At the beginning of the week, Halloween producer Jason Blum confirmed to fans via Twitter that a trailer was going to drop on Friday. I, like most, was happy to get my first glimpse then. However, we don’t have to wait for the trailer to drop on Friday to get a taste of what we can expect from the iconic horror franchise. A bunch of set photos have surfaced giving our first look at Jamie Lee Curtis reprising her role as Laurie Strode.
The photos are courtesy of USA Today and photographer Ryan Green. They give us a glimpse at what we can expect to see in the upcoming Halloween film.
Michael Meyers sneaks up behind Laurie Strode.
An action shot shows Meyers attempting to break into Strode’s house as she hides behind the door.
Meyers appears to be just hanging out in what looks like a closet.
We also got a nice up close shot of Michael Meyers.
And finally a set photo of Jamie Lee Curtis with director David Gordon Green.
These new photos show a grisly reunion between Curtis’ Strode and Michael Meyers. But if you’re expecting this slasher to just make his way through Haddonfield, Illinois unopposed then you are in for a surprise.
Director David Gordon Green says the movie has Laurie Strode prepping for her confrontation with the masked Michael Meyers. Jamie Lee Curtis went into more detail about this change from the first film.
“In this case, she is well-matched, she is prepared, she is focused. She will be the one people are standing behind when that moment comes, because she’s the one ready.”
Producer Jason Blum adds that the movie not only brings back fan favorite Laurie Strode, but also adds a modern true crime element. He explains:
“Filmmakers are “here to investigate” the events of Halloween in 1978. They approach Michael Myers in prison. They show him his mask and every prisoner around starts lashing out. The teenage granddaughter’s friends discuss Laurie, each has a version of the true story which happened years later. Laurie tells a police officer she has prayed that Michael Myers would escape, so she could kill him. She has a dummy which she uses for target practice. The prison bus crashes and Michael Myers escapes. He approaches a woman in a gas station and drops bloody teeth over the stall. He puts his mask on. The Halloween classic music begins as he goes through a town on Halloween night, with real weapons. Laurie rushes the kids to go home, shoots at him through a window, and it was only a reflection. Chaos ensues. Laurie tells the filmmakers they should believe in the boogeyman. Later, a babysitter tries to close a closet door for a kid, and it won’t close. It bursts open and Michael Myers is there with a knife.”
As you’d expect decades of waiting for the return of Michael Meyers left Curtis’s character in a state of internal flux. Something Laurie’s family in the movie tries to push back against. Actress Judy Greer who plays Karen Strode, Laurie’s daughter, talks about how this event forty years ago affected the characters:
“We’re being very honest and truthful about that, how it would affect the upbringing of her daughter, who has a lot of conflicts because of her mother’s obsession with this incident, and her granddaughter, who’s trying to connect.”
Finally, Director David Gordon Green opens up further about the presence that Michael Myers brings to the movie:
“He’s the essence of evil, so we don’t want to get too much into the specifics of what makes him tick. So much of what makes the boogeyman horrifying to me is the mystery and almost cat-like mannerisms and curiosity of this character.”
Jamie Lee Curtis and Nick Castle, the original Michael Myers, aren’t the only two from the original movie who are returning for this film. John Carpenter will return to score the music for the film. This year is the forty year anniversary of the John Carpenter classic, and I for one cannot wait till it comes out.
Halloween makes its way through the police and into theaters on October 18th.