks that she has defeated Freddy, but has one last dream (Freddy Krueger is pretty much one of the biggest offenders in the "but its not over category", since except for Freddy's Dead and perhaps New Nightmare, each of the films end with some hint that he is not defeated, and he even crashes the end of a Friday the 13th movie [Jason Goes to Hell] to announce that he is not down for the count)
Leatherface: other than the end of Leatherface: TCM 3, I can think of no film which ends with Leatherface's apparent death or defeat only for him to show up in the last reel
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
He's not a slasher (he is an aggressor or a vigilante), but the Exterminator (John Eastland) actually had such an ending. In the last shots of the film, he emerges form Ellis Island, his flack vest having saved him. This is the only time that a crimefighter in a film has had such an ending to my knowledge.
