The horror genre is in the midst of a renaissance, in due no small part by Blumhouse Productions. The production company has brought some of the most recent hits to theaters, including Get Out, Insidious, and Happy Death Day. But the studio has also turned its head to the classics, beginning with 2018's Halloween. The movie was a direct sequel to the original, and broke box office records when it arrived in theaters. Two more movies are on the way, and now it seems next year's Halloween Kills will bring us back to a setting from the original sequel.
Halloween II was produced by John Carpenter, but has been removed from the canon of the current trilogy. But David Gordon Green and writer Danny McBride have a real love for the long-running slasher franchise, and peppered nods to the sequels in their first Halloween movie. Halloween Kills will be deeply connected to Carpenter's original 1978 movie, but now it looks like Halloween II's primary setting is factoring in. That's right, we're going to Haddonfield Memorial Hospital.
This news comes to us from Twitter, where we see what looks like the set for Halloween Kills. It looks like the upcoming sequel is heading to Haddonfield Memorial, which was the main setting of Halloween II. That 1981 movie followed up on Jamie Lee Curtis' Laurie Strode directly after the events of the first film. Laurie was taken to the hospital for medical care, where Michael Myers came looking for her. And that's how you become a final girl.
Laurie once again fought for her life, although that movie has since been removed from the official timeline. Halloween II is also when John Carpenter came up with the idea to make Laurie and Michael siblings. This is a plot twist that dictated the next slew of movies, but is a narrative choice that Carpenter has since admitted he regrets.
The two protagonists are no longer related by blood, but Blumhouse's Halloween showed that Michael and Laurie were still very much connected. Both the heroine and villain spent the last 40 years thinking about their run-in in Haddonfield, and Michael's rampage through the town. Jamie Lee Curtis' signature character was ruled by her trauma, but her preparation for Michael's inevitable return ultimately saved her, as well as Karen and Allyson.
Related: Jamie Lee Curtis Says Halloween Kills Will ‘Unpack’ The Original Movie
Halloween fans will be eager to see how the town's hospital will factor into Halloween Kills. Michael's rampage through the town caused plenty of injuries, but its unclear when the upcoming sequel is set. If the sequel is directly after the events of Halloween, then the reasoning is obvious. But if there's a time jump, then seemingly any plot twist could bring the generations of Strode women to Haddonfield Memorial.
While news of the Halloween sequels was a surprise to the public, David Gordon Green and Danny McBride were reportedly planning this trilogy while working on the 2018 sequel. This is a fact that should excite the fans, who are hoping that the following two movies measure up in quality to the most recent addition to the franchise. Clearly there's a specific story being told, this time with an adult Laurie and her daughter Karen and granddaughter Allyson. But what that story is remains a mystery.
As previously mentioned, the time setting of Halloween Kills is likely going to dictate its storytelling possibilities. If we pick up with Laurie and her family on the night of Michael's return to Haddonfield, moviegoers will be able to see how the Strode women are coping with their latest traumatic experience. The final sequence of 2018's Halloween saw the trio trapping Michael in Laurie's basement, before setting the place ablaze and being picked up by someone driving by in a truck. The ending wasn't especially tidy, so there's plenty of story to be told if we pick up from that exact moment.
On the flip side, Halloween Kills could pick up the story after a time jump. This might allow for characters like Karen and Allyson to get more fleshed out, as moviegoers see how they've coped since surviving their first attack by Michael Myers. Laurie's trauma from her teenage attack put a big wedge in the family unit, as Jamie Lee Curtis' protagonist was never able to truly move on from the incident. Her obsession with preparedness and Michael prevented her from being a proper mother to Karen (Judy Greer), with both adult women seemingly unable to put their differences aside.
But now that Karen has seen the terror of The Shape in person, it should presumably change her perspective on her mother's mental health and previous issues. And aside from getting context about her mother's feelings, Karen will also have to grapple with a fascinating realization: Laurie was right. It was her obsession with Michael that got the three women out alive. Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for Karen's husband Ray.
Allyson should have an intriguing story for Halloween Kills as well, as she'll likely be closer than ever to Laurie. The two shared a special and tender bond in Halloween (2018), but their encounter with Michael Myers will presumably intensify things. After all, Allyson is the same age Laurie was during the first movie. And just like her grandmother, Allyson's friends were murdered when Michael escaped Smith's Grove.
There are clearly plenty of narrative threads to pull from. Halloween Kills appears like its making Haddonfield into a character itself, bringing back characters from John Carpenter's original movie. So the story could go anywhere, especially with Halloween Ends creating a bonafide trilogy.
Unfortunately, we've got over a year to wait and theorize about what David Gordon Green might have in store for Halloween Kills. Our answers will be provided when the movie hits theaters on October 16th, 2020. It'll be followed by Halloween Ends on October 15th, 2021. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
