Not only did 2018’s Halloween serve as a reboot, but it also rewrote much of the franchise. David Gordon Green’s film was a direct sequel to the 1978 original Halloween. Jamie Lee Curtis returned to reprise her role as Laurie Strode but this time around, one important plot point was changed, and it was for the best.
The 2018 Halloween movie took place 40 years after John Carpenter’s original film. Michael Myers was caught after his murderous rampage and was held in a sanitarium in the decades that followed. Laurie Strode, however, never got over that tragic Halloween night. Since being attacked by the Shape, she became a survivalist, preparing for the day that her boogeyman would return. The stakes were higher considering Laurie had a daughter, Karen (Judy Greer), and a teenage granddaughter, Allyson (Andi Matichak).
The films that followed 1978’s Halloween provided more insight into Michael’s motives in targeting Laurie. In Halloween II, the big twist revealed that Laurie was actually Michael’s sister. After the death of their parents, Laurie was put up for adoption which is how she became a Strode. The sibling narrative gave the subsequent sequels ample opportunity to explore the Myers family connection. Even after Laurie was killed off, her daughter Jamie became Michael’s next target. All of those revelations in the sequels were retconned, including the fact that Laurie and Michael were siblings. Ditching that plot point was the smartest move the writers could have made.
Early in the Halloween revival, Allyson was walking to school with her friends when one of them brought up the rumor that Laurie was Michael’s sister. Allyson shot that idea down, implying that it was something made up. One quick line of dialogue changed the entire narrative. Michael Myers could no longer be viewed as a familicide-type of killer. He randomly targeted Laurie in 1978, making the events much more terrifying.
Michael Myers has always been one of the most ruthless killers in horror history. He stalks his prey and moves around like a soulless robot with super strength. When Laurie and the rest of her family were connected to Michael through blood, it took the terror down a notch. Michael seemed to have more of an agenda rather than being portrayed as a madman with a thirst for blood. Sure, he killed a ton of people who got in his way but his motivations prior to the Laurie Strode retcon was clear.
When the Halloween franchise took a few twists by bringing back Laurie, they honed in on Michael’s relationship with his sister. At times, it almost felt like the movies wanted viewers to have a pang of sympathy for Michael. Thankfully, that will no longer be an option. Michael will approach the upcoming Halloween sequels with pure revenge. Laurie got her wish and came face to face with her terrorizer, but unfortunately, she didn’t take defeat him for good. The only family she will need to focus on is Karen and Allyson when the new Halloween films release.
