The build-up to Halloween Kills, the follow-up to 2018’s Halloween and the latest installment in the saga of seasonal boogeyman Michael Myers, has been pretty intense. In January, fans got their first look at Myers in all his glory; then in February, horror legend and franchise creator John Carpenter described the film as “brilliant…the ultimate slasher.” Now, the first trailer for Halloween Kills has been released, and damn if it doesn’t look like an epic new chapter in the franchise’s history.
Spoilers ahead: The trailer for Halloween Kills opens with a quick explanation of how Michael escaped the burning building at the end of the last film — through the heroism of a team of short-lived firemen. Then, it goes all-out, burying the viewer in a flood of brutal murder, diabolical symbolism, and female empowerment. But what plenty of contemporary fans will probably squeal the loudest at is the inclusion of the Silver Shamrock masks from the franchise’s infamous third installment, Halloween III: Season of the Witch, which has developed a cult following despite being commonly regarded as one of the worst horror films of all time. It seems that the world of Halloween is finally being brought together in a bloody crescendo.
Check out the trailer for Halloween Kills below:
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly earlier this year, Carpenter discussed his new album Lost Themes III, saying, “It’s a lot of improvisation. Somebody has an idea, a sketch, a bass-line, a chord, a snatch of a melody, and we just start working on it. I have a home studio with a lot of great electronic sounds and that’s how we do it.
“First of all, I’m a 73-year-old guy,” he continued, “I’ve had a career directing movies, which is coal miner-hard, and this is a joy. I get to play with the son and my godson. We have a rock and roll-type type band. A bunch of guitars and drums. This is the greatest!”
When it came time to talk about Halloween Kills, Carpenter was pretty unequivocal: “It’s brilliant. It’s the ultimate slasher. I mean, there’s nothing more than this one. Wow! Man.”
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Words by Chris Krovatin
