The New Halloween Trailer Breakdown

Jorge Arenas |

Jun 8, 2018

It’s been 11 years since Rob Zombie attempted to reboot the Halloween Franchise. Now we have finally have our first trailer for the much anticipated new Halloween film. Bask in its two-plus minutes of glory below!

The release of the trailer has been the combination of two weeks of teasing from the crew of the latest Halloween flick. We first saw the announcement of a June trailer release in May, and then this week’s announcement of the trailer.

Here’s the official Bounding Into Comics full breakdown of the trailer.

In the trailer, we see the effects of that fateful night on Laurie Strode. It begins with the crew of a true crime documentary meeting Michael Myers in a high-security institution. They introduce their purpose and who they are looking to speak with. This was a good idea to have in the trailer, since it sets both the mood and intent of the film quickly.

While allowing for the story to be laid out for new fans who may not have seen the original.

Check out the trailer here:

From there in one fell swoop, they retconned the last forty years worth of Halloween movies. Everything following the original John Carpenter flick has been deleted – the crew mentions that Michael is responsible for only three murders.

The lead investigator introduces himself to Myers in what looks to be an exercise yard from Hell. He pushes up the tension of the scene as he pulls out the aged, William Shatner mask that has become the symbol of the slashing Shape.

The scene, for me, harkens back to a certain point in Silence of the Lambs: we never get a good look at Myers. As all we see is his back. But he’s chained to the ground with a yellow square surrounding him to indicate how close one is safely able to get to him.

The tension breaks as we’re shown the Universal Studios logo and a narration by Karen Strode, granddaughter of Laurie Strode. As she walks with her friends, she recounts that Halloween night – the night he came home – and its effects on people.

The narration continues as more information, to the benefit of newer fans, follows about the events of the original Halloween movie. At the same time, we are shown the extent of how fortified Laurie’s home has become. With trap doors, weapons, and a scar on her left arm from her encounter with Myers.

Then we see the person we’ve all been waiting for. Our first real sight of Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode. Forty years after Myers, they did a great job at emphasizing how she wasn’t able to move on from the Halloween of ’78. Laurie now takes over the narration, saying how she “prayed” for his escape so that she could put him down once and for all.

And ready to kill she is, as we are treated to her in a range with a shotgun ready to pump Michael full of lead.

From there we see the bus carrying Myers crash, and we all know what that means. Laurie warns her family of who escaped, while Michael somehow tracking down the British documentary crew in a gas station.

A female member of the crew is the first person we see as Myers enters the restroom while she’s on the toilet. At first, she calls out to inform that it was in use, only to see his hands on top of the door. Dropping a hand full of bloodied teeth on the floor.

Like any human being, she freaks out and attempts to escape.

Then we see why he tracked them down, as he grabs his iconic mask from their belongings and we get to watch him put it on once again.

Of course, the most important person on Michael’s visitation list is Laurie herself. We hear her talk about Michael again and his desire to return to finish business with the one who got away.

But in this movie, we know that Laurie has also has been waiting for what they both knew was an inevitable reunion.

As Curtis explained earlier this week, Laurie has spent the last forty years getting ready for this night. So their Halloween confrontation has been in the making for some time.

The trailer ends with a boy being put to bed by what looks his babysitter. Before she tries to leave she attempts to close the closet, but is unable to as something is blocking the way. After the third try, she opens the door only to find Myers bringing down his knife upon her.

Overall, it looks great. While hardcore fans may or may not like the extent of the retconning – the idea of Michael merely being captured during the incredible, iconic ending of Halloween instead of The Shape vanishing into the night – it’s important to remember that John Carpenter is back. This is not a case of hipsters coming in to trash a franchise.

Halloween opens on October 18th, 2018. Nick Castle returns to reprise his role as Michael Myers. Jamie Lee Curtis also returns as Laurie Strode, and John Carpenter as Executive Producer, Music, and Creative Consultant.