The newest trailer for Halloween Kills shows the return of Michael Myers, who survives his fiery fate at the end of the 2018 revival. Back in Haddonfield, Michael terrorizes the town in droves as the Strode family recuperates from their previous battle with the killer. But the new trailer puts forth the idea that there's another antagonist in the film with their sights set on the boogeyman himself.
In the past, the Halloween franchise has shown Myers as an unstoppable force who invades homes, killing anyone in his path. There have been no true opponents that can match him aside from Dr. Loomis, who had to make his work an obsession to keep up with the murderer. After terrorizing Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) in 1978, she learned over the decades that fear won't get her very far; instead, she decides to be Michael's boogeyman.
Laurie's transition into Michael's antagonist is carefully set up even in 2018's Halloween. Small moments show that her first encounter with Michael planted seeds that kept her from making the same mistakes twice. This is shown in the previous film when she disappears after falling from her house's second story, like Michael in the John Carpenter original's conclusion. The scene represents that Laurie is slowly taking Michael's place but using his skills against him rather than for evil. As a natural response, Michael gains strength by going on a rampage as the town hunts him.
However, due to Laurie's tenacity and fearlessness, Michael's response to killing may be out of fear rather than anger. Knowing that he has an equal who understands him as well as Loomis did, Michael is more exposed than ever before. As a response, he kills all the way to his childhood home to lead his stalker to a final showdown rather than chase her as he has with so many other victims.
Laurie has faced Michael in previous installments, but she has never acted with such assuredness. More often, she is traumatized by the events and forces herself to dig deep to fight back. Halloween Kills instead shows a new side of Laurie that opens the audience to a deeper understanding of the character and how trauma can change a person in many different ways.
Halloween Kills is the sophomore film in a trilogy that is taking the franchise into unheard of directions. For now, it's hard to say where the series will end, but it's clear that the survivors of this series are anything but victims. With the trailer's final line showing Laurie saying, "I’m coming for you, Michael,” while holding his knife, it's clear that the boogeyman has his own dark shadow to contend with.
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.