Fans of the original Halloween series experienced a bit of deja vu with the recently released official Halloween Kills trailer. From hospital scenes to clever Easter eggs, the new look at the film was packed full of references to another installment in the franchise: Halloween II.
The second film in a proposed trilogy, Halloween Kills immediately follows the events of the 2018 Halloween film. The trailer shows a lot of scenes of Laurie Strode and her family in the hospital as they discover that Michael survived the fire and is once again on the hunt for Laurie. In this version of events, Laurie's taking a more head-on approach and seems determined to get to Michael before he finds her. Halloween Kills, like its predecessor, stray from the original storyline, showing a much older Laurie who’s prepared her daughter and granddaughter for the possibility of Michael coming after them again. All three women appear to play a major role in the upcoming film, each determined to fight for their family.
The original Halloween sequel, Halloween II, debuted in 1981 and also takes place in a hospital, focusing on Laurie as she attempts to recover from her injuries following the first film's events. In the first of many resurrections seen throughout the franchise, Michael comes back to life after being shot and presumed dead in the previous film. By the end of Halloween II, Michael has been shot again and set on fire, only to walk out of the burning hospital alive. The Halloween Kills trailer directly references this scene with a shot of Michael walking out of the doorway of Laurie’s house as it burns behind him.
There’s also a line in the Halloween Kills trailer that explains that Michael’s path of victims leads to his childhood home. While the first movie focused on Laurie and her response to the trauma she faced, it seems as if the sequel will focus more on Haddonfield, the town where Michael grew up and where most of the original films take place. It’s a noteworthy comment given how much emphasis the trailer puts on Laurie and determination for revenge. And while it could just be a coincidence, the film may revisit the discussion of Michael being Laurie’s brother, which was denied in the 2018 film, especially considering how many similarities there already are between the trailer and the original sequel.
With all the similarities between the trailer and Halloween II, it seems as though Halloween Kills is aiming for a bit of a reboot of the original sequel. This wouldn’t be out of place, especially since 2018 Halloween was full of references to the original film. The Halloween franchise has been rebooted twice already, but this third attempt hopes to set some continuity and focus moving forward.
Directed by David Gordon Green, Halloween Kills stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, Andi Matichak, Anthony Michael Hall, Kyle Richards, Robert Longstreet, Nancy Stephens, Charles Cyphers, James Jude Courtney and Nick Castle. The film arrives in theaters Oct. 15.
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