Why New ‘Halloween’ Ignores Previous Sequels Revealed

One of the earliest details discovered about the upcoming Halloween sequel was that it would be ignoring all entries in the franchise following the initial film, though audiences didn’t know entirely what that meant. With the first trailer for the film having debuted earlier today, fans now know that this new film will ignore a big piece of Michael Myers mythology and the killer will no longer be related to Jamie Lee Curtis‘ Laurie Strode. Director and co-writer David Gordon Green revealed that by removing that familial motivation, Myers poses a threat to many more people.

“We watched all of them and I can actually enjoy all of them,” Green shared with Entertainment Weekly of the film’s sequels. “But there just felt like such a simple truth to the original. I think by the time you add Michael and Laurie’s relationship, being family, or he’s only hunting his family, it takes that ‘Boogeyman’ out of it. I want everyone to be afraid of him.”

Much like Jason Voorhees and his hockey mask in the Friday the 13th series, Myers’ motivation of hunting down family members became an important component of most entries in the franchise. However, the initial film focused solely on an adult Michael Myers returning to his hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois 15 years after mysteriously killing his sister on Halloween night, stalking his victims with no rhyme or reason.

“The first one really had that anonymity to who he was,” Green noted “[We are] stripping down the backstory, and philosophy, and motivation, and, you know, themes of cults, and things like that. In this one, we’re trying to go bare bones and tell a horrifying story of questions that have no answers. It’s just bad sh-t that happens.”

Removing the sibling connection isn’t the only change being made to the Michael Myers mythology, as the original film’s sequel saw the killer pursue Laurie back to the hospital where she was treated for injuries suffered throughout her horrifying ordeal. This new film, rather, features Michael being apprehended shortly after his confrontation with Laurie, with the killer being locked up for the last four decades.

Michael may have been keeping his cool while incarcerated, but Laurie has been spending her time since the encounter preparing, and hoping, for Michael’s return in hopes of finishing the job she started in 1978.

The new Halloween hits theaters on October 19th.

Do you wish this new film kept the sibling plot point? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!

[H/T Entertainment Weekly]