‘Halloween Kills’: 10 Details to Know About the ‘Slasher Movie Times One Hundred’

Official Trailer and First Look Photos

John Carpenter confirmed sequels “Halloween Kills” and “Halloween Ends” in 2019, tweeting, “The saga of Michael Myers and Laurie Strode isn’t over.” Universal Pictures debuted the first official teaser trailer for “Halloween Kills,” appropriately, on October 31, 2020.

Returning star Jamie Lee Curtis hinted that “Kills” reflects the modern times of political unrest, in an interview with SiriusXM’s Jess Cagle and co-host Julia Cunningham (via Collider). The trailer shows what appears to be the whole community of Haddonfield, IL, coming together to take on the threat of Myers. “What we were seeing around the country, of the power, of the rage of voices, big groups of people coming together enraged at the set of circumstances, that’s what the movie is,” Curtis said. “The movie is about a mob. And so it’s very interesting because it takes on what happens when trauma infects an entire community.”

A full-length trailer was released June 24, 2021, featuring Curtis taking on the wordless Michael Myers once again. Will she and her daughter and granddaughter, played by Judy Greer and Andi Matichak respectively, finally prevail?

The Plot

The 2018 “Halloween” ended with Michael Myers’ apparent death after the Strode family locked him in the burning basement of their home. Yet, in a callback to the original film, Michael’s body was nowhere to be found once the police showed up. A haunting post-credits scene with Michael breathing confirmed his survival, setting up sequel “Kills.”

The official “Halloween Kills” synopsis from Universal states: “Minutes after Laurie Strode (Curtis), her daughter Karen (Greer), and granddaughter Allyson (Matichak) left masked monster Michael Myers caged and burning in Laurie’s basement, Laurie is rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, believing she finally killed her lifelong tormentor. But when Michael manages to free himself from Laurie’s trap, his ritual bloodbath resumes. As Laurie fights her pain and prepares to defend herself against him, she inspires all of Haddonfield to rise up against their unstoppable monster.”

The statement continues, “The Strode women join a group of other survivors of Michael’s first rampage who decide to take matters into their own hands, forming a vigilante mob that sets out to hunt Michael down, once and for all.”

Yet, we know “Kills” isn’t the end of Michael, with “Ends” on slated for an October 14, 2022 release.

Jamie Lee Curtis Returns as Laurie Strode

Jamie Lee Curtis reprises her iconic role as Laurie Strode, but this time, the grandmother is taking matters into her own hands. In an interview with SiriusXM’s Jess Cagle and co-host Julia Cunningham (via Collider), Curtis called the film a “masterpiece” with its handling of large-scale community trauma, comparing the events of “Kills” to the Black Lives Matter movement. “We’re seeing it in action and ‘Halloween Kills’ weirdly enough, dovetailed onto that, proceeded it, it was written before that occurred, but then of course, so when you see it, it’s a seething group of people moving through the story as a big angry group,” Curtis explained. ”It’s really, really, really intense.”

The teaser trailer shows Curtis as Laurie mutter, “Evil dies tonight” but it seems that evil will spill over into at least one more installment. The “Halloween Ends” trilogy-capper, slated for 2022, is expected to conclude Curtis’ run in the franchise over 40 years after making her screen debut in Carpenter’s original “Halloween.” Will Curtis be the final final girl, once and for all?

Judy Greer Is Back as Laurie’s Daughter Karen

Scene-stealing supporting star Judy Greer returns as Laurie’s estranged daughter Karen. After years of disbelieving Laurie’s paranoia about Michael’s inevitable return, Karen now is ready to fight alongside her mother and daughter, portrayed by Matichak. Greer gushed to Vulture that watching 2018’s “Halloween” was an “incredible moment” in her life. “I’m just really proud of it and I feel like we made something really special,” Greer applauded “Halloween” in 2018.

Even Greer took away a very important life lesson from her role: how to beat a serial killer. “I pray that if that happens to be me, I will fucking step up,” Greer noted. “It was important that Karen rose to the occasion, and I’m glad it worked. I was just really swelling with pride in that moment, like, ‘Oh, my God! It worked it worked it worked it worked it worked it worked it worked it worked it worked!’”

Andi Matichak Plays Granddaughter Allyson

Andi Matichak is back as Laurie’s granddaughter Allyson. The actress has starred in “Foxhole” and “Son” since her memorable turn in “Halloween,” and credits co-stars Curtis and Greer for their “invaluable” support. “It feels like a blessing that I was able to have them in my corner, especially so early on in my career,” Matichak told The Hollywood Reporter.

She is also confirmed to be in “Halloween Ends,” concluding director Green’s trilogy — but both films were not shot back-to-back as originally planned. “‘Halloween Kills’ was just so ambitious,” Matichak continued. “It was such an intense shooting schedule that it would have been a bit much to try to do them at the same time, so we didn’t.”

Matichak didn’t dare give any spoilers away, but she can confirm that audiences will be wowed with “how big, wonderfully chaotic, mad and ambitious” the film is. We just can’t wait to see how the Strode women unite to battle Michael.

Anthony Michael Hall Takes Over Tommy Doyle

Fans may recall the Tommy Doyle character, originally played by Brian Andrews, as one of the children Laurie is babysitting in the 1978 original film. Paul Rudd later famously took over the role in 1995’s “Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers,” but now ‘80s audiences can rejoice in the news that Anthony Michael Hall is the new grown-up Tommy. And even Rudd gave his blessing!

“So one day, [director] David Gordon Green texts me when I’m off — I wasn’t shooting that day — and he goes, ‘Yeah, I got a call from Paul Rudd, and he sends his best and he gave you his blessings. He’s really excited that you’re playing the part,’” Hall dished on the Fantasm Podcast. “I never met Paul Rudd but I thought that was really nice.”

Hall is best known for his roles in director John Hughes’ films “Sixteen Candles,” “The Breakfast Club,” and “Weird Science.” He also starred in TV shows “Dead Zone” and “The Goldbergs.”

Kyle Richards of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” Reprises Original Role

Another callback to 1978’s “Halloween” lies in return of child star Kyle Richards, now the beloved queen bee on Bravo’s “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.” Richards first portrayed toddler Lindsey Wallace, who was babysat by Laurie while “boogeyman” Michael terrorized the town.

Richards revealed to Digital Spy that she easily fell into step again with mother figure and longtime friend Curtis on set. “We joked and laughed on the set with Jamie because when I was a child, and the day I wrapped, she carried me to my dressing room,” Richards recalled. “So I said, ‘Are you going to carry me to my dressing room again?’ She picked me up the last day, and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is hilarious.’”

Curtis is even rumored to make a cameo on the new season of “RHOBH”! Richards also returns to the big screen for made-for-TV Christmas movie “Real Housewives of the North Pole” opposite Betsy Brandt about the “Christmas Queens of the North Pole” and a very competitive holiday house decorating contest.

David Gordon Green Directs

Writer-director David Gordon Green returns for “Halloween Kills,” but don’t count on him continuing past the already-announced “Halloween Ends” trilogy finale. In an interview with Collider, Green discussed his reasoning behind wrapping up the franchise. “The fun of it is also seeing it end, and knowing that it can,” Green stated. “If you just keep trying to elongate it and milk it for all the money, then that’s boring.”

Prior to Green’s ”Halloween” reboot trilogy, he directed “Halloween” collaborator Danny McBride in “Eastbound & Down” and “Vice Principals.” Green is also attached to the “Hellraiser” series based on the horror franchise of the same name.

“Kills” also acknowledges Michael’s long-disputed lore may continue in other hands. “They’re never done telling the Frankenstein story, and at this point, Michael Myers is a classic movie monster,” Green concluded. “But our Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode/Michael Myers saga will be done.”

It also means the franchise might wrap up after 13 installments for a spooky final dagger to fans’ hearts.

Venice Film Festival Premiere Set

A slasher at an esteemed film festival? Say no more, Michael Myers is making his red carpet debut at the 78th Venice Film Festival to mark the premiere of “Halloween Kills” in honor of Jamie Lee Curtis’ Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement — and it doesn’t get more bloody fantastic than that.

According to Deadline, Curtis is “incredibly humbled” by the award. “It seems impossible to me that I’ve been in this industry long enough to be receiving ‘Lifetime Achievement’ recognition, and to have it happen now, with ‘Halloween Kills,’ is particularly meaningful to me,” Curtis reflected. “‘Halloween’ and my partnership with Laurie Strode launched and sustained my career, and to have these films evolve into a new franchise that is beloved by audiences around the world was, and remains, a gift…I couldn’t be more proud and happy to accept this award from the Venice International Film Festival on behalf of Laurie and all the courageous heroines of the world who stand tall in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles and refuse to yield.”

The Venice Film Festival runs September 1 to 11.

Release Date

“Halloween Kills” was originally announced for an October 2020 release, with “Halloween Ends” slated for 2021. However, the global coronavirus pandemic halted production, inevitably pushing back the “Halloween Kills“ premiere from October 16, 2020 until October 15, 2021. Producer Jason Blum vowed that “Kills” would open in theaters regardless of the state of the world in 2021 with COVID-19. “If this is still going on next Halloween? No, we’re not holding it,” the Blumhouse founder said. ”’Halloween Kills’ is coming out next October come hell or high water, vaccine or no vaccine. It is coming out.”

Blum continued, “I think that after there’s a vaccine, and it’s safe to go back to movie theaters again, you’ll see a lot more movies and movie theaters playing for a lot shorter time. Those things are connected because there’ll be room for more. The theatrical audience is always complaining that all there is in the movie theaters is horror movies and tentpoles. I think that’s all going to change.”

While director Green announced “Kills” will be his last, series creator Carpenter hinted at more Michael terror, even without Curtis as Laurie.

“Halloween Kills” opens in theaters October 15, 2021.