Laurie’s granddaughter, Allyson, is another interesting addition to the story as she parallels 1978 Laurie in several ways. We find the seventeen-year-old celebrating her induction to the National Honor’s Society while also planning for college, which mirrors Laurie’s own academic achievements at that age. She’s also been raised to believe that the world is not “a dark and evil place” but instead “full of love and understanding,” which imbues her with a youthful naivety – also not unlike 1978 Laurie. In a darker parallel, Allyson’s experience in this film mirrors Laurie’s own in the original. Both women are nearly killed by an escaped killer who’d already murdered several of their friends. While Allyson plays the damsel-in-distress for much of the third act, we eventually recognize in her Laurie’s fighting spirit. In fact, the Strode ladies are only able to trap the Shape in Laurie’s basement thanks to a well-timed shoulder stab by Allyson. It’s also through Allyson’s own cunning that she’s able to trick Sartain into stopping the police vehicle, which allows her to flee to Laurie’s compound.
Allyson’s boyfriend in the film is Cameron Elam, who seems charming enough at first. He ‘s later revealed to be a douchebag in the tradition of Brady from Halloween 4. The filmmakers subvert expectation by allowing Cameron to be the only one from Allyson’s peer group to survive the movie. It’s revealed early on that Cameron has a connection to the original Halloween in that his father is none other than Lonnie Elam, who was a schoolmate of young Tommy Doyle. (“Lonnie Elam said never to go up there! Lonnie Elam said that’s a haunted house! He said real awful stuff happened there once!” Laurie: “Lonnie Elam probably won’t get out of the sixth grade.”) It’s also Lonnie Elam whom Loomis scares away from entering the Myers house just before the film’s finale. (“Lonnie, get your ass away from there!”)
And what of the Shape? Halloween 2018 strips the character down to his purest form since the original film. He is once again the boogeyman incarnate without any agenda or motivation whatsoever. The filmmakers not only remove his sibling connection to Laurie, but also dispel any preoccupation he might still have for the girl that got away. Laurie mistakenly believes otherwise, telling Hawkins: “He’s waited for this night. He’s waited for me.” In actuality, it seems that he hasn’t. The Shape makes no effort to track down anyone upon returning to Haddonfield. He first encounters Laurie after killing Vicky and Dave, but continues on his way. He later encounters Allyson after killing Oscar, but he doesn’t chase after her. There’s an argument to be made that the Shape doesn’t even recognize Laurie until their final confrontation. After stabbing her in the gut, he pauses briefly to do his signature head tilt, which some have interpreted as the moment he finally realizes who she is. Contrary to Laurie’s deeply held belief, her reunion with the Shape this night owes entirely to the actions of Dr. Ranbir Sartain.
Speaking of the not-so-good doctor, the Sartain role quickly emerged as one of the least popular parts of Halloween 2018 due to a controversial plot twist in the third act. Initially introduced as a Loomis surrogate (“Oh, you’re the new Loomis?”), he eventually reveals a disturbing obsession with his most notorious patient. Sartain’s goal is not to cure his mute patient’s deadly urges, but rather to understand them and, hopefully, one day hear him speak. With the bus crash, Sartain sets in motion an elaborate plan to achieve these goals. (While it’s left ambiguous in the story, the film’s producers have since confirmed that Sartain orchestrated the crash.) In a way, the Smith’s Grove psychiatrist is Michael’s biggest fan, even more so than Chet “The Bringer of Death” from Rob Zombie’s Halloween II.
Sartain, like Laurie, is under the impression that she means something to Michael. By staging a reunion between the two, Sartain believes he can finally trigger a verbal response in his patient. (“In spite of my encouragements, he remains unresponsive. But tonight, so many possibilities exist.”) For many fans, the character crosses a line when he tries on the Shape’s iconic white mask after murdering Hawkins. It’s one of several trespasses he soon pays for with his life. Despite his unpopularity, Sartain remains the secret architect of everything that transpires within the film, the phantom menace of Halloween 2018.
Omitted Sartain dialogue:
What greater spectacle than to reunite two old friends. Michael Myers and Laurie Strode. A historical reunion. Michael. She’s been waiting for you. Are you ready?
“Sartain had an interesting evolution,” producer Ryan Turek told ScreenRant.com. “In early notions of the story, he was going to be this kind of Bad Lieutenant-esque, Haddonfield police officer. In those discussions, it was about not only having Michael on the streets, but also having a very human evil, someone who does talk and is very charismatic. So you had on Halloween night these two threats out there. And then, rightfully, I think, David and Danny and Jeff course corrected that and filtered some of those ideas into this very interesting character of Sartain. If you have a new Halloween movie, you have to have a new doctor figure, and I think that what they did with Sartain. I thought that it’s a good flip. It definitely surprises people.”
On the law enforcement front, the sequel introduces Deputy Frank Hawkins, a new character with a unique connection to the original. Sartain reveals to Laurie that Hawkins was the first responding officer to the massacre forty years ago. In fact, it was he who stopped Loomis from killing the Shape that night – something Hawkins has come to regret in the years since. The pained expressions on his face in this film say it all – he knows these new deaths are a direct result of his actions that night. If given the opportunity again, Hawkins would kill the slasher without hesitation – as is his plan this night. He finally gets that opportunity after knocking the Shape unconscious with his police vehicle. Sartain tries dissuading him by pretending that Michael is already dead, but the deputy is undeterred. (“I’m still gonna blow this motherfucker’s brains out!”) Unfortunately, Hawkins soon meets a tragic end by Sartain’s pen-blade.
The development of Halloween 2018 leading up to its final theatrical version is an interesting one. The script was under constant revision from January 2017 right up until filming began, which resulted in a number of deleted scenes both filmed and unfilmed. This also resulted in the film having an alternate beginning and end. The ultimate fates of Laurie Strode and the Shape were also in flux during this time.
The new Halloween was widely rumored to be test screening in late April 2018, the main takeaway being that audiences strongly disliked the originally filmed ending. John Carpenter refuted these reports via Facebook on April 22 (“There hasn’t even been a first cut. No test screenings yet.”). This contradicted a recent claim by Jason Blum that suggested otherwise. The studio head told Digital Spy that he had viewed a first cut of the film on April 11. Regardless of when the screenings occurred, the feedback gathered from audience members was enough to convince the filmmakers to write several new scenes. Reshoots were scheduled for mid-June. Among the new scenes captured were Laurie giving Allyson the interview money, Allyson in the classroom, a flashback to Karen’s childhood, and an all-new ending that saw Laurie, Karen, and Allyson team up against the Shape. Filmmakers also shot an additional moment on the transfer bus with Dr. Sartain, though this was left out of the final cut.
“The editing process is so fun on something like this. On a horror movie, you are experimenting with surprise versus suspense and music versus silence and those types of things, but you really learn once you get it in front of people. I probably did a dozen screenings with audiences.”
- David Gordon Green, The Hollywood Reporter
DELETED SCENES
With a runtime of an hour and forty-five minutes, Halloween 2018 stands as the longest chapter in the franchise outside of the Rob Zombie efforts. Yet as originally assembled, the film ran even longer than its theatrical runtime. The production boasts a handful of deleted scenes, most of which were cut for pacing and are available on the film’s home video release.
Chronologically, the first deleted scene would have given audienc
es an alternate reintroduction to Laurie Strode. Theatrically, we first encounter Laurie as the podcasters do when she allows them into her fortified home for an interview. As first filmed, however, we would’ve met Laurie just prior to their arrival. This introduction would’ve taken place at the homemade firing range behind her house. Here Laurie uses her Winchester rifle and Smith & Wesson revolver for target practice on several old mannequins. She heads inside a short while later to clean her firearms. (Fun fact: Loomis also used a Smith & Wesson revolver to fire six shots into Michael Myers in Halloween. Seven shots if you’re watching Halloween II.) After inspecting her Mossberg Cruiser shotgun, Laurie loads a single bullet into her revolver and holds it to her chin. As she contemplates suicide, we see the ghostly specter of the Shape behind her. This tense moment is soon interrupted by Aaron and Dana pressing the front gate buzzer.
The second and third deleted scenes would’ve appeared in the film back-to-back. The first finds Dana and Aaron in their motel on the morning of October 31. Aaron sneaks up on Dana in the shower wearing Michael’s mask in an effort to scare her. He comments, “When I wear this, there is a certain tendency or inclination that the legacy of the mask seems to inspire.” Dana jokingly asks him not to kill her. “I would never,” he says, joining her. “I need your smile.” The subsequent scene found Allyson jogging through her neighborhood. Nearing a community garden, she notices a small crowd congregating around a tree. Her gaze turns upward to see a dead dog hanging from a tall branch. Upset by this macabre display, she jogs on. In the distance, the Shape observes his handiwork, still in the white hospital scrubs.
One dropped scene not included on home video found Laurie stopping by the community center where her daughter works as a child therapist. Karen is visibly annoyed by her mother’s unannounced visit and even more upset upon learning that Allyson invited Laurie to their family dinner that night. Karen reminds her mother that she’s forbidden to have any contact with her granddaughter. Laurie defensively fires back that it was Allyson who reached out. (“I can’t control who calls me. She’s her own person and she’s making her own decisions.”) Karen charges that Laurie’s paranoid parenting ruined her life, which Laurie defends as highly necessary. As Laurie leaves, she tells her daughter: “Michael Myers is leaving Smith’s Grove. I’ve spent years petitioning for his transfer. He’ll spend the rest of his life at a prison in Colorado. I’m going to do what I can to put my past behind me. It’s been forty years. I just wanted to come here today and tell you that.”
The next cut scene plays out at Haddonfield High School on Halloween morning. In a nod to the original film, the scene opens with a carload of cheerleaders shouting, “We’re from Haddonfield, couldn’t be prouder. Can’t hear us now, we’ll yell a little louder!” (There is also mention of the Haddonfield Huskers sports team.) We then find Vicky telling a disappointed Allyson that she can’t go with her to tonight’s dance due to a last-minute babysitting obligation. Allyson then goes to chat with Cameron, who tries cheering her up with an orange decorated like a pumpkin. Here Allyson opens up about the previous night’s dinner episode. “I’m really sorry. I couldn’t even sleep at all last night. I was just thinking about what a mess that was and I’m really sorry you had to see that. It’s a weird time for me and my family right now.” Cameron seems to genuinely care in this scene and reassures her, “Just wait till you meet my family. Everyone has fucked up families.”
More than a few fans have bemoaned the lack of comeuppance for Cameron following his treatment of Allyson at the school dance. Surely, he was deserving of the Shape’s attention. Yet as originally filmed, Cameron did reap some bad karma for his actions. After catching up to Allyson outside, he apologizes profusely, accepts responsibility for his actions, and offers to buy her a new phone. Just when it seems that she might be receptive to his appeal, Haddonfield police show up to announce that a curfew has been enacted. Cameron greets the officers with rudeness and hostility, prompting them to respond in kind. He’s then arrested for being drunk on school grounds after telling the officers to go fuck themselves.
The final two deleted scenes were both played for comic effect. The first is an expanded version of the bánh mì sandwich discussion between Officers Richards and Francis. (Fun fact: Officer Francis was played by Oscar-winning effects maker Christopher Allen Nelson, who crafted Halloween 2018’s updated mask.) The second scene occurs as Hawkins and Sartain scour Haddonfield for the Shape. Turning to Hawkins, Sartain asks, “Do you ever wear ladies underwear?” The deputy stares back in silence. A moment later, he notices Sartain picking his nose. Hawkins asks him to stop, which Sartain refuses. (“I scratch my brain through my nose.”)
Speaking of Hawkins, his initial investigation of Julian’s house was severely truncated in the theatrical cut. In the early version screened to test audiences, he was secretly stalked by the Shape as he explored the house. The slasher eventually heads outside and encounters Laurie, leaving Hawkins unharmed. Despite echoing the Shape’s playful antics in the original film, the scene was trimmed to focus more on Michael and Laurie. While yet unreleased in full, a brief glimpse of this scene would appear in trailers promoting the film.
THE ORIGINAL OPENING
Halloween 2018 might’ve charmed many a fan with its callbacks to previous films, but it risked alienating legions of series followers with its original opening. You can build almost anything on top of Halloween’s mythology from sibling drama to secret cults, but what you cannot do is rewrite that mythology. For most of the new film’s pre-production, its filmmakers planned on doing exactly that by controversially altering the original Halloween’s ending. Even worse, they aimed to kill off a fan-favorite character.
In the ending Carpenter’s original, Loomis rushes to Laurie’s aid as she’s being attacked. He fires six shots into the Shape, which sends him tumbling over a second-story balcony. Loomis looks down at the motionless killer, then to Laurie, and back to the Shape who has now vanished. As first written, Halloween 2018 was to open with a revision of this classic ending. In this version, Loomis rushes to Laurie’s aid but is immediately strangled to death by the Shape. Laurie grabs his dropped revolver and it’s she who fires six shots into the Shape, who again tumbles over the balcony. Police soon arrive on the scene – including a young Deputy Hawkins – to find Laurie upstairs, still pulling the trigger on an empty weapon pointed at the unconscious Shape.
The daunting (and inadvisable) task of revising Halloween’s ending would have required an elaborate approach by the filmmakers. David Gordon Green seriously considered incorporating body doubles into unused footage from the 1978 production to achieve the effect. He even cast Halloween 2018’s art director and key production assistant as Loomis and young Hawkins respectively. There was also a brief discussion of digitally de-aging Jamie Lee Curtis to play young Laurie à la Peter Cushing in Rogue One, but this was considered too costly. In fact, the entire sequence was deemed too costly and scrapped just prior to filming. How close was this opening to becoming a reality? Incredibly close - set builders had already started construction on the Doyle house set when the scene was nixed.
“Originally they were going to kill Donald Pleasence’s character,” Carpenter told Collider. “And I thought, ‘That’s a mistake. The audience won’t like that. That’s a revision I don’t think we should do.’ So that was my one big contribution. I thought the fans are gonna get pissed off at that. I don’t think you have to even deal with the ending of my movie.”
“We had taken the measurements from the house, literally the house from the original film,” Green told The Hollywood Reporter. “We sent an art director to measure the room from the climax of that film, the bedroom that Michael is shot off the deck, and we’d built half of it before we made the decision economically that we couldn’t afford to complete it. So we translated that set into Laurie’s bedroom for the end of our climax. So it has a strange, subconscious mirror reflection of the ending of our film mirroring that film, which was an economic ch
oice, not a creative choice, and it’s one that most people wouldn’t recognize the distance from the door to the closet to the balcony, but those that do, or even those that don’t, I think there is a subconscious connection there of having those sets mirror them that I’m excited about.”
THE ORIGINAL ENDING
Theatrically, the new film ends with Laurie, Karen, and Allyson teaming up to defeat the Shape, whom they trap in Laurie’s basement safe room and set ablaze. Yet this wasn’t how the film was originally going to conclude. As first written and filmed, Laurie’s long-awaited battle with the Shape ended in a disappointing stalemate. It wasn’t until test audiences reacted poorly, complaining of the lack of action and involvement of Karen and Allyson, that the filmmakers went back to the drawing board. The film’s theatrical ending as we now know it was captured during the June 2018 reshoots.
Halloween 2018’s original ending began just after Laurie shoots off two of the Shape’s fingers. Returning to the basement, she finds Karen holding an unloaded pistol. (“It only works if you load it, sweetie.”) Theatrically, this is when Laurie switches on several massive floodlights throughout her property. Per the original ending, she instead shuts the power off, plunging her home into darkness. Watching through cracks in the the floorboards, Laurie spots the Shape and shoots at him through the ceiling. Running back upstairs, she fires multiple rounds into the shadows of her dark abode. Laurie then notices Allyson in the front yard sobbing over the body of her dead father. She rushes to her granddaughter’s aid. (“Allyson, you can’t be here. I’m so sorry. It’s not over. You need to run. Run and hide. Go to the road and don’t look back. Get help. Save yourself. You must. Go now. I love you.”)
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